Torture

  • Mr. Zeng Yuxian Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

    Cangxi District Court in Sichuan sentenced Mr. Zeng Yuxian to seven years in prison for practising Falun Gong on August 13th, 2010. Prior to the hearing, on the afternoon of July 16th, 2010, Mr. Zeng's parents hired their first defence lawyer. The lawyer went to Cangxi courthouse to see Mr. Zeng's file. Upon requesting the file however, a courthouse staff member stated that lawyers defending Falun Gong practitioners require a background check. The lawyer asked what law stipulated this requirement, but the staff member could not give an answer, as no such law exists. Due to the pressure and harassment by the authorities, this lawyer decided to withdraw from the case.
  • Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Sun Shuxiang Brutally Tortured at Heizuizi Forced Labour Camp in Changchun City

    In 2005, Attorney Gao Zhisheng recorded in his well-known open letter, the brutal torture that Falun Gong practitioner Sun Shuxiang from Changchun City suffered. On September 22nd, 2009, Sun Shuxiang was arrested and was again subjected to brutal torture at the Heizuizi Forced Labour Camp in Changchun City for nine months. Guards tried to force Ms. Sun to give up her belief in Falun Gong every day and had to do forced labour and was injected with unknown drugs every day. Sun Shuxiang was released in June 2010. She was in severe condition and her body was very emaciated when she was released.
  • High School Teacher Tang Wenyan Sentenced to Prison in Guangdong Province

    The Third People's Court of Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, held a trial for Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Tang Wenyan on March 3rd, 2010. Ms. Tang had hired a defence lawyer, but when he came to the hearing, he told her family that the Bureau of Justice in Dongguan City ordered him not to take the case. Under pressure from the authorities, he agreed to not represent Ms. Tang. On July 15th, Ms. Tang was notified that she had been sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
  • Acts of Persecution in "Legal System Training Centre" at Qinglong Mountain in Heilongjiang Province

    At Qinglong Mountain in Heilongjiang Province there is a facility called the "Legal System Training Centre," which is in reality a brainwashing centre. If practitioners refuse to follow the guards' instructions, they are violently beaten and tortured. Yu Songjiang was handcuffed, beaten and shocked with electric batons. Li Jingfen, Pan Shurong and Yu Songjiang have recently been released after more than 100 days of detention. Ms. Song from Mudanjiang City was also detained at the brainwashing centre with these three practitioners.
  • Ms. Gao Jie in Critical Condition, Detention Centre Still Refuses to Release Her

    On November 13th, 2007, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Gao Jie was reported for telling people the facts of the persecution of Falun Gong. She was arrested while working in a clinic by state security police. Later the police ransacked her home, and her husband, Mr. Dong Qinyu, also a Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested as well. Both of them were taken to the detention centre. Before practising Falun Gong, Ms. Gao had a brain tumour. While she was in the detention centre, she was tortured badly which caused her blood pressure to suddenly go up. Her past symptoms showed up again, she could not talk anymore and she was in very critical condition.
  • Three Female Falun Gong Practitioners in Hunan Province Subjected to Severe Torture Prior to Sentencing

    According to our investigation, on November 25th, 2003, Miluo City Court of Hunan Province held a court session in the Xiangyin County People's Hospital, and sentenced three Falun Gong practitioners, who were all unconscious. At the time, doctors were attempting to save these practitioners' lives with blood transfusions in the emergency department, yet they were sentenced to four to six years in prison. The three practitioners were Ms. Zhang Lanhui, Ms. Zhang Lihong, and Ms. Miao Cui. They were later held in Hunan Province Women's Prison, where they were subjected to extreme torture, both physically and psychologically. They and their families also suffered unrecoverable financial losses.
  • Ms. Pang Yali from Jilin Province Subjected to Abuse and Torture at the Heizuizi Forced Labour Camp

    Ms. Pang Yali, aged 53, lives in Yushu City, Jilin Province. Since she started practising Falun Gong, she has conducted herself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and she has informed the world's people about the persecution of Falun Gong. As a result, she has been arrested, harassed, detained, and subjected to forced labour and torture by agents from the 610 Office [an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong]. Ms. Pang Yali recounts her experience: "While in the labour camp, guards slapped my face because I resisted their persecution. Guard Zhang Yuxue handcuffed me and locked me down on a bed; then Hou Zhihong, shocked me on my arms, my neck, my head, and my face with an electric baton for 40 minutes. My face was swollen as a result of this torture."
  • Baoding City Court Officials Refuse to Accept Falun Gong Practitioner's Lawsuit

