Yi Xiangyang Tortured in Shandong Province Prison and His Arm and Leg Broken

In October 2004, Falun Dafa practitioner Mr. Yi Xiangyang was arrested by the police. The police ordered criminal inmates to beat him with an iron bar and force him to eat urine and faeces. After suffering brutal torture for almost eight days, he appealed to the local Procuratorate, but they gave him no answer. In May 2005, Mr. Yi was sentenced and detained in Shandong Province Prison. In the prison, he was transferred to many different divisions, and the persecution and torture that he suffered became more and more severe.

In the Newcomer Division, the guards ordered inmates to beat Mr. Yi

In the Newcomer Division of the Shandong Province Prison, former practitioners, who had given up cultivation under the pressure of brainwashing and torture, took turns beating and verbally abusing Mr. Yi while trying to brainwash him. After seven days of abuse, Mr. Yi sustained a broken rib.

In July 2005, Mr. Yi announced that the "four statements¹" he had written when he was unable to endure the torture were invalid, and that caused the guards to intensify his suffering. In efforts to "transform²" him, for an entire week the guards did not let him sleep more than two or three hours each night. The guards also ordered the inmates to pour oil on his face every day, one bottle at a time. Later on, Mr. Yi reported the torture that he suffered to Li Wei, who was in charge of the "transformation" in the Newcomer Team. Li Wei allowed Mr. Yi to extend his sleep time to four or five hours a night. Actually though, it was Li Wei who initially ordered the inmates to torture Mr. Yi. On the surface, Li Wei attempted to appear sympathetic.

When Mr. Yi was first in the prison, the inmates that took part in torturing him were Xue Jun, Cai Guangming, Pan Chong and several new inmates. They were led by Zhang Dianlong. Later on, Pan Chong and several other new inmates were primarily responsible for torturing him.

In November 2005, inmate Jiang Xuedong led several new inmates to beat and verbally abuse Mr. Yi on a daily basis. They also stuffed his mouth and did not allow him to cry out when they tortured him. Sometimes, they beat and insulted him around the clock and did not allow him to sleep.

In January 2006, the persecution escalated. Mr. Yi was forced to squat down for 19 hours a day, for over 20 days. Every time, four or five new inmates watched him and they beat him if they saw him struggling to stay in the squatting position. When Mr. Yi was suffering, they forced him to recite the Constitution and the Criminal Law. Even more brutal, they kept him from using the toilet. Sometimes, he was only allowed to use it once every six hours. At times they did not even allow him to use the toilet for over ten hours. During this time, the inmates were led by Jiang Xuedong and Zhang Tao, the deputy group leader. They continued this inhuman torture until the Chinese New Year.

In the Newcomer Team, the guards brutally torture any practitioners who refuse to be brainwashed. Most of the practitioners who were not "transformed" were hospitalised from being severely beaten. However, the guards lied to outsiders, saying that the practitioners were hospitalised because of illnesses.

In order to "transform" Mr. Yi, the guards transferred him to many different cells and frequently changed the inmates responsible for watching him, but all of these methods failed.

The guards of the Xiaogang Team ordered inmates to keep torturing Mr. Yi

In October 2006, the guards transferred Mr. Yi from the Newcomer Team to the Xiaogang Team. Mr. Li's persecution and suffering became increasingly worse. The inmates forced him to squat down around the clock. A group of three or four inmates took turns watching, beating and verbally abusing him. He was only given ten-minute breaks. Except for mealtime, during the rest of the day he was constantly being beaten and cursed at. If Mr. Yi refused to eat, they intensified his torture and force-fed him with food and drugs while the inmates stabbed his whole body with needles. After being continuously tortured for about 98 hours, the skin on his entire body, excluding his face and hands, turned black. His left arm and leg were broken and he could not stand up. The inmates even had to carry him to the bathroom. Even when he was in such a horrible condition, the inmates did not stop beating and cursing him.

In the extreme pain, Mr. Yi told Gao Guanfa, the head inmate, that he wanted to see the guards. Gao replied, "If you want to see the leaders of government, (the designation used by inmates for the guards) should they see you? If you are not 'transformed', they will not see you." When Mr. Yi said that he would report the inmates' evil actions to the guards, Gao said fearlessly, "The guards would not punish us. They like what we are doing. The only way out for you is 'being transformed.'" Another new inmate said, "I do not know what morality is or how to do good things. I just know how to beat people and torture them to death." He also said, "I did not expect to be able to beat people in prison after I was sentenced." Another said, "I am a death row inmate and I do not care about anything. If you do not listen to me, I will make you suffer extreme pain. If you do not believe me, just continue what you are doing and see what I will do."

Sometimes, around ten inmates beat Mr. Yi at the same time, twisting his arms and legs, pressing his body and covering his mouth. Inmate Chen Qiansong broke Mr. Yi's arm.

Mr. Yi Xiangyang's case is just the tip of the iceberg of the crimes committed by the Shandong Province Prison against practitioners. We call on upon the international community to help expose and end the persecution, which has lasted for more than eight years in China. We call upon international human rights organizations to conduct an on-site investigation of the Shandong Province Prison without any interference, find the practitioners who have been persecuted, and let the world know the truth about this evil human hell.

Responsible individuals in Shandong Province Prison:

Qi Xiaoguang, former deputy warden, current commissar, in charge of brainwashing and persecuting practitioners
Zhang Leiguang, head of Prison Division, in charge of the 11th Division including the Newcomer Team and the Xiaogang Team
Li Wei, instructor, in charge of brainwashing and persecuting practitioners

Note

1. "Four Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write the "four statements" as proof that they have given up their belief. Created by the 610 Office, they consist of "a letter of repentance," "a guarantee" to never again practise Falun Gong, a "Dissociation Statement" to declare a dissociation with Falun Gong and promise not go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and a list of names and addresses of all family members, friends and acquaintances who are practitioners.

2. "Reform or Transform" Implementation of brainwashing and torture in order to force a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong. (Variations: "reform", "transform", "reformed", "reforming", "transformed", "transforming", and "transformation")

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/8/25/161477.html