(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Liu Yongjin, Mr. Liu Nailun, and Mr. Tian Xinfang, all Falun Gong practitioners from Shandong Province, are being brutally tortured in a "Breaking the Steadfast Ones" initiative in Tai'an Prison. (This initiative involves torture tactics to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs.)
In May 2011, the No.5 Ward of Tai'an Prison, infamous for its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, was renamed the No.1 Ward. There was a restructuring of its manpower, and new guards were put in place. Zhu Xuhu replaced Liu Xinrong as the new division head, and Lu Wenfeng replaced Gao Lingshan as the new political instructor. The ex-division head, Liu Xinrongm was assigned as section chief of the Prison Education and Reform in the No.1 Ward, and the ex-political instructor was assigned as deputy section head of the Detection Section in the No.1 Ward.
In June 2011, the No.1 Ward launched its "Breaking the Steadfast Ones" initiative to force those with strong faith in Falun Gong to renounce their beliefs. The prison employed different tactics, including forcing practitioners to watch brainwashing videos every day, instigating prisoners to insult and threaten practitioners until they renounced their belief, forcing them to sit on plastic stools all day, beating them, and depriving them of sleep. Practitioners are usually not allowed to sleep until 3 a.m. and are woken up at 5 a.m. They are not allowed to step out of the ward, nor are they allowed to talk other practitioners. They are closely monitored when they go to bathroom and are forced to do cleaning.
Torture Re-enactment: Forced to sit on a plastic stool
Practitioners have to sit on a tiny plastic stool for extended periods of time, with prisoners watching. This torture causes damage to the back. After sitting for a long time, some people cannot stand up. It also leads to bruises on the buttocks. Some stools are designed with pointed edges to cause further injury.
Mr. Liu Nailun is from Mengyin. In 2000, he was detained in Wangcun Forced Labor Camp. In 2004, he was arrested again and sentenced to four years in prison. He was taken to the No.5 Ward of Tai'an Prison. In October 2008, he succeeded in leaving the prison. However, on July 12, 2011, he was arrested again and was sentenced to three and a half years of prison. He was sent to the No.1 Ward of Tai'an Prison and has been there ever since. He was brutally beaten by the inmates. He had to wear bandages on his feet due to his injuries. Due to incessant torture and lack of sleep, he is very weak. He is in the No. 7 team's ward. The team leader is Yu Zhijun, who is one of the wickedest among the personnel persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Du Shanhui, a drug addict, and Zhao Yupei, an inmate, have collaborated in persecuting Mr. Liu.
Mr. Liu Yongjin is from the Lanshan District of Linyi City. In 2008, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and placed the No.5 Ward of Tai'an Prison. Due to his steadfast belief in Falun Gong, he was confined in a small cell for two months. In June 2011, he was assigned to the No.2 team and was one of the top targets for torture. All the inmates corralled into helping with this initiative are directed to pressure practitioners to give up their belief. In order to meet this goal, they employ all kinds of torture tactics. In Mr. Liu's case, they beat and kicked him so hard that he had multiple injuries and bruises and had difficulty walking. Zheng Quansheng is the team leader. He was the ex-deputy director of Hefei City Water Bureau and was imprisoned due to corruption. Zhu Peijun, Feng Dongjun, and Zong Xibo are assisting him. Zhu Peijun and Feng Dongjun used to work in the Tai'an City Highway Bureau and were imprisoned for corruption. Zong Xibo used to work in the Tai'an City Education Bureau,and was in prison due to corruption.
Mr. Tian Xinfang is from Heze City. In 2008, he was sentenced to five years in prison, and has been imprisoned since then. He has been persecuted by the No.4 team due to his belief in Falun Gong. The team leader is Zhang Qingshu, the ex-director of a government bureau. He was imprisoned due to corruption. Chen Tao, who was imprisoned due to fraud, is assisting him.
