Engineer Recounts Brutal Torture During Nine Years of Persecution

I am a Falun Gong practitioner from Qiqihar City and was considered an exceptional engineer where I worked. Before practising Falun Gong I wondered why we are born and die. I searched all available literature and history books of ancient and modern times, as well as Buddhist scriptures. I also tried several different forms of qigong, but failed to find the answer. However, when I read Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Gong, I knew that I had found the true meaning of life. No branch of learning, ancient or modern, Chinese or foreign, provides such a clear exposition on issues so broad and profound as Zhuan Falun. My viewpoint has changed significantly. I used to feel rather uncomfortable with what I had to produce at work. After having learned Falun Gong, my work ethic changed completely and I excelled in everything assigned to me. My level of understanding changed with each passing day.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to persecute Falun Gong practitioners in July 1999. More than 10 years have passed and the persecution has not abated.

Suffering Different Torture Methods

In July 1999, the CCP and Jiang Zemin's, [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] followers began to persecute practitioners. As a result the practitioners lost their normal life, work,and cultivation environment. Just like many practitioners, I became homeless to avoid being arrested and persecuted. To expose the CCP-fabricated lies and slander propagated in the media and to let more people learn the truth about the persecution, we kept talking to people about Falun Gong.

Officers from the Qingyun Police Station forced their way into the place where I was staying between 10 and 11 p.m. on January 22nd, 2001. They kicked and punched all the practitioners present before tying us up with ropes, covering our eyes, and shackling us before taking us to the Tienan Police Station. My hands were cuffed behind my back to the radiators of the central heating system. I was forced to sit on a metal chair in the interrogation room. There were two holes in the back of the chair. They put my hands into the holes and then handcuffed me. The officers tightened the cuffs as tight as possible, until my hands were bleeding and swollen.

They covered my eyes and put a very heavy helmet on my head on the third day. Then they pushed me into a police car and escorted me to the deserted No. 3 Grain Storage courtyard, which was located in an isolated and uninhabited region. There was a row of bungalows, where they tortured practitioners. There was a bunk bed and they handcuffed me to the lower bed, so that I could not stand up or squat down. On the following day, Zhang Chunqiu, head of the former Political and Security Section, currently the Domestic Security Division of the Longsha Police Sub-bureau; Liu Yaofu, head of the Tienan Police Station headed that torture operation; Yang Laoba, the deputy head of Tienan Police Station; and a police officer punched and kicked me, as well as pounded on my helmet, making me rather dizzy. They hung me up on a beam and hit my feet with a square-shaped wooden stick over 200 times. As a result my hands and feet were black and blue and mangled. Blood was oozing out of all my toes. No matter what they did, I refused to answer any of their questions. Zhang Chunqiu was swearing and slandering Falun Gong continuously. He said, "I will beat you to death, just like killing a chicken. Then I will pour some petrol on your dead body and tell the outside that you self-immolated because of practising Falun Gong!"

They lowered me down from the beam. The deputy head of the Tienan Police Station said sarcastically, "You can go now. After walking a few steps, I will shoot you from behind and then say that you tried to escape.” I was shackled with my hands cuffed behind my back to the bed again. My face was swollen and deformed, my legs and toes hurt terribly, and I was wearing a heavy helmet. Then, I was taken to Tienan Police Station, where I was handcuffed to a steel chair for one day and one night. They poured cold water over me to keep me awake.

I was innocent, so what should I confess to after five days of torture? They then changed tactics and a household registration officer tried to extort a confession by lying to me. He told me that his mother-in-law also practices Falun Gong and asked me when I began to practise and what was my experience. Then he put what I said into writing, which was then considered to be my confession. I had been on hunger strike during the entire five days.

I was taken to Qiqihar City No. 1 Detention Centre with another practitioner on February 25th, 2001. My hands were very swollen with oozing blisters, so the detention centre refused to take me. The police who escorted me there told the detention centre that my condition was not an issue and reported to the higher-level authorities. The deputy head of the city police department gave his approval and phoned the detention centre to take me in. In the detention centre, my arms were red, swollen and numb for more than six months. I could not raise my arms. My legs were numb and I had problems walking for more than five years. Police officer Liu Jingqi handcuffed me for more than two weeks, so the skin and flesh on my wrists were torn and oozed blood. Even now, my wrists are still scarred. One day when passing the cell where my mother was detained I said hello to her. Police officer Zhang Yong kicked and punched me. They wanted to take my photo, but I refused to let them, so police officer Fang Zheng beat me.

After being detained at the Qiqihar Detention Centre for one year and 10 months I was transferred to Tailai Prison in Heilongjiang Province.

Tortured by Inmates in Tailai Prison

When I arrived at the "Intensive Training Centre" of Tailai Prison I had a medical check-up. The prison doctor who had looked at my blood said that I suffered from a very severe anaemia. I felt dizzy when walking. I would throw up anything I ate. Li Zhongxiao, a guard, chastised me for not wearing the prison uniform, "If you do not wear it, I will find a way to make you wear it." Inmate Wu Hailong (from Pingyang Township, Gannan County) and other inmates were ordered to hit my head with a piece of thick wire 9mm in diameter. They also kicked and punched me, tearing skin and flesh on my head and face. Blood streamed down my face, and my eyes were covered with blood. I was on the verge of death as a result of the torture.

I was taken to the No. 6 Division on January 10th, 2003. At the time I was mentally and physically exhausted and suffering from severe anaemia. I was so dizzy I could not walk. Wang Changbing, the former secretary of the prison investigation office of No. 9 Division (now the political instructor of the No. 14 Ward), ordered several guards and inmate Gai Guibin from Qiqihar to beat me.