    Police took Mr. Li Dezhi to the Gaoyang Forced Labour Camp on December 8th, 2009 to hold him for one and a half years. Mr. Li's wife hired two lawyers who submitted a statement of complaint on February 8th, 2010 to the Xicheng District Court's Case Filing Chamber in Baoding City. But the court has not filed the case, having refused to accept the complaint. The officials based their refusal on the communist regime's political and judiciary system's "Three Don'ts" policy for Falun Gong petitioners, that is, don't accept [the plaintiff], don't accept [the case] and don't provide an explanation.
  • Three of My Family Members Died As a Result of Persecution

    After the persecution of Falun Gong started on July 20th, 1999, my family members and I were followed and our home phone was monitored. To try to force us to give up the practice of Falun Gong, police frequently came to our home to harass and threaten us. In January 2000, my daughter got married. After she and her husband came back from their honeymoon, they came to our home. The police arrested both of them. My son-in-law was sentenced to forced labour. My husband was so sad that his health started to deteriorate. On March 1st, 2000, several police came to our home to harass us again. After they left, another police officer came by and threatened us. My husband could not stand the mental torture and passed away the next day.
  • Ms. Li Guizhi Arrested Thirteen Times

    On August 25th, 2010, police demanded that Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Li Guizhi sign a guarantee statement that she would renounce Falun Gong. Ms. Li refused. The following day Ms. Li Guizhi and Xu Shaojin were arrested at their home. They are held at the Langfang Brainwashing Centre. Since the persecution began in 1999, Ms. Li has been harassed and arrested by the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) and police over and over again, a total of thirteen times.
  • Villagers Condemn the Police for Attempting to Arrest Two Senior Falun Gong Practitioners in Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province

    On August 1st the officers went to Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Liu Shuwen's home and found the door locked. When they were seen searching everywhere, villagers told the police, "Liu Shuwen is nearly 80 years old and he did not commit any crime. Why do you want to arrest him?" After being reproached, the police left.
  • Ms. Li Shihong from Wuhan City Imprisoned

    Ms. Li Shihong was sentenced to four years in prison, and sent to the Baofenglu Women's Prison on September 7th. Ms. Li Shihong was arrested on March 31st, 2009 for practising Falun Gong and held in the Wuhan City No.1 Detention Centre for one and a half years. A lawyer entered a not-guilty plea for Ms. Li. Neither the procurator nor the judge responded to the lawyer's defence and inquiries.
  • Ms. Li Yushu Brutally Tortured in Heilongjiang Women's Prison

    Ms. Li Yushu was sentenced to a 12-year prison term in Heilongjiang Women's Prison in May 2002 for practising Falun Gong. She was held in a small cell once and in an isolation cell six times. She ended up emaciated. Ms. Li recounted the torture she suffered during her imprisonment: "Guards force-fed me. On December 10th, Li Mingying pinched my nose and Wu Xiangfeng and Liu fengzhen sat on top of me, forced my mouth open, and poured liquid food down my throat. I resisted with all my strength and vomited. Generally, force-feeding went on for one to two hours, twice a day. After each episode I was exhausted, had blood all over my face, and sustained injuries to my mouth."
  • Mr. Deng Qixing Tortured in Sichuan Province Forced Labour Camp

    Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Deng Qixing was arrested on June 9th, 2008. Because he refused to renounce Falun Gong, he was then sentenced to two years of forced labour. In the labour camp, guards ordered criminal inmates to monitor and torture Falun Gong practitioners in any way they pleased. In their attempt to "transform" [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] practitioners, guards forced Mr. Deng and other practitioners to read books and watch videos that slandered Falun Gong and its founder. The guards also beat Mr. Deng with electric batons and deprived him of sleep. In addition, they forced him to squat for extended periods of time, to stand straight without moving while facing a wall for many hours, and to run for lengthy periods of time.
  • College Instructor Ms. Liu Ronghua Isolated and Tortured in Masanjia Women's Forced Labour Camp

    Ms. Liu Ronghua is a 45-year-old Falun Gong practitioner and a lecturer at Dalian Fisheries School. She has been detained in Masanjia Women's Forced Labour Camp for over a year. Because she is an associate professor, Su Jing, the then leader of a division of Masanjia Women's Forced Labour Camp paid more attention to Ms. Liu and subjected her to torture. She hung her up for 21 days, causing Ms. Liu to be disabled in her left hand and not to be able to do hard labour any more. She suffered from scabies and was beaten black and blue. Because she refused to renounce her faith, she is being kept in isolation and tortured.