(Clearwisdom.net) Early 2001 was a particularly brutal time, as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) used all of its propaganda apparatus to persecute Falun Gong and Falun Gong practitioners. In order to help people learn the facts about Falun Gong, to understand that Falun Gong is a good practice which teaches people to be good by following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and to avoid being deceived by the CCP lies, Falun Gong practitioners in the Nanchang region used a variety of methods to reach out to people, including using short informational broadcasts, hanging banners reading “Falun Dafa is Good,” distributing materials, etc.
A citizen should be able to perform those actions granted to them by the Constitution. When a citizen chooses to exercise his or her given freedom of belief and or freedom of speech, they are in no way breaking the law and should not be subjected to persecution or torture.
The 610 Office of Jiangxi Province's “210” ad-hoc group of the West Lake District Procuratorate of Nanchang City, and the West Lake District Court arrested over 30 Nanchang Falun Gong practitioners in succession. They were subjected to torture and the 26 Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to prison.
I. Manipulating Public Security Departments, Arresting and Torturing Falun Gong Practitioners
The West Lake District Political and Security Team of Nanchang City (also known as the “National Security Team”) and the Criminal Investigation Team of the West Lake Branch Police Station (a department specialized in handling major criminal cases) adopted brutal interrogation methods that severely violated legal proceedings. Below are some facts of how they brutally tortured Falun Gong practitioners Chen Baozhi, Zhang Dianzhen, and Ms. Zhang Li.
After 10:00 p.m. on February 7, 2001, Yan Yijia, the assistant team lead of the West Lake District National Security Team, and Ding Zhihua, the team lead of the West Lake Criminal Investigation Team, brought a group of plainclothes police officers to break into a rental house where Falun Gong practitioner Chen Baozhi lived. He was 52 years old at the time. The police arrested Chen Baozhi, Zhang Dianzhen, 48, and four others. The police also ransacked his home and took several cell phones, several pagers, and several thousand yuan in cash, along with other materials. They took Chen Baozhi, Zhang Dianzhen, and others to the basement of the West Lake Branch Police Station to carry out their interrogation.
Chen Baozhi and Zhang Dianzhen resisted the police interrogation. Police repeatedly interrogated Chen Baozhi with brutal torture for five days and six nights on February 7-13. The following describes some of the brutal torture methods used.
Torture Method No. 1: Hanging up in the air by handcuffs: Police cuffed Chen Baozhi's hands behind his back. His arms were crossed and then tied with ropes. On the other end of the rope, there was a sliding pulley on a beam, and a police officer was holding the end of the rope. In the mean time, they tied up Chen's feet very tightly. Two police officers pulled both ends of the rope down at the same time to hang the practitioner in the air. At that moment, another police officer held on to Chen's legs and beat them with a wooden club. The hanging normally lasted 15 to 20 minutes.
Torture re-enactment: Handcuffed while hanging up
Torture Method No. 2: Police forced Chen Baozhi to stand against the wall with both hands raised high above the shoulders, and then separately handcuffed them with shackles that would tighten up as the victim moved. Then they fixed the handcuff position on the wall, with both feet connected with iron chains. At that time, a police officer described as being bald, struck Chen Baozhi in the head and face with a leather belt. He beat Chen so severely that he broke two belts. The police officer first used the one he had prepared and then used the one that Chen was wearing. Officer Hu Yiwen (who was a squadron leader before, and now the captain of the West Lake team) then took off his leather belt and whipped Chen Baozhi about the head and face. When Chen asked to use the restroom, Hu refused to let him go. Hu then grabbed Chen's shoulder and struck his lower abdomen violently with his knee. He then forced Chen into a squatting position, and another officer burned Chen's face with a cigarette.
Torture Method No. 3: The police forced Chen Baozhi to stand against a wall with both hands raised high above the shoulders, and handcuffed each hand to the wall while both feet were connected with steel chains. A police officer repeatedly slapped him in the face. They punched him when they tired from slapping him. Another officer pushed Chen's head down and then elbowed him in the back.
