The Brutal Persecution of Practitioners at Hongzehu Prison in Jiangsu Province

A large number of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained at Hongzehu Prison in Jiangsu Province. The following are accounts of the persecution suffered by several practitioners while incarcerated at the prison.

Mr. Xie Zhaoyuan

Mr. Xie Zhaoyuan, about 52 years old, is a farmer from Zhong Village, Honghua Town in Shandong Province. He has been imprisoned and tortured in Hongzehu Prison for more than six years. His skull was fractured, which caused a concussion.

Xie Zhaoyuan was arrested in November 2003 when he posted information regarding the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong on the road to Xinyi City, Jiangsu Province. He was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Xinyi City Court in Jiangsu Province and imprisoned in Hongzehu Prison.

Mr. Chen Zhanguo

Mr. Chen Zhanguo is from the Baotou City, Inner Mongolia. He was arrested and sent to Hongzehu Prison by the police when he explained the facts about Falun Gong in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. He was brutally mistreated in detention, which caused him to be mentally disordered.

Mr. Chen Zhanguo was cruelly persecuted in his hometown, Baotou City. He had to become destitute and homeless to avoid persecution. He went to the home of Falun Gong practitioner Sun Yufeng (his college classmate) in the Xinpu District, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, to live. When he informed people about the true nature of Falun Gong, Mr. Chen was followed and arrested. Another of his classmates, practitioner Che Guangming from Wucheng District, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, was also arrested at the same time. To protest the detention, Mr. Chen went on a hunger strike for more than 50 days in the detention centre and was brutally force-fed by the police. In 2001, the Xinpu Court sentenced him to 10 years, Sun Yufeng to 9 years, and Che Guangming to 4 years in prison. They were imprisoned in Hongzehu Prison and suffered from the brutal persecution. In the summer of 2004, Mr. Chen was tortured by the police for practising Falun Gong. He was imprisoned in the Nantong Mental Hospital and was injected with nerve damaging drugs.

Mr. Tang Xuebin

Mr. Tang Xuebin, about 47 years old, is from Sheyang County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. He was sentenced to ten years in prison and has greatly suffered from the brutal persecution in Hongzehu Prison.

In 2002, Mr. Tang refused to be "transformed¹." He refused to wear the prison uniform or shout to other prisoners before entering through the door [Note: Because Falun Gong practitioners have committed no crime and therefore should not be incarcerated, many practitioners protest their unlawful detention by refusing to wear the prison uniform, answer role call, or perform forced labour.] The guards forced him to run outside, which he also refused to do. The police then incited the criminals to run and drag him on the ground. Soon his trousers were worn away and his legs started to bleed. The police also tied Mr. Tang to a bed frame, beat him, and punctured his feet and hands with a steel nail because he refused to wear the prisoners' uniform. He was frequently sent to a team of torturers (referred to as the "strict team") who strictly monitored him and tortured him because he refused to give up his belief. He was often in critical condition due to the brutal treatment.

Mr. Tang Xueyong

Mr. Tang Xueyong, about 34 years old, is from Sheyang County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. He is Tang Xuebin's brother. Because Tang Xueyong did not give up his belief in Falun Gong, he was brutally tortured by the police and criminals in Hongzehu Prison. Tang Xueyong was released in 2004. But in 2005, he was arrested again and sent to the Nanjing City Prison in Jiangsu Province. It is unknown if he is still alive..

From October to November 2001, Tang Xueyong was brutally tortured for more than 40 days because he refused to cooperate with a Hongzehu Prison guard. Guard Tang Jinchao, the deputy political instructor of the 10th Prison District, and Zhang Guanjun, the political instructor of the prison orientation team, incited criminal Wang Gang and others to brutally torture Tang Xueyong physically and mentally. Tang Xueyong was forced to get up very early and go to bed very late every day. He was forced to stand up for five roll-calls every day. The police incited two criminals to hold Tang Xueyong's arms out to the sides and the third criminal to kick his knees, so that he fell onto the paved ground. When Tang Xueyong stood up with difficulty, the criminal kicked the backs of his knees again. This was repeated dozens of times until Wang Gang shouted for them to stop. Tang Xueyong was repeatedly tortured like this during each roll-call every day. Very soon, both of Tang Xueyong's legs were covered with blood and severely injured. The guards also did not allow him to go to the toilet or sit down. His lower legs were swollen as thick as his thighs.

