Ms. Tang Lijuan Has Been Detained in Guangdong Province Women's Prison for Nearly Three Years

In April 2008, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Tang Lijuan, former Associate Professor of Party University in Heilongjiang Province, was arrested in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, and sentenced to three years in jail. On July 17th, 2009, she was detained in the Women's Prison of Guangdong Province. She is still being kept there.

In 1997, Ms. Tang Lijuan began practising Falun Gong. Her health improved dramatically and she became very good-spirited and lived harmoniously with her family. In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party started persecuting Falun Gong. Her son, Mr. Wang Zhehao, was arrested and detained in a labour camp several times. In 2004, he died because of the persecution. Ms. Tang's husband couldn't understand her, and he deserted her, resulting in her family being torn apart. Ms. Tang has been detained in jail for nearly three years.

In April 2008, police officers broke into Ms. Tang's house in Shenzhen City. They handcuffed her to a bench and took away her notebook computer, a printer, a satellite TV receiver, as well as other personal items and money, totalling nearly 30,000 yuan¹. Ms. Tang was taken to Bagualing Police Station, and then transferred to the Futian Police Station in Shenzhen City. She tried to appeal to the higher court, but was denied. In the end, she was sentenced to three years in jail and detained in the Women's Prison in Guangdong Province.

Falun Gong practitioners who are detained in the Women's Prison in Guangdong are subjected to cruel persecution including:

1. Deprivation of sleep. Several prisoners take turns watching practitioners. As soon as practitioners fall asleep, the prisoners pinch and poke them with pens, and hit their heads with their fists or thick books. Mr. Tang Lijuan had chest pains for a long period of time due to the torture.

2. Deprivation of food. Practitioners are not given food because they don't acknowledge they are prisoners. Guards told them that only prisoners are given food.

3. Practitioners are forced to do 'homework' for the guards. If they refuse to cooperate, the guards will force them to squat until they become so tired that they can't move anymore.

4. Practitioners are forced to stand for extended periods of time, for about seven to eight hours at a time.

5. Practitioners are forced to sit on plastic benches until their buttocks become infested.

6. Practitioners' ears and hair are pulled by the guards.

7. Words defaming and slandering Falun Gong are written on the stools, shoes and beds. Practitioners are stripped naked to be searched.

Guangdong Province is relatively hot during the summer. As a result of long periods of sitting, practitioners' bodies become smelly. The guards use this as an excuse to verbally abuse practitioners. The three guards who are mainly involved in persecuting Ms. Tang have the surnames Tang, Lai and Zhang. More than 10 prisoners take turns watching Ms. Tang, causing her great pain mentally and physically.

Note

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