Torture Method No. 4: Police officers forced Chen Baozhi to stand against the wall with both hands raised high above his shoulders, and handcuffed each hand to the wall while both feet were connected with steel chains. Li Qun, an officer from the police station, rushed in from several meters away and violently kicked Chen Baozhi in his ribs, fracturing one and severely injuring Chen's liver. Li was later to become deputy director of the Nanzhan Police Station of the West Lake Branch Police Station, director of the same station, and then director of the Honggutan Police Station.
Torture Method No. 5: Police used high-voltage electric batons to shock Chen Baozhi's back, on his Dazhui acupuncture point (near the top of the spine) and other parts of his body. They used a wooden table leg to hit him in the head, arms, and legs. They also punched him in the chest and back. Chen was beaten until he lost consciousness. At that time, he did not even notice that he had defecated in his pants. When he fell down to the floor, Hu Yiwen stomped on his head and face.
Torture re-enactment: Electric shock
Torture Method No. 6: Torturing Eagle: Over the course of five days and six nights, police officers were organized into three groups, and took turns torturing Chen Baozhi. They did not allow him to close his eyes while he was being tormented.
Torture Method No. 7: On February 13, 2001, one week after Chen Baozhi was sent to the Nanchang City No. 2 Detention Center, a 48-day interrogation began. Under the control and direction from the provincial 610 Office, officers from other 610 Offices and police stations interrogated Chen day and night. They often interrogated him several times a day, even late at night. Each interrogation session was arranged by the West Lake Criminal Investigation Team. Because Chen Baozhi did not cooperate, he was interrogated several times. Another time, a leader and Yan Yujia, the assistant team lead from the West Lake Political and Security Team, handcuffed together Chen and another practitioner, Li Xiaoqing, and sent them to the Nanchang City Police Station to be interrogated. Since Chen Baozhi and Li Xiaoqing had talked in the car, once they got out of the car, the leader slapped Chen Baozhi in the face while they were standing in front of the City Police Station.
Due to brutal torture by the 610 Office and police, Chen Baozhi lost four teeth, lost hearing in his right ear, one of his right ribs was fractured, and both arms and hands lost function. He became unable to raise either arm, nor could he hold anything with his hands. He also had difficulty walking and fell down several times, and had cramps in his legs from time to time. (After several years, he gradually recovered.)
Torture Method No. 8: The police forced Zhang Dianzhen to sit with his back against the wall, and then pulled his legs apart and fixed them in that position while brutally torturing him. They beat him so hard that he was close to death. One police officer took a running start and kicked Zhang Dianzhen in the chest.
Torture re-enactment: Violent beatings
Torture Method No. 9: Flying airplane - Four police officers dragged Zhang Dianzhen to the basement, and forced him to stand on a table with both hands handcuffed from behind to the window bars. The table was then moved away, forcing Zhang Dianzhen's feet to dangle in the air. His feet were tied with thick rope. Four officers grabbed hold of the rope and pulled it at the same time, making his hands and feet horizontal. Zhang Dianzhen cried out due to the excruciating pain. Then police stuffed dirty socks into his mouth so he couldn't make any sound, and eventually fainted. They then released the rope, and Zhang fell to the floor and lost consciousness for several hours. After this brutal torture, Zhang's hands were numb for over six months. He could not feel anything when trying to hold things in his hands.
Torture Method No. 10: When police officer Hu Yiwen interrogated Zhang Dianzhen at the detention center, he used a wooden club to wantonly beat Zhang's head.
Torture Method No. 11: Pulling Zhang Li's hands apart and handcuffing them to the wall. The police then used their boots to kick her in the legs, caving in a section of one of the legs. They then shocked her with electric batons, causing her to convulse uncontrollably. They continuously tortured her for one afternoon and an entire night.
Other Falun Gong practitioners who who were subjected to these tortures include Huang Baohua, Huang Zhaoping, Lai Hui, Zhang Shujun, Huang Dongan, and others.
