Torture
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A Form of Torture Known as "Confining Clothes"
2014-07-21A method of torture known as “Confining Clothes” is one of more than 100 different kinds of torture techniques the Chinese Communist Party uses on Falun Gong practitioners. Such clothes, which tighten whenever the person moves, are used to restrain people with mental illnesses, in much the same way “straight jackets” have been used in mental hospitals in the West. This form of torture can cause fractures of the shoulders, wrists, and elbows; spinal fractures; or even death. -
Falun Dafa Continues to Thrive Despite 15 Years of Persecution: The Story in Numbers
2014-07-21Fifteen years ago, on July 20th, 1999, the onset of persecution turned the lives of 100 million Falun Gong practitioners upside down overnight. Practitioners who have persevered through the brutal persecution have told extraordinary stories of their faith, and the choices they have made in the face of unprecedented oppression. -
A Close Look at the Brainwashing Industry in China: Policies, Funding, and Scale
2014-07-16After the Chinese regime shut down its labour camps late last year, they were replaced by “black jails,” or extralegal detention centres, as documented by Amnesty International's December 2013 report. In other words, the same human rights abuses continue, but are simply hidden in more secretive facilities. Over the 15-year persecution of Falun Gong, its practitioners have gathered extensive, firsthand information about brainwashing centres, a common type of black jail and a strange industry of its own. These brainwashing centres are established to “transform” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] Falun Gong practitioners, i.e. force them to renounce their beliefs through coercion, and physical and psychological torture. -
Blood Sample Drawn for No Apparent Reason at Liaoning Women's Prison
2014-07-15Since organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners in China was first exposed in 2006, many practitioners have come to a shocking realization. The unexplained physical examinations and blood tests they were forced to go through while detained could very well have put them in danger of becoming a victim of this state-sanctioned crime. -
Shanghai: Ninety-seven Falun Gong Practitioners Arrested in First Half of 2014
2014-07-15July 20th, 2014 marks the 15th year of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. To date, 3769 practitioners were persecuted to death. In the first half of 2014, 69 new death cases were confirmed, and 413 practitioners were put on trial. In Shanghai, according to incomplete reports published on the Minghui website, in the first half of 2014, ninety-seven practitioners were arrested, four practitioners were sentenced to at least three years in prison and seventeen practitioners were to taken to brainwashing centres. -
Beijing Practitioner Still Detained Despite His Precarious Health Condition
2014-07-15Just five months after his release from eight years of imprisonment in May 2013, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Zicheng was arrested again along with his wife Zhang Aiping on October 29th. He had developed a debilitating leg problem as a result of torture during his earlier incarceration, and the latest arrest worsened his condition. Nevertheless, Pinggu District Court went ahead with a trial of him and his wife on June 26th, 2014. Unable to walk, he was still shackled and handcuffed, and was literally dragged into the courtroom by four bailiffs. -
Elderly Female Practitioner in Dire Condition after 7 Months in Detention
2014-07-15Ms. Huang Qiaoqin's life is likely in danger after being detained for seven months. She now weighs about 80 pounds, down from her normal weight of around 150, and is emaciated. Ms. Huang, in her 60s, was arrested on November 25th, 2013. She was taken to the Xuhui District Detention Centre. She was not allowed to do the Falun Gong exercises in the detention centre, and her health deteriorated. Pustules and sores grew inside her ear, causing excruciating pain, and she nearly lost her hearing. Ms. Huang also developed eye problems and is now almost blind. -
Deceased Practitioner's Family Wins Four-Year Lawsuit
2014-07-15May 6th, 2014, was a big day for Mr. Peng Mingsheng's family because they finally won a crucial lawsuit against the Tengzhou People's Hospital in Shandong Province. It took the family four years of constant effort to show that the hospital was liable for his death, in following the regime's pervasive policy of treating Falun Gong practitioners as targets of persecution, rather than human beings. -
Mother Seeks Justice in Son's Death
2014-07-14“My husband passed away when our son was five years old. It was not easy to raise two children as a single mother. I survived only because of my son. He was so kind and loved me very much. He told me once: 'I will take care of you, Mum, even if I end up a beggar.' I worked so hard to raise him. He was strong and healthy, but he died when he was only 39. They (Wumaping Prison authorities) said they were not responsible...” said Ms. Peng Guangzhen, a 70-year-old mother seeking justice in the death of her son, Mr. Xu Langzhou, who died in suspicious circumstances in a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prison, incarcerated for his belief in Falun Gong. -
Tan Family Harassed, Beaten, and Tortured by Police for 15 Years
2014-07-14Ms. Tan Yanling and her family from Hegang City, Heilongjiang Province, are all Falun Gong practitioners. They have been brutally persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party since July 1999. Her father, Mr. Tan Guoyi, was tortured to death in 2004, and her brother, Mr. Tan Yanjun, in 2005. The local police department has refused to restore the registration of her sister, Ms. Tan Yanwei, as a permanent resident in the region. Ms. Tan Yanling is disabled, but the police have repeatedly beaten her without cause. -
Tianjin High School Teacher Ms. Cong Huiyun, 64, Died One Year Ago
2014-07-14Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Cong Huiyun, an excellent teacher from Tianjin No. 102 High School, passed away one year ago, in July 2013, at the age of 64. Ms. Cong was sentenced to a three-year forced labour term in September 2002 for not renouncing Falun Gong. She was tortured and injected with unknown drugs, and became disabled from the ordeal she suffered in the labour camp. She became paralysed and bedridden in 2012 and died a year later. -
First Half 2014: 69 New Falun Gong Practitioner Death Cases Confirmed
2014-07-08Sixty nine new death cases of Falun Gong practitioners have been confirmed during the first half of 2014. Among them, 49 deaths occurred in 2014. 20 practitioners died in 2013 or earlier, but the cases were confirmed as of June 28, 2014. Among the 69 deaths, 22 (32%) were caused by torture in prisons, 9 (13%) in labour camps, 4 (6%) in brainwashing centres, and 9 (13%) in police stations or detention centres. -
Imprisoned Shanghai Executive Experiences Persistent Vomiting for Ten Months, Wife Suspects Poisoned Food
2014-07-08Mr. Pang Guangwen has been persistently vomiting after consuming food for the past ten months, soon after he was sent to Tilanqiao Prison for practising Falun Gong. When questioned by his wife as to his condition, the prison authorities replied with diagnoses ranging from gastritis to neuropathic anorexia, but have refused to provide her with his medical records. Given that neither of the conditions described by the prison authorities are likely to cause persistent vomiting for nearly a year, Mr. Pang's wife became suspicious, especially since several other Falun Gong practitioners have perished at the same prison. -
Jinan Residents Harassed with Bulk Text Messages from “Above”
2014-07-08Residents of Jinan, Shandong Province, received bulk text messages on April 25th, May 1st, and May 13th, 2014, from the Jinan 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and Office of City Security. The messages slandered Falun Gong and urged the general public to believe news reports from the government, and repudiate all Falun Gong-related materials; that is, not believe in, listen to, or read them. The texts warned the public that they should report any sighting of Falun Gong materials to the local police. -
Sixteen Falun Gong Practitioners in China Arrested for Their Belief
2014-07-08When police officers in China arrest Falun Gong practitioners, their actions are unlawful, because these people have not broken any law. Policemen frequently break into practitioners' homes and steal anything they want. Though it is called “confiscation,” they actually rob practitioners of their personal belongings. Sixteen Falun Gong practitioners from Fushun City, Liaoning Province were arrested on June 20th, 2014. While seven have been released, the rest are being held at the Fushun Detention Centre.