Mr. Zheng Baohua Beaten and Tortured to the Brink of Death

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zheng Baohua was arrested by police officers from the Toudao Station and the 610 Office¹ Domestic Security Division, Helong City, on September 10th, 2008. They then used torture to interrogate him. To protest, he went on a hunger strike and was brutally force-fed. He was finally released when he was on the brink of death.

On October 4th, 2008, his family went to the domestic security office in Helong City to get information about him. One of the persons in the office, who is known to have mistreated practitioners, said that Mr. Zheng was suffering from severe diabetes. An "instructor" at the detention centre added that he also had gastritis, a spinal disorder, kidney failure, and liver disease and that the family should complete some paperwork in order to have him released on medical parole. The family was surprised to hear this because Mr. Zheng had been quite healthy at the time of his arrest. They could not understand how he could have developed so many serious disorders within 24 days. When they arrived at the hospital, they realized that he had been tortured until he was on the brink of death. They were very upset. There were three guards in the room, two female and one male. The family was shocked when they saw how swollen his body was. After they had taken him home, he started listening to Falun Gong lectures and the oedema disappeared within two days. However, it then became apparent how emaciated Mr. Zheng had become.

Although Mr. Zheng was exhausted, he recounted what had happened to him: "At around 10 a.m. on September 10th, 2008, Zhang Baohua, an instructor at the Domestic Security Division, and officers from the Toudao Police Station, Helong City, came to my home, arrested me, and took away a computer, a printer, and Falun Gong books. When I was taken to the Xicheng Station, I was interrogated. I did not say anything. The assistant director, Li, said, 'Just wait and see how we treat you at night.' During the night, Li and some others discussed how they were going to interrogate me in three shifts of two people each. Li and another person took the first shift and beat every inch my body. They hit me on the chin with their fists. They hit my nose, my lips, and my ribs. I had pain in my ribs for a long time. Then the next shift took over, followed by the third shift, who tortured me until it was daytime. I was then forced to stand upright for a long time. I had not been given anything to eat since the first day I was arrested, but was only force-fed with salt water. Later, they changed their tactics. I was forced to sit on the tiger bench² with my arms shackled behind my back. They burned my leg with lit cigars. They also fumigated the room I was in with some yellow smoke until my nose was running. Two and a half days later I was taken to the detention centre. I had one meal there and then decided to go on a hunger strike.

Four or five days after I had started my hunger strike, I was again taken to be interrogated. They tried to get me to eat by threatening me. At night, they force-fed me twice with a salt solution. They did not allow me to lower my head or close my eyes. When they realized that I was very sick, they injected me with some glucose. Around 11:00 p.m. on the second day, they again noticed that I was dangerously ill, injected me with glucose again, and took me back to the detention centre. During the time I was on the hunger strike, I was force-fed with salt water every two or three days. While I was in the hospital, Zhang Baohua told the doctors, "All you have to do is to keep him alive for another three days. There will be no consequences as long as he does not die in the detention centre."

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

2. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/10/14/187657.html