Brutal Torture Methods: Inserting Needles into Fingertips, Burning Fingernails, and Pulling Off Fingernails with Pliers

Division Chief Guan Fengchun ordered inmates to handcuff Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Huang Cheng's hands against the wall. Then they inserted a medical needle into every one of his fingertips, a total of ten needles. The needles were inserted between the fingernails and flesh, which caused blood to drip off his hands. Some needles broke through the fingernails and the blood dripped off the needle tips. When Mr. Huang died, the scars left from this torture were still on some of his fingers.

The above description is from a recent report of Mr. Huang Cheng's death in Panjin Prison. Mr. Huang was a practitioner from Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province. He was subjected to brutal torture during his time in prison. Inserting needles into practitioners' fingertips has become a common torture method used in prisons.

Ms. Xu Shao'an is a practitioner from Xiangtan City, Hunan Province. She was detained in the Baimalong Women's Forced Labour Camp in Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province. During her detention, prison guards Fan Yingqiao and Peng Jinwen ordered four inmates to torture her. They inserted ten big needles used in a labour workshop into all of her fingertips, all the way down to the first knuckles. Ms. Xu lost consciousness from the agonizing pain.

Inserting needles or sharp bamboo sticks into practitioners' fingers is not the sole torture method used. It is common practice to combine other brutal torture methods at the same time.

Ms. Wen Huiying was a practitioner from Taoyuan County, Hunan Province who was tortured to death. She once described her experience in the Baimalong Women's Forced Labour Camp, “The prison guard once ordered six inmates to beat me up. They punched me in the head and body, kicked me in the back and legs with their leather shoes, and then tied me up with rope and hung me from the metal window bars. The prison guards also ordered the inmates to insert the biggest needles from the sewing machines into my fingertips. Then they stripped off my clothes and inserted needles all over my body. I lost consciousnesses many times during the torture.”

Sometimes this brutal torture method was used on practitioners' toes and toenails. In Jiamusi City Prison in Heilongjiang Province, one inmate was ordered to insert needles between Mr. Wang Zhuang's toes and toenails. Then another inmate stepped on his toes. Later, both of the big toenails fell off.

This torture method was practiced not only in the prisons but also in the “classes” organized by the government agencies.

In a drug rehabilitation centre under the jurisdiction of the Huangpu Police Department in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, the Huangpu District 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) set up a “Huangpu District Ideology Education Class.” Practitioner Ms. Fan Meixiang from Haizhu District, Guangzhou City was detained in this class and brutally tortured. Section chief Qiu Chaoyang once ordered several people to push Ms. Fan into a chair. They tied her hands to the chair handles and her legs against the chair legs, and stuffed a dirty towel into her mouth. They then inserted sharp bamboo sticks between her toes and toenails, and swung the other ends of the bamboo sticks left and right to intensify the pain. When the bamboo sticks were taken out, bloodstains could be seen in her toenails. The perpetrators then stomped on Ms. Fan's toes, which caused her left big toenail to fall off.

Another torture method used in prisons and forced labour camps is burning the fingernails. Practitioner Mr. Wang Hongbin was detained in the Shijiazhuang City Forced Labour Camp in Hebei Province. In order to force him to renounce Falun Gong, the camp guards deprived him of sleep for several days. When they saw him falling asleep, they ordered inmates to burn his fingernails with cigarette lighters. His fingernails soon fell off as a result.

In the Suihua Forced Labour Camp of Heilongjiang Province, camp guards Gao Zonghai, Diao Xuefeng, Long Kuibin, and Jin Qingfu used cigarette butts to burn the fingernails of Mr. Peng Shuquan. All of his fingernails were damaged, turned black, and fell off.

Another torture method used is pulling off fingernails with pliers. In the Hubei Province Women's Forced Labour Camp, Ms. Tong Jinxiang, a former employee of the Xiantao City Textile Factory in Hubei Province, was brutally forced-fed. Afterwards, camp guard Cheng Yu ordered inmates to pull her fingernails off.

Another similar torture method is using pliers on the fingers. In a prison in Hebei Province, a few practitioners were subjected to this torture. The prison guards held the fingers of a practitioner tightly, and then clasped them with pliers. The fingernails were broken apart. Afterwards, the prison guards clasped the toenails of a practitioner. They clasped the third toe and the big toe of the left foot. The big toenail was broken off.

In Harbin City Prison in Heilongjiang Province, the prison guards inserted sharpened bamboo chopsticks between the fingers and the fingernails of practitioner Bo Fanwei. They moved the chopsticks against the fingernails until the fingernails were lifted up.

Practitioner Ms. Liu Jinfang was detained in the Xiangcheng Detention Centre in Henan Province. To force her to give the names of other practitioners, the police officers inserted sharp bamboo sticks into her fingertips and toe tips until the bamboo sticks popped out. She lost consciousnesses from the extreme pain. Then the police repeated this again to wake her up.

A female practitioner from Xuwang County, Huaiyang County, Henan Province suffered this torture while in detention. Police officer Cheng Weifeng slapped her more than a dozen times, and then Cheng along with another officer, Wang Jian, kicked her many times. Cheng and Wang then pushed her into a metal chair and rolled a metal bar against her shins. Later, while police officer Liu Guanghua held her hands down, and Wang poked her fingers with six pins. While Cheng held her feet, Wang pinned her toes, as well. They pushed 24 pins into her back.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/3/23/237978.html