Ms. Zheng Yawen from Yanji City Tortured by the Police

Name: Zheng Yawen
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Yanji City, Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province
Occupation: Unknown

Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 26th, 2009
Most Recent Place of Detention: Helong City Detention Centre
City: Helong
Province: Jilin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, Torture, Home Ransacked, Extortion.
Key Persecutors: Shen Gehua, Zhang Baohua

Ms. Zheng Yawen, a practitioner from Yanji City, Jilin Province, is imprisoned at the Helong City Detention Centre in Jilin Province. She was tortured by police officers after her arrest.

On the morning of August 26th, 2009, Ms. Zheng was arrested on her way home by division chief Shen (first name unknown) and two other officers from the Domestic Security Division of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. That afternoon, officers accompanied Ms. Zheng to her home, and proceeded to ransack it. They took her computer, work related material, two mobile phones, 1,000 yuan¹ cash, her sister's resident registration card, and two expensive handbags. Officers from the Helong City Domestic Security Division joined the ransacking. Afterward, they took Ms. Zheng to the Xicheng area in Helong City.

Shen Gehua, director of the Helong City Police Department, Zhang Baohua, director of the Domestic Security Division, and officers from the Xicheng and Fudong Police Station tortured Ms. Zheng for six days straight. They subjected her to inhaling cigarette fumes in a smoke-filled room, hand-cuffed behind the back , tiger bench², and other tortures. As a result of the torture, Ms. Zheng suffers from severe abdominal cramps daily. She has difficulty eating and has no bowel movements.

At first, the authorities refused to confirm Ms. Zheng's arrest to her family. Now, they deny her family's visitation requests.

Ms. Zheng's family searched for Ms. Zheng after her arrest. On August 30th, when the family came to the detention centre of the Helong City Police Department and asked about Ms. Zheng's whereabouts, the guards said that she was not there. When the family called Zhang Baohua, Zhang said "No comment," then hung up. The family called him again, Zhang berated them and would not tell the family if he arrested Ms. Zheng or Ms. Zheng's whereabouts.

On August 31st, Ms. Zheng's brother received a call confirming that Ms. Zheng was imprisoned at the Helong City Detention Centre and informing him to bring clothing for Ms. Zheng. On September 7, thirteen days after Ms. Zheng's arrest, Zhang Baohua requested that Ms. Zheng's family come to the police department, and demanded that they sign an arrest warrant. The family refused, and in return requested the list of confiscated property, to see Ms. Zheng and to check Ms. Zheng's health. Zhang exclaimed that they were not responsible, even if Ms. Zheng died at the detention centre.

Ms. Zheng's family made repeated visitation requests, but Zhang Baohua denied all of them. The family is extremely worried about Ms. Zheng's safety. Last year, Ms. Zheng's sister was arrested by the Helong City Domestic Security Division. She was severely tortured and almost died less than a month after her arrest.

Responsible (incomplete list):

Sheng, director of Domestic Security Division of Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture
Li Baicheng, Chen Haitao, Liu Zhengjiang, officers of Fudong Police Station
Li Jingzhu, Bang Chao, officers of Xicheng Police Station

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

2. http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2009/9/29/209228.html