Under Severe Torture, Dafa Practitioner Li Tao Remains Truthful and Upright, Overwhelming the Persecutors

Dafa practitioner Li Tao (assumed name) went to Beijing to appeal in 2000. He was arrested and then illegally sentenced to one and a half years of forced-labor "re-education." In 2001, he was sent to a notorious labor camp where he remained open and upright about Falun Dafa. His determination towards Teacher and the Fa overwhelmed the persecutors.

1 . Righteous thoughts and righteous actions

One day in summer, ten Dafa practitioners were ordered to stand in the labor camp's hall room during lunch-break. A policeman was cursing them and didn't allow them to take a nap. An elder practitioner was so tired that he was unable to stand any more, so he asked for a rest. The policeman instead cursed him and forced him to remain standing there. At that time, Li Tao said to the policeman, "You can see we are very tired, you should let us have a rest."

"You have to give up your belief first," said the policeman.

Li Tao said, "This kind of standing is corporal punishment in a disguised form. As a law officer, aren't you violating the law yourself?"

The policeman got very angry and said, "Who said this is a corporal punishment? This is a military posture."

Li Tao said calmly, "Why do you force us to do this military posture at lunch-break and refuse to let us take a rest? This is a corporal punishment!" Later, when Li Tao was going back to his room, the policeman dashed over and pushed Li Tao into an office and locked the door. He took out a handcuff and said fiercely, "I must put you under control today!" He handcuffed Li Tao's left hand and twisted the handcuff very hard, causing Li Tao's hand to bleed instantly.

Li Tao righteously looked into the policeman's eyes; the policeman compromised and begged Li Tao not to expose this to the public. Li Tao didn't agree. Then the policeman said, "I will say Falun Gong is good, and your teacher is good, O.K.? I will let you read your Teacher's recent article 'Dafa is Indestructible'."

As more and more blood was running down from Li Tao's hand, the policeman told him to go to the clinic to put a bandage on. Li Tao refused to do so. He said sternly and righteously, "This is the evidence of your persecuting Dafa practitioners. We must not allow you to beat us up and cheat us." The policeman was completely defeated and apologized to Li Tao in the presence of all.

2 . Overcoming the "brainwashing class"

Li Tao often helped other people including criminals to realize that Falun Gong is good.

The labor camp set up "round the clock" brainwashing classes for those determined practitioners who were about to be released home. The brainwashing classes were kept secret to the public. When Li Tao was about to be released, they used an electric baton with over 20,000 volts to shock him - attempting to use violence to make him give up his belief. However, Li Tao faced the electric shock calmly and without any fear. Then, he started a hunger strike in protest and said to the policeman, "I shall open up a path for later Dafa practitioners and not allow you to shock us!"

Li Tao's skin was injured in many spots due to the electric shock. His heart hurt and stopped beating intermittently and he felt weak. He was hospitalized for three days. Since then, the brainwashing class has been dismissed. Li Tao's righteous actions overwhelmed the persecuters.

3. The policemen's malicious plot

Although Li Tao's sentence for the forced-labor education was almost complete, the labor camp didn't want to let him go. They kept him with an intensive training team under the dispatch division. They said to the public that Li Tao had changed his mind and had been released home. Actually, they wanted to find a way to extend Li Tao's term.

However, Li Tao's refusing to take the brainwashing class couldn't be the reason for extending his term, so policemen applied a malicious plot. One day at dinnertime, a warden intentionally struck the food from Li Tao's hands onto the floor. A policeman then immediately rushed over and said to Li Tao, "You refused to eat and this breaks the rule of this labor camp." Then he ordered the warden on the spot to write down this false statement. Thus, Li Tao's forced-labor education sentence was extended by ten months.