II. Manipulating the Procurators and Courts to Reach Sentence Results for Further Persecution
On August 13, 2001, the West Lake Procurator of Nanchang City submitted an indictment. He assigned inspectors Wang Yishu, He Demin, and assistant inspector Yang Xiaoning to attend the court hearing. On November 7, 2001, the West Lake District Court of Nanchang City then held a court hearing. They concocted the “(2011) West Lake District No. 234 Criminal Judgment,” which announced the unjust sentencing of 26 Falun Gong practitioners. Those responsible include Presiding Judge Chen Minping, Judge Xiao Shuhong, Deputy Judge Yu Shan, and clerk Jiang Ge.
In September and October 2001, when a section chief of the West Lake District Procuratorate went to the No. 2 Detention Center in Nanchang City, he said to Chen Baozhi, "The sentence in cases like yours will be over three years and under seven years. Since you are the first defendant, you will be sentenced to seven years.” However in mid-October, Luo Gan, head of the CCP's 610 Office and secretary of the Politics and Legal Committee, went to Nanchang to show his concern about the case. This sentence was then changed to the highest possible term of eleven years.
Below is the list of 26 Falun Gong practitioners in Nanchang who were illegally sentenced by the CCP:
1. Chen Baozhi was sentenced to 11 years, deprived political rights for three years.
2. Huang Baohua was sentenced to 11 years, deprived political rights for three years.
3. Huang Zhaoping was sentenced to 11 years, deprived political rights for three years.
4. Li Xiaoqing was sentenced to 11 years, deprived political rights for 1 year.
5. Sun Wenzhang was sentenced to 8 years,deprived political rights for 1 year.
6. Hu Qingying was sentenced to 8 years.
7. Luo Wenbin was sentenced to 7 years.
8. Lai Hui was sentenced to 7 years.
9. Huang Dongan was sentenced to 5 years.
10. Zhang Dianzhen was sentenced to 4 years.
11. Zhang Shujun was sentenced to 3 years. (After being released from the prison, he was arrested again, detained, and then persecuted to death.)
12. Zhang Li was sentenced to 3 years.
13. Wang Yuanhe was sentenced to 3 years.
14. Zheng Min was sentenced to 3 years.
15. Liu Liming was sentenced to 3 years.
16. Zeng Weichun was sentenced to 3 years.
17. Shu Ming was sentenced to 1 year.
18. Mao Maonu was sentenced to 1 year.
19. Tao Yi was sentenced to 1 year.
20. Che Xiaoling was sentenced to 1 year with two years of probation
21. Liu Yonggan was sentenced to 1 year.
22. Wan Jibing was sentenced to 2 years with three years of probation
23. Wang Jiyong was sentenced to 1 year with two years of probation
24. Zhu Yuyuan was sentenced to 1 year with two years of probation.
After this incident, the Nanchang 610 Office and the police department got an award from the 610 Office and the Public Security Bureau. Ding Zhihua, team leader of the Criminal Investigation Team of the West Lake Police Bureau, went to Beijing to accept it and was later promoted to team lead of the Nanchang City Criminal Investigation Team. This is another example of individuals being given clear incentives to carry out the persecution.
Some of the police officers who are responsible include:
Ding Zhihua, deputy director of the West Lake Police Bureau and team lead of the Criminal Investigation Team: (at present he has been transferred to be the team lead of Criminal Investigation of Nanchang City): +86-791-86502990 (Home), +86-13970006188 (Cell)
Yan Yijia, assistant team lead of the West Lake National Security Team: +86-791-86264258 (Home), +86-13807918596 (Cell), +86-791-86233437 (Office)
Hu Yiwen, assistant team lead of West Lake Criminal Investigation Team of West Lake Police Bureau: +86-791-88191199 (Home), +86-13907004068 (Cell)
Li Qun, police chief from Nanzhan Police Station of the West Lake Police Bureau: (he has been transferred to be the chief of Honggutan Police Station): +86-791-86598333 (Home), +86-13970057222 (Cell)
