Hydropower Contractor Persecuted in Guangdong Sihui Prison in Worrying Health

Name: Long Guande
Gender: Male
Age: Unknown
Address: Dongguan, Guangdong Province
Occupation: Hydro-power contractor
Date of Most Recent Arrest: September 23rd, 2007
Most Recent Place of Detention: Sihui Prison
City: Sihui
Province: Guangdong
Persecution Suffered: Extortion, “Human Instrument of Torture”, beating, rapid weight loss, brainwashing, family and friends being harassed and threatened, tortured, homeless, loss of business, bankruptcy

Mr. Long Guande used to own millions in assets and is now bankrupt as a result of the persecution. Mr. Long was arrested by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities in September 2007, and was severely injured as a result of being brutally beaten. In May of 2009, he was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Guangzhou City Tianhe District Court. Mr. Long was incarcerated in the Guangdong Sihui Prison and tortured using a method called the “Human Instrument of Torture.” Before the 2012 Chinese New Year, Mr. Long's family went to visit him. He looked aged and was very thin. He told his family that his weight had dropped from 145 lbs. to about 100 lbs.

The so-called “Human Instrument of Torture” is a technique where officers form a circle around a practitioner. Then they push and hit the practitioner's head and other vital parts of the body with their hands while pulling the practitioner in a circular motion.

Sihui Prison has not given up on their efforts to brainwash Mr. Long. Not long ago, his family went to visit him, but they were turned away. The prison authorities gave the excuse that their visit “would not help him to “transform” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong]. It is presently unclear exactly how Mr. Long is now being tortured.

Practising Falun Gong, Regaining Physical and Mental Health

Mr. Long Guande was born in Loudi Village of Wuchuan City, Zhangpu Town, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province. Influenced by local customs, Mr. Long started practising martial arts at a very young age and was given a medal for achieving the National Third Level in Martial Arts. Mr. Long was a hydropower contractor in Zhuhai City beginning in 1992, and accumulated nearly 10 million yuan¹ in assets. He acquired many bad habits and his health was getting worse and worse. He depended heavily on medication. Mr. Long suffered from chronic bronchiectasis, which could have claimed his life at anytime. At the beginning of 1995, Mr. Long had many illnesses and was about to undergo surgery. One day while taking his morning exercise, Mr. Long stopped at a Falun Gong practice site by chance and became a Falun Gong practitioner.

Mr. Long's health improved when he started practising Falun Gong. People said that his state of mind also changed. He no longer sounded threatening when he spoke, and his bad habits disappeared. His family thought the impossible had happened. Even the police were surprised. Yang Song, the section chief of the Domestic Security Division who knew Mr. Long and later persecuted him, complimented Mr. Long in front of his family on his good behaviour as a result of practising Falun Gong. Mr. Long not only got rid of all his bad habits, he also tried to influence others positively with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. One of Mr. Long's best friends once wanted to store more than a hundred thousand yuan worth of building materials that he had swindled in Mr. Long's warehouse. Mr. Long refused and tried to persuade his friend to be honest by explaining good moral values. Eventually, his friend was convinced and returned the materials to the supplier.

From Owning Millions to Being Bankrupt

Since the CCP began the persecution of Falun Gong on July 20th, 1999, Mr. Long and his wife have been arrested repeatedly, forced to undergo brainwashing, and regularly threatened and harassed. Mr. Long has stayed steadfast in his belief and has continued to explain the facts about Falun Gong and expose the CCP's lies. The Zhuhai City CCP authorities tried to arrest Mr. Long by offering a reward of 50,000 yuan. Later, the Guangdong Province Public Security Bureau listed Mr. Long as a wanted man. His home has been ransacked many times, and his personal property, including cash, has been confiscated without a receipt. The Zhuhai City CCP authorities notified project owners to stop contracting with Mr. Long for his services, and they froze project funds. To avoid further persecution, Mr. Long had to leave home. His family and friends, including the elderly and the children, were interrogated, examined, monitored, and threatened. Their homes were ransacked and utilities, such as water and electricity, were cut off.

On September 23rd, 2007, at around 8 a.m., Mr. Long was walking from his home to his shop in Dongguan City, when he was attacked by a group of police officers. They came up behind him, yanked a black sack over his head, and started punching and beating him violently in broad daylight. As a result, Mr. Long was severely injured internally. He had blood in his urine and stool for a week, suffered from chest pain, and had difficulty breathing and coughing. Officers from the Guangdong Province Public Security Bureau, Zhanjiang City and the Dongguan City Dongcheng Police Sub-bureau participated in Mr. Long's arrest.

On August 4th, 2008, a court in the Guangzhou Tianhe District held a public hearing for Mr. Long. At the beginning, the prosecutor, Guo Xiupeng, followed the orders he had been given and arrogantly distorted the truth and tried to frame an innocent man. The defense lawyer offered a plea of not guilty on Mr. Lang's behalf, based on the rule of law and the facts. In the end, the prosecutor had no further comments condemning Mr. Long. As the prosecutor held and read the indictment, his hands started to shake and he could not continue. Finally, he handed the papers to Mr. Long and said, “Read it yourself.”

Mr. Long told the court that, when he was nearly dead, a kind prison doctor had taken him to the hospital. His right lung was severely injured, which caused complications. He had developed an adhesion of the lung and his lung could not expand. Mr. Long also had many other health issues, such as hepatitis B from a liver injury, and some swelling at the back of his brain.

Physical and Mental Torture in Prison

Mr. Long was sentenced to seven years in prison and has been detained in the Guangdong Sihui Prison since August 18th, 2009. He is relentlessly being forced to undergo brainwashing, to write the “five statements” to denounce his belief, and to betray and provide information about other practitioners. Mr. Long has firmly refused to act without conscience and dignity and has resolutely resisted the brainwashing. As a result, he has suffered round after round of brutal torture. According to a Minghui report on November 18th, 2009, furious prison guards brutally tortured him using a method called “Human Instrument of Torture.”

Mr. Long has been repeatedly persecuted by the communist regime since 2007. The torture and persecution in Sihui Prison has not let up for two years. Mr. Long is being forced to undergo brainwashing on a daily basis. He is in pain both physically and mentally. Currently, Mr. Long has reoccurring bronchiectasis and is in worrying health.

Note

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