I was later transferred to the No. 1 Team of the No. 9 Division. Ma Hongbin, political instructor (currently head of the No. 1 Division), saw me practice the exercises in the autumn of 2003. He ordered the inmates to bring me to his office. He grabbed a broom and hit my head. He also ordered an inmate to hang me from a metal frame outside the workshop and then kicked and punched me, as well as verbally abused me. I was locked up in a small cell, restrained with shackles, and my hands handcuffed behind my back for as long as seven days at a time. Detainees in a small cell were only given two meals a day. No drinking water was provided. We could only drink or wash our face and brush our teeth with the water in the toilet.

I was force-fed by Wang Baiwen, the secretary of the political office of the No. 9 Division, for going on a hunger strike to protest being persecuted. I was given only cornmeal with water. They often inserted the tube into my windpipe. An Sheng, head of the Transformation Division (now the political instructor of the No. 8 Division), withheld my personal letters, did not let me read books, write, make phone calls or speak, and did not let me purchase anything from the store inside the prison.

Tortured in Qinlai Prison

Falun Gong practitioners were tortured brutally and locked up in a small cell. Whenever prison administrative authorities came for an inspection, they would hide the torture instruments.

The torture instrument at Qinlai Prison is made up of two 0.7 metre I-shaped parts. A reinforced bar linked these two frames at the bottom. They would put a practitioner in between the two I-shaped frames in a sitting position with his/her back by the vertical pole. There is a round iron ring welded to the middle of the pole, which encircles the victim's chest. The victim's arms and legs are stretched horizontally and tied to the iron rings at both ends of the upper and the lower horizontal bars. Both hands and legs are cuffed tightly. It's impossible to move. Several sharp spurs were welded onto the vertical pole so the victim is unable to lean back. The victim sits on the cement floor day and night. They have no food or drink and are not allowed to use the toilet.

Pan Hong died as a result of this torture after three days and nights. He was also carried to the workshop to work, paraded through the streets, and exposed to the scorching sun. This was done to make him renounce Falun Gong. The person who was responsible for designing this torture device was Cao Minjiang, deputy head of No. 9 Division. Shi Chenlei, a guard from No. 2 Section (now the head of the No. 1 Section of No. 9 Division), and inmates used this torture on him.

“If You Do Not Renounce Falun Gong, You Will Be Cremated!”

Tailai Prison started a new round of persecution between January and April 2007. The Judicial Ministry issued a directive that every practitioner had to renounce Falun Gong. Otherwise, the salaries and bonuses of the police or prison guards involved would be withheld. It would also affect their promotions. All the practitioners were forced to attend the general meeting. The 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) of Qiqihar City came to Tailai Prison to assume personal command.

Dai Jianfeng, the Political instructor of the No. 2 Section of the No. 9 Division (now deputy head of the No. 9 Division), called me in for a discussion on January 26th. He threatened, "You must renounce Falun Gong, otherwise you will be cremated!" He designated several inmates to watch me. I was locked up in a small cell for more than 20 days. I was not allowed to talk to or contact anyone. They also did not let me have any visitors or receive phone calls or mail. The food my family sent was confiscated.

I was deprived of sleep and forced to sit on the ground around the clock beginning from March 10th. They punched and kicked me. Realising I couldn't be persuaded to renounce Falun Gong, they opened the door and windows so I would freeze. The early spring wind in Northern China was biting cold. The inmates who monitored and tortured me couldn't bear the cold wind even though they all had their padded clothes and were covered with a thick blanket. They took my padded coat, leaving me without protection against the cold. Then, they poured cold water all over me while kicking and punching me. They did not let me use the toilet for several days and did not give me any drinking water so I had to drink salt water.

They even stripped all my clothes off and hosed me down with cold water. They also forced me to squat on a stool. Head inmate Liu Hailong (from Fuyu Township) said, “All the guards at the No. 9 Division concluded at a meeting that they would adopt whatever measure necessary to make practitioners renounce Falun Gong. If the practitioner refused to follow the instructions, they would be beaten to death. This is because the death of Falun Gong practitioners from beating is nothing and shall be counted as suicide. Then their bodies will be cremated.”

At the same time, Zhang Ming, the political instructor of the No. 1 Division stripped off Mr. Wu Yuanlong's clothing and hosed him down after bringing him to the boiler room.

After suffering nine long years of persecution I was physically ruined and mentally affected. I was eventually released in 2010.

Although I regained my freedom, I lost my job. Despite being an engineer, I now have to earn a living doing manual labour. At the moment there are a large number of kindhearted people that pursue the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance who are still being held in prisons, forced labour camps, and brainwashing centres all over China.

I call on human rights organisations to watch closely the persecution of the practitioners in China and stop the 610 Office, procuratorate, and the court from committing more crimes. Help freedom, human rights, and peace return to China.

Perpetrators in the persecution:

Qiqihar area code: 0452
Tienan Police Station, Qiqihar City: 0452-2347715
Longsha District Court, Qiqihar city: 0452-2334400
Li Jiaming, head of the 610 Office of Qiqihar Political and Juditial Committee: 0452-2791608 (O), 0452-2791613
Gao xx, Longsha District 610 Office: 0452-2487125
Tailai Prison, Heilongjiang Province: 0452-82345377, 8237256, 88229376, 82255147, 8237274, 8237943

Tienan Police Station, Qiqihar City
Tailai Prison, Qiqihar
Qiqihar Detention Centre

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/2/27/236326.html