Mr. Ni Haibin

Mr. Ni Haibin is from Sheyang County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. He is about 35 years old. He was brutally tortured in Hongzehu Prison. Because the police restricted any information about him, his current situation is unknown.

Mr. Ni was imprisoned alone in a tailoring workshop to do hard labour because he refused to cooperate with the brainwashing and "transforming." He was detained in the "strict team" three times and brutally tortured. In 2003, the guards hosted an "interrogation meeting" for Ni Haibin since he refused to be "transformed" even after a few months. The police also transferred him to the strict team again to torture him. It was during a very hot time in the summer, when the mosquitoes in the Hongzehu area are big and very active. The guards incited the criminals to tie Ni Haibin on a plank and pull off his clothing to let the mosquitoes bite him. Mr. Ni still refused to "transform". The guards took him to the "strict team" again. But this time the strict team refused to accept him and claimed that he was too hard to control. From March to April 2004, Ni Haibin went on a hunger strike while he was detained in the strict team. He was then brutally tortured, putting his life in great danger. The guards had to send him to the hospital. But even in the hospital, they continued to threaten him and try to brainwash him. Because they did not allow his family members to visit Mr. Ni or call him, his current situation is unclear.

Mr. Tai Zhengxu

Mr. Tai Zhengxu is from Shuyang County in Jiangsu Province. He was arrested in 2002 and was sentenced to seven years in prison. He has suffered from being brutally tortured by the guards and criminals in the Hongzehu Prison. His current situation is unclear.

Mr. Tai was formerly employed by the Shuyang County Grain Administration Bureau. He was persecuted by the local CCP officers for practising Falun Gong. He has been homeless since July 2001 due to the persecution. He made a living as a grounds maintenance worker, picking up after animals and humans. He was arrested in 2002 when clarifying the truth of Falun Gong. The police used all kinds of brutal ways to torture him, such as hosting an interrogation meeting and a parade against him. Later he was sentenced to seven years in prison. After he was imprisoned, the guards forced Mr. Tai to wear the prison uniform, shaved his head, and forced him to run. The guards also monitored him 24 hours a day and did not allow him to talk, write, or have paper and pen in hand. They even told prisoners to follow him when he went to the toilet. Because Mr. Tai refused to be "transformed," the guards frequently incited the criminals to drag him on the ground, lock him in a small room, and not allow anyone to see him. Meanwhile, the guards told four or five criminals to take turns beating Mr. Tai and did not allow him to sleep.

Mr. Gu Siyuan, Mr. Chen Yanru, Wang Daohang's wife, Ms. Li Hongmei

Mr. Gu Siyuan is from Shuyang, Jiangsu Province. He was imprisoned in Hongzehu Prison and tortured. His current situation is unclear.

Mr. Chen Yanru, about 70 years old, is from Jingjiang, Jiangsu Province. He was imprisoned in the Education Team in Hongzehu Prison. He was brutally persecuted until he was in critical condition. In the second half of 2007, Mr. Chen died soon after he was released.

In addition, Mr. Wang Daohang's wife, a Falun Gong practitioner from Suining County, Jiangsu Province, was persecuted in Nantong Prison in Jiangsu Province, placing her life in great danger. She died soon after she was released.

Ms. Li Hongmei is from Xuzhou, Jiangsu. She was arrested because she practised Falun Gong, and requested the CCP related departments to release other detained Falun Gong practitioners. Currently she is being detained at the Lianyungang City Detention Centre.

Note

1. "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://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/2/18/195677.html