Additional Information about the Persecution of Mr. Li Ziran in Chenzhou Prison, Hunan Province

Mr. Li Ziran, a Falun Gong practitioner from Yueyang City, Hunan Province, was sent to Chenzhou Prison in Hunan Province in late July 2005.

Upon his arrival at the prison, he informed the guards about the true nature of Falun Gong. As a result, guard Wu Xinchao ordered several inmates to tie Mr. Li 's hands behind his back and pull them up. Mr. Li had to bend his back to prevent his arms from breaking. Wu then kicked him in the knees until he tumbled to the ground and was forced to squat on his heels.

Mr. Li was ordered to recite the "Discipline Standards for Prison Inmates," which he refused, in protest of his imprisonment. Guard Li Ang then ordered two inmates, Li Feng and Luo Zhao, to punish him. The inmates pulled his hands behind his back and toward his head, and kicked him in the knees to force him to squat. They then forced him to stand straight for over ten hours and beat him with a bamboo stick every time he moved. Li Ang also told Mr. Li that he would have to squat and beg if he wanted to use the restroom. Mr. Li was forced to relieve himself in his clothing while the two inmates restrained him. The abuse ended at 10:00 p.m., when then-deputy section chief Qiu Zhenhua, who was sympathetic toward Falun Gong, arrived. (Qiu eventually left his job at the prison upon learning more facts about the persecution of Falun Gong.)

All the bulletin boards in the prison posted slogans slandering Falun Gong. At least two inmates were ordered to monitor each Falun Gong practitioner and search their beds and personal belongings. Practitioners were forbidden to speak with or smile at each other, and were forced to watch TV propaganda slandering Falun Gong.

When Mr. Li refused to have his hair cut in the style required of prisoners in September 2005 in protest, guard Peng Ruowen, along with one of the inmates, pulled his hands back, making him bend his back. Two other inmates then pushed down on his neck, forcing him into a position where his hair could be cut. Around November 2005, Mr. Li was severely beaten by inmate Xiao Fuyi during a haircut session.

In late October 2005, an inmate beat another practitioner, which prompted Mr. Li to stand up and shout out, "Falun Gong is good!" Some guards and inmates then covered his mouth, beat him, and dragged him into the guards' office. Guard Wu Xinchao and several inmates, including Lei Ping, tightly tied Mr. Li with chains and kicked him in the knees to force him to squat.

In November 2006, Mr. Li began an eight-day hunger strike to protest the persecution.

In mid-March 2007, guard Wu Xinchao beat practitioner Xiao Zhixiang, who was over 60 years old, for speaking out for justice for Falun Gong. When Mr. Li stood up for this practitioner, inmates Luo Zhao and Yin Xiangwen covered his mouth and beat him. Eight inmates then ganged up and beat him about the chest, neck, and face, and kicked him until he could no longer get up from the ground.

Several minutes later, Mr. Li was taken to an empty room and handcuffed. Wu slapped him in the face and punched him in the chest. Guard Huang Shuiqing then punched him until he fell to the ground, and guard Peng Ruowen punched his mouth and threw him against the wall several times. The guards also viciously stomped on his feet.

The guards then hung up Mr. Li by handcuffing him to a window frame. He was hung up for 16-17 hours per day, for five days. When he was let down at night, the guards handcuffed him tightly to a bed. Peng also did not let him use the toilet.

Wu subsequently instigated inmates Huang Xiutang and Oyang Cunyu to escalate the torture. They handcuffed him as tightly as possible and hung him up higher, with his toes barely touching the ground, causing excruciating pain. After an hour, some inmates reported his condition to the guards and asked for his release. However, Wu told them that it was none of their business. Mr. Li was finally let down four hours later, but his handcuffs were not removed until 20 minutes afterwards. He was extremely dizzy and unable to walk.

The following guards conducted the torture: Huang Shuiqing, Peng Ruowen, Wu Xinchao, Li Ang, and Li Liping. Deputy prison head Meng Kehui, prison head Wang Miao, and education section head Liu Xiaobing also supported the torture and issued orders to carry it out.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/4/30/222602.html