Torture

Falun Gong Practitioners Mistreated at Forced Labour Camp in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province

2010-07-30

Since the beginning of this summer, practitioners and regular detainees in the forced labour camps in Chaoyang have been subjected to extended hours of forced labour. Some fireworks factories in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia co-ordinate with the forced labour camps for the production of fireworks. Every day, the forced labourers get up at 5:00 a.m., eat breakfast in a hurry and work from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. They are allowed only one 30 minute break for lunch. They have to work for more than 11 hours per day, 7 days a week. The working conditions are extremely poor, with air pollution and harsh noise. Standing for such a long period of time causes swelling and pain in the workers' legs. Maintaining the same posture for long periods of time causes severe pain in the back, arms and other parts of the body, so much so that it makes sleep difficult.

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Ms. Xu Cuiyun from Hebei Province Sentenced to Three Years of Imprisonment

2010-07-30

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Xu Cuiyun, 44, was arrested and tortured in January 2010. At the station, the police tried to get a "confession" from Ms. Xu by torturing her all day long. She was locked up in an iron cage and sprayed with a strong corrosive powder on her face and nose by police officers Liang Chao and Chen Jindong, who also used a towel sprayed with the same powder to cover her face, as they dragged her around until she lost consciousness. Policeman Haitao viciously hit her face, and it started bleeding. She was put on trial in a Yutian County Court and sentenced to three years of imprisonment on May 28th. She is appealing her case.

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Six Falun Gong Practitioners Defend Themselves in Court against Unjust Prosecution

2010-07-30

Six Falun Gong practitioners have been detained by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for over six months. They were brought to court and tried on June 25th and July 8th, 2010, at the Tinghu District Court in Yancheng City. The six practitioners with their lawyers pleaded not guilty. The CCP has never obeyed the law when prosecuting Falun Gong practitioners. The courts are controlled by the CCP, and the courtroom hearings of Falun Gong practitioners are only a formality to deceive the public and the international press. Even though Chinese courtrooms occasionally allow lawyers to speak on behalf the defendants, the sentences have already been decided, influenced by the Political Affairs Committee and the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong).

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Ms. Zhang Weien Dies as a Result of Persecution; Police Stages Suicide Scene

2010-07-29

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Weien was arrested by the police on July 6th, 2010. On the third day, officers from the squad took Mr. Zhang back home in a car. However, Mr. Zhang was found dead when his family returned home. The officers were believed to have staged the scene to make it look like Mr. Zhang had committed suicide by drinking pesticide. Eyewitnesses saw two officers take Mr. Zhang back to his home. It was not clear whether Mr. Zhang was alive or dead at the time.

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Ms. Zhang Lianying Tortured at Masanjia Labour Camp

2010-07-29

After Ms. Zhang arrived in Masanjia, she was tortured continuously. Since she believed that it was not wrong to practise Falun Gong and be a good person, she did not co-operate with the demands of the Labour Camp. She endured almost every torture method at Masanjia, including being stretched, tortured with an electric baton, and beaten with a baton hung up,. Pus could be seen on her wrists because the handcuffs were too tight. She went on a hunger strike, and a female guard supervisor used a metal spoon to pry open her mouth, leaving a scar. Under her arms and between her legs, there were dense black burn marks from the electric baton.

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Father Faces Wrath of Police after Hiring a Lawyer for His Son

2010-07-29

On December 14th, 2009, Mr. Zhang Haiming, 21 years old, was arrested by police at his workplace, along with four other practitioners. Mr. Zhang was then detained at the Hailar Detention Centre. On February 8th, 2010, he was sentenced to one year of forced labour. Mr. Zhang Haiming's father hired a lawyer to appeal his son's case to the Hailar District Court. When Mr. Zhang's father asked the court director why his son's lawyer was not contacted, the director replied that the order from higher-levels did not allow Falun Gong practitioners to hire lawyers.

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Shandong Provincial First Women's Forced Labour Camp Exploiting and Abusing Falun Gong Practitioners

2010-07-29

Since the Chinese Communist Party began the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, countless Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested and taken to detention centres, brainwashing centres, forced labour camps, or prisons. When they refuse to be "transformed," [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] they are often deprived of sleep, assaulted, forced to stand, made to stand in a confined space, and so on. As a result, many of them suffer swollen feet and lightheadedness due to prolonged standing, and they still have to do forced labour around the clock without drinking water or access to a toilet. What they hear is: "Work quickly!"

