Elderly Dafa Practitioner Ms. Liu Meizhen Tortured to the Brink of Death at Liaoning Province Women's Prison

On March 9th, 2007, the family members of Falun Dafa practitioner Liu Meizhen, from Dadong District of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, received a call from the Liaoning Province Women's Prison to take Liu Meizhen home. At that time, Ms. Liu was already extremely weak due to the torture she endured, and was unable to walk.

Ms. Liu Meizhen, 66, is retired from the Heating Company of the Real Estate Bureau of the City of Shenyang. She began practising Falun Gong in 1994. Since then, her many chronic illnesses, including arthritis, cough, and sciatic numbness, and residual problems after her tonsillectomy were all cured. She lived according to the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and became even kinder to others. Whenever there was a conflict, she always looked inside and considered others first.

Since the persecution against Falun Gong began in 1999, like many other Falun Gong practitioners, Ms. Liu began informing people about the persecution of Falun Gong and dispel the state propaganda attacking the practice. In August 2001, she was sent to Longshan Forced Labour Camp in Shenyang for two years. Her actual detention duration was 18 months.

On November 21st, 2005, while posting leaflets exposing the persecution about Falun Gong in the Liaoshen Area in Dadong District, Shenyang City, Ms. Liu was abducted by police from the Liaoshen Police Station, Dadong District of the Shenyang City Police Department. She was severely tortured at the police station. Several police threw her to to the ground. As a result, she shook constantly and could not walk. She was later sent to the Shenyang City Detention Centre, and in February 2006, was secretly sentenced to serve three years at the Liaoning Province Women's Prison.

According to people familiar with her situation, when Liu Meizhen was sent to the Women's Prison in February, she was examined by two paramilitary police as a part of the routine exams. Because she was very weak, she did not pass the exam, and the prison rejected her. The prison warden negotiated with the detention centre staff for a long time. In the end, the detention centre staff said that Ms. Liu was already sentenced and forced the prison to accept her. The detention centre staff just left Ms. Liu at the prison and left.

On April 10th, 2006, Liu Meizhen's family members visited her at the prison. Her body was still very weak. Two guards had to hold her up so that she could see her family, as she couldn't even walk. She was detained in the Sixth Team, Third Prison Division of the Liaoning Province Women's Prison, where she was inhumanely tortured.

As soon as she entered the prison, the warden ordered other inmates to cut her hair and make her change to inmate's uniforms. Because she was very weak and couldn't walk, a kind-hearted inmate helped her obtain a temporary bed.

The inmates, under the orders of the guards, tried to brainwash her. At least two inmates watched her all the time, even when she went to the toilet or ate. They prohibit Dafa practitioners from talking to each other. The prison also formed three-person teams, forcing each Dafa practitioner to always be accompanied by two non-practitioner inmates.

Once, An Rui, supervisor at the Third Prison Division, tried to brainwash her. When she learned that Ms. Liu's cell mates were all asleep during the day because they were on watch duties at night, she immediately sent two more inmates to watch Liu Meizhen closely. The horrific environment at the prison had worsened Liu Meizhen's already-poor health. Because she could not control her bladder, the prison guards called her family and asked them to bring more toilet paper. She also lost several teeth and could not eat the cornbread and pickled vegetables at the prison.

Liu Meizhen was firm in her belief and refused to give up the practice. She was too physically weak to do hard labour. At the same time, many of her organs were failing. The prison staff were afraid that Ms. Liu would die in prison, so they released her on medical parole. She was taken home by her family members on March 9th, 2007.

According to insiders, Ms. Yang Shumei, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Zhuanghe, Dalian City, who was in her 40s, was also detained at the Third Division of the Liaoning Province Women's Prison. She had hepatitis and was released on medical parole. Later, she was sent back to the prison. The inmates often beat, cursed at, and physically tortured her. Dafa practitioner Li Huixia, who is from Chaoyang, Liaoning Province and in her 30s, was also tortured. At the end of 2006, because she shouted "Falun Dafa is great," the guards taped her mouth shut and tied her hands behind her back. She couldn't breathe, and her face turned purple. A kind-hearted inmate tore away the tape for fear that she would die. The inmate said to the guards, "Are you going to suffocate her to death?" Falun Dafa practitioner Shi Shengying from Shenyang was another practitioner tortured for refusing to denounce her faith. In the winter of 2004, she was detained in solitary confinement, which was not heated. It was very cold. She was monitored by an inmate. The prison threatened that she would be in solitary confinement until she denounced Falun Gong. Whenever it became cold, the inmate tortured her severely as punishment. She was tortured to death on August 25th, 2005.

More than 10 Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death at the Liaoning Province Women's Prison. Many more became permanently disabled. Because of the information censorship in China, many cases cannot be verified. We hope others can help us verify the deaths of Falun Dafa practitioners Li Ling (in her 50s) and Zhang Juxian (age unknown) at the Women's Prison.

Relevant phone numbers:

East Police Station, Dadong District of the Shenyang City Police Department. Address: 114 Gongnong Road, Dadong District. Zip: 110044. Phone: 024-88093619

Liaoshen Police Station, Dadong District of the Shenyang City Police Department. Address: 31 Liaoshenyi Street, Dadong District. Zip: 110044. Phone: 024-88113342

Liaoshen Block Club Office. Address: 104 Dama Street, Dongbei. Zip: 110044. Phone: 024-88114079

610 Office of Dadong District. Address: 22 Xiaoheyan Street, Dadong District, Shenyang City. Zip: 110042. Phone: 024-24344563; 024-24834894

Dadong District Police Division of Shenyang City Police Department: 024-88503258

Shenyang City Detention Centre, located at Gaoli Village, Zaohua Township, Yuhong District, Shenyang City. Zip: 110148

Shenyang Prison's mailing address: 7 Yuxin Street, Yuhong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. Zip: 110145. Location: Baixintaizi Village, Pingluo Township, Yuhong District, Shenyang City. Phone: 024-89296556; 024-89296438

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/3/23/151360.html