Persecution Account of Ms. Liu Yanhua from Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province

Name: Liu Yanhua
Gender: Female
Age: Over 40
Address: Cuiluan District, Yichun City, Heilongjiang Province
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: July 23rd, 2008
Most recent place of detention: Harbin Women's Rehabilitation Labour Camp
City: Harbin
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Detention, extortion, brainwashing, long-term standing or squatting, beatings, the “big hang-up” torture, iron chair, sleep deprivation, extended imprisonment

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Liu Yanhua has been abducted, imprisoned, subjected to brainwashing and “re-education” through forced labour, and suffered other forms of torture since the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999 under the Jiang Zemin, [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] regime.

Before practising Falun Gong, Ms. Liu suffered from cardiovascular disease, rhinitis and skin disease. After learning Falun Gong in March, 1999, all of these health problems were miraculously healed. In late 2001, she was detained in the Cuiluan Detention Centre for 15 days by Cuiluan District Deputy Bureau Chief Cao Chunlin, Chief of the Politics and Law Section Yan Bo, and Xu Zhanxue. The authorities also extorted 2,000 yuan¹ from her.

Around October 1st, 2003, Liu Yanhua was arrested by Zhang Xiangguo, Lin Xiaoming, and a company from the Political and Judicial Bureau and 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong). She was taken to the Yichun City Brainwashing Class (formerly the Beishan Party School) for a month of brainwashing classes.

In July 23rd, 2008, Ms. Liu was distributing flyers near Eryunnan in Cuiluan District when she was reported by deputy Bureau Chief Sun Jiaquan and abducted by several policemen from the Cuidong Police Station, including the bureau chief. She was forced to stand and then squat. A man surnamed He continually struck her abdomen with water bottles. Two days later, she was taken to the Xilin Detention Centre, then transferred to the Harbin Women's Rehabilitation Labour Camp on October 12th. She was sentenced to two years of “re-education” through forced labour. The moment she arrived at the labour camp, she was forced to undergo a month-long session of brainwashing.

On February 23rd, 2009, Ms. Liu was subject to the “Big Hang-Up” torture for four days. She was hung on a bed with her arms pulled straight out while handcuffed. This was the first time. The second time, she was hung up for five days. On October 21st, 2009, she was subjected to the “Iron Chair” torture for an entire month with her hands cuffed behind her back.

On July 1st, 2010, the police forcibly brought all Falun Gong practitioners from the No. 3 Division, No. 1 Team and No. 2 Team to the fifth and sixth floors of the building so as to subject them to the Big Hang-Up, the Iron Chair and other forms of torture. Ms. Liu was hung up for five days. When the inspection team arrived on the fifth day, Ms. Liu was taken down. When the inspection team left two days later, she was forced to sit on the Iron Chair for a week, followed by being forced to sit on a plastic stool for 24 hours without sleep. When the inspection team came again on August 2nd, she screamed for help. She was kicked by political director Zhang Li three times, and was beaten by inmates assigned to monitor and torture Falun Gong practitioners under Zhang's instigation. Ms. Liu was then forced to sit on the Iron Chair for another week. When Ms. Liu tried to voice her grievances, Zhang responded viciously. Zhang threatened to lengthen the sentences of other inmates if they did not beat Ms. Liu and so they brutally beat her. She was also kept in prison for six months and four days beyond her imposed sentence.

Ms. Liu's husband is a high school teacher. Under the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) lies and manipulation, he could not bear the terror and pressure and capitulated. He travelled to the labour camp and divorced his wife.

After two and a half years of persecution in a labour camp, Ms. Liu was finally released in early 2011. On August 12th, Huang Yongxin, Office Director Liu Hongsheng and two other unnamed individuals tried to arrest Ms. Liu once again and planned to put her in a brainwashing class, but failed in their attempt.

Note

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

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/9/10/246505.html