Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Song Huilan Facing Amputation; Detention Centre Officials Dodge Responsibility

Name: Song Huilan
Gender: Female
Age: 60
Address: Xinhua Farm, Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province
Occupation: Farmer
Date of Most Recent Arrest: December 13th, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Tangyuan County Detention Centre
City: Tangyuan County
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Detention, interrogation, physical constraint, force-feedings, beatings, drug administration, denial of toilet use

Police again arrested Ms. Song Huilan, who worked at Xinhua Farm in Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, on December 13th, 2010. While in Tangyuan Detention Centre she was injected with an unknown drug. After two months of detention, she had trouble remembering things; her legs and feet turned black; and one of her lower legs has gangrene and the bones are exposed. She faces the possibility of amputation.

Song Huilan went to visit friends in Hengtoushan Village in December 2010 and stayed with fellow practitioner Ms. Zuo Xiuwen. On the morning of December 13th, Hengtoushan Police Station head Wang Xunjie, police officer Yu Muchun, and Huachuan County police officers Dong Hongsheng and Jia You jumped over the fence into Ms. Zuo’s home. Acting like bandits, they seized Ms. Song Huilan, Ms. Zuo Xiuwen, Wang Dan, and Wang Dan’s mother.

The police beat Ms. Song, first in the Huachuan Police Station and later a detention centre. She went on a protest hunger strike and was taken to Huachuan County Hospital and injected with several vials of unknown drugs. Huachuan County Detention Centre head Pang and a dozen of guards tortured Ms. Song around the clock. Every night they put her in handcuffs and shackles. She had to lie in bed with her arms and legs stretched out while the guards force-fed her. They transferred her on December 31st to the Tangyuan County Detention Centre.

Tangyuan County Detention Centre head Yan Yong said, “Song Huilan, you're back. If you still think you can get out by being on a hunger striking like last time, forget it! No way!” In the cold Northeast winter, when outdoor temperatures dropped to -22oF, she had to sleep on the cold floor, covered only by a thin blanket. She was cold and trembling. Eventually she developed a prolapsed uterus that dropped outside of her vagina, hanging between her legs. The pain was excruciating.

Ms. Song resorted to another hunger strike. Guards Yan Yong, Yang Li, Li, and Jiang immobilised her in the bed. After they handcuffed her, they quickly injected her with unknown drugs. After the injection she was in agony, repeatedly rolled over on the floor, and was unable to speak.

After dark, Ms. Song saw that her right leg below the knee and her right foot had turned black and lost sensation. She was unable to walk.

On March 1st, 2011, Tangyuan Detention Centre officials thought she might die soon, so they called her family to pick her up. Her family members had to carry her out in their arms. Her body was stiff; her eyes were staring, and she could not talk. Her limbs were like wood and had no response or sensation. Once at home the family discovered that Song Huilan's right leg below the knee, including the foot and toes, were gangrenous. The skin was black, oozing yellow fluid. Her leg felt like a steel plate. When tapped it made a "boom" sound.

Two days later her family took her to two hospitals, but the doctors refused to take her in, saying there was nothing they could do, other than amputation. Even then her life-threatening condition might not change. Extremely angry, her family went back to Tangyuan Detention Centre, demanding medical treatment for her and asked, "What kind of medicine did you use to harm her like that?” Centre head Qiao said hesitantly, “Nothing special, just heart medicine.” Disciplinary head Lan berated the family, saying “If she was in such condition, why did you take her home? Why didn't you bring her back here the next day?”

The following conversation then took place between Ms. Song Huilan’s family members and Tangyuan Detention Centre head Qiao Yunting and disciplinary head Lan:

Family: She was in critical condition. The hospital told us to go to Harbin. We need the original medical record for an accurate diagnosis.

Qiao: We have no original medical record.

Family: You treated her here; don’t you have her records?

Qiao: We can’t give that to you. You can make a copy.

Family: She is in critical condition! Her legs are black! You have to take responsibility.

Lan: (Angrily) Why did you take her home when she was in such condition?

Family: You told us to pick her up. After we arrived, your people carried her out. She had on trousers and socks. We did not see her legs. We only saw it after we got home.

Lan: Why didn’t you bring her back the next day?

Family: She was in such terrible condition that we had to take her to the hospital, didn’t we? What drugs did you inject her with to harm her like that?

Qiao: Nothing special; it was just heart medicine.

Family: She has no heart condition. Why did you give her heart medicine? She is now in such bad shape. You have to pay for her medical expenses.

Lan: Do you have her diagnosis?

Family, Yes (showing the diagnosis to Lan)

Lan: (silence)

Qiao: You can complain to a higher level, the city police department.

Family: Would you sign this document?

Qiao: No! You should go back to seek other medical treatment and keep the receipts. The government will reimburse you for the expenses in the future. This should be handled by the police department; it’s not my business.

Family: You violated the law. You intentionally hurt her!

*****

Ms. Song has been repeatedly mistreated for practising Falun Gong. In March 2002 she was in a labour camp for one year; in March of 2003 she was arrested again and sent to a forced labour camp for three years. In April 2008 she was again captured. The detention centre officials forced her to sit on the cold concrete floor two days and nights. They also pulled her hair and hit her head against a wall. On July 1st, 2010, Song Huilan and nine practitioners from Tangyuan County went to Jixiang Town’s Shouwang Village to distribute flyers leaflets exposing the persecution and were arrested. After she went on a hunger strike, she was in critical condition. The detention centre officials did not want to take responsibility and released her.

(Reference http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/6/124251.html , http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/12/124364.html )

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/4/27/2397053.html