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Sisters-in-law Tried after Exposing How They Were Tortured

2010-07-28

On June 23rd, 2010, Ms. Shang Shiying and Ms. Shan Huanrong were tried at the North Tangshan Road Hebei Province Court. The court allowed only two family members to attend the trial. During the proceedings, Ms. Shang Shiying said that she was only guilty of believing in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and told how, when she was interrogated by the Fengnan Public Security Bureau and Fengnan Detention Centre guards, they forced to sit on an iron chair in handcuffs and shackles for extended periods. Zhang Baocai, the detention centre director, also participated in torturing her.

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Older Practitioner Mr. Shang Dexing Arrested While Shopping with His Grandson

2010-07-28

Falun Gong practitioner Shang Dexing, 65, was window shopping on May 3rd, 2010, with his seven-year-old grandson. His grandson gave someone a Falun Gong CD, the only CD he had at the time. Because of this, Mr. Shang was arrested by police. He was sent to Qingdao No. 2 Detention Centre on May 4th, and on June 9th, the Laoshan Division of the Qingdao Police Station officially approved the arrest. During that time, his family requested that the relevant authorities release him, but without success.

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Mr. Li Rongtang, 61, from Heilongjiang Province Imprisoned and Tortured

2010-07-28

Mr. Li Rongtang has been arrested several times, simply because he firmly believes in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and wanted to speak out on the side of justice for Falun Gong. He was twice sentenced to a forced labour camp term, and to a six-year prison term. Mr. Li refused to renounce his belief and was brutally tortured. In prison guards beat Mr. Li, deprived him of sleep and shocked him with an electric baton.

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Harbin City High Court: There Is No Precedent for Falun Gong to Appeal

2010-07-28

In early April 2010, the Daowai District Court in Harbin City tried three Falun Gong practitioners. In the court, Mr. Guan wanted to defend himself, but the judge would not allow it. The police pointed at Mr. Guan's head and threatened him. At the end, Ms. Liu was sentenced to five years, Mr. Guan four years, and Mr. Zhang three years. Mr. Guan filed for an appeal, but the high court informed him, "There is no precedent for Falun Gong practitioners to appeal."

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Yu Shufen, Who Almost Lost Her Eyesight, Suspects She Was Injected with Harmful Drugs in Jilin Forced Labour Camp

2010-07-27

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yu Shufen was arrested at the market by police on July 8th, 2006. Police interrogated her using torture. They tried to force her to do the "flying airplane" (head down, hands raised up behind the back) and then to "squat" ( hands raised up, the legs widely spread in a half squat position), but she refused to comply. They then handcuffed her behind her back to the chair. Ms. Yu was then taken to Heizuizi Forced Labour Camp. In April 2008, her vision became very blurry as a result of torture. Guards gave Ms. Yu Shufen injections for 14 days. Afterwards, she had trouble controlling her arms and legs, she was partially paralysed, her lips turned blue and purple, and she felt flustered and trembled. She almost went blind.

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Masanjia Forced Labour Camp Torturing Practitioners with Appalling Cruelty

2010-07-27

Masanjia Forced Labour Camp in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, has been torturing Falun Gong practitioners for over ten years, attempting to brainwash them and force them to give up their practice of Falun Gong. Many instances in which practitioners were tortured to death, disability, and mental disorder have been made public. The extent of the cruelty taking place in Masanjia Forced Labour Camp is really shocking. One such torture is called "Stretching Bed": The practitioner's hands are fixed between two beds (the beds all have two levels), sometimes one hand up, the other down. Then one or two people pull the two beds apart so that the victim's limbs are stretched. Every stretch causes sharp pain. The handcuffs cut into the flesh on the wrists, which become swollen and numb.

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Mr. Yang Yongli Tells about the Persecution that He Has Been Through

2010-07-27

When the persecution started in 1999, Mr. Yang Yongli went to Beijing hoping to appeal against the persecution of Falun Gong to the authorities. Instead of listening, the authorities arrested him and sent him to a forced labour camp. When he tried to persuade the leader of the 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) to stop the persecution, he was detained again. He was later sentenced for practising Falun Gong at home. While serving his sentence he was pressured to "confess" many times and was beaten by both guards and prisoners.

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Ms. He Guihong from Jiayu County Sent to Brainwashing Centre in Hubei Province

2010-07-27

Ms. He Guihong is a Falun Gong practitioner in Hubei Province. She was arrested by agents from the Jiayu County 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) on July 2nd, 2010, and sent to the Tangxunhu Brainwashing Centre in Wuhan City. According to the staff at Paizhouwan Neighbourhood Administration Office, Ms. He is now holding a hunger strike at the brainwashing centre to protest the persecution. Her family is worried about her condition.

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