Name: Li Xiwang (李希望)
Gender: Male
Age: 49, born on July 14, 1963
Address: #505, unit 43, Nujiangli, Haimen Road, Hebei District, Tianjin
Occupation: Factory Owner
Date of Death: July 29, 2011
Date of Most Recent Arrest: December 21, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Binhai Prison (滨海监狱), formerly known as the Gangbei Prison
City: Tianjin
Persecution Suffered: Detention, beating, illegal sentencing, imprisonment, shackling, solitary confinement
(Minghui.org) Mr. Li Xiwang and his wife, Chen Liyan, were illegally arrested on December 21, 2010. After being held at the Hexi Detention Center for more than six months, Mr. Li was transferred to Binhai Prison (formerly known as Gangbei Prison). Mr. Li died ten days later on July 29, 2011 as a result of the “anchor torture.”
Mr. Li Xiwang and his brother, Mr. Li Xiliang, were arrested in 2001 and sentenced to prison for eight and 12 years, respectively. Mr. Li Xiwang was released in May 2009, and he was in critical condition. Mr. Li Xiliang's term will end on November 20, 2013, and he has lost the ability to care for himself. His family has demanded his release, but the prison has refused their request. The prison claims that they are not required to release him unless he is in critical condition. His family is very worried, and they fear Mr. Li Xiliang will also die in prison from physical torture just like his brother.
Mr. Li Xiwang
Mr. Li Xiwang was formerly a quality control personnel at the Tianjin Bicycle Factory No. 2. He opened his own business in 1982, and he and his wife began practicing Falun Gong in 1995. They held high expectations for themselves in living up to Dafa's standards. They were kind and honest, and thus their business did very well.
Details regarding the physical torture and abuse Mr. Li Xiwang endured while in prison are still under investigation. Minghui.org has documented many reports related to Mr. Li's case. The following are updates regarding the inhumane treatment Mr. Li suffered during his detention at two prisons in Tianjin.
On May 16, 2001, Mr. Li was arrested by policemen from the Changzhoudao Police Station of Hedong District, Tianjin. Policemen confiscated Falun Gong books, a photo of Master Li Hongzhi, and a cellular phone. Mr. Li was detained for over nine months at the detention center of the police department branch office at Hegong. Mr. Li was eventually sentenced to eight years in prison, and he was later sent to Tianjin Prison.
Demonstration of the “anchor torture”
In Tianjin Prison, Mr. Li suffered inhumane torture. Mr. Li was targeted by the evil prison guard Yang Bo because he firmly believed in Falun Dafa and refused to give up the practice. Mr. Li was placed in solitary confinement and forced to wear shackles on both his hands and feet. Mr. Li refused to be “transformed,” thus his hands were cuffed behind his back, and he was punished with the “anchor torture.” The “anchor torture” forces the sufferer to sit on the floor and open his legs at 130 degrees. Both ankles are cuffed to the floor, and both hands are cuffed under one ankle. Prison guard Yang Bo said that the biggest troublemakers in Tianjin would not last more than two days there, and he wanted to see how long a Falun Gong practitioner could last. Yang Bo also said that other Dafa practitioners were “transformed” after sitting on the “little stool” for a few days. The “little stool” is another torture: the stools are one inch wide, three to four inches long, and one inch tall. Those who sit on the stool have no choice but to put their entire body weight on the bony part of their bottom.
Mr. Li spent 39 days in the “anchor torture,” and he eventually lost consciousness. He could not be awakened when splashed with cold water and punctured with needles. At that point, Mr. Li was carried back to his cell, and he was unable to move his lower body. Yang Bo said, “Now that he is disabled, how will he practice Falun Gong?” Family members were not allowed to visit Mr. Li, as the prison was afraid of being sued if his family saw his condition. Just as Mr. Li's condition improved a little, a second round of torture ensued. The reason for the torture was that Mr. Li had not been “transformed.” The authorities used that excuse to bring Mr. Li to the fourth floor for a trial. Mr Li was dragged up the stairs from the first to the fourth floor, and then back down to first floor every day while wearing shackles on his hands and feet, which weighed a total of 24 kilograms (53 pounds). From being dragged, the flesh on Mr. Li's wrists and ankles were cut open and covered with blood. The prison guard Yang Bo said, “We will have someone stand on his cuffs if he doesn't 'transform.'”
During his eight years in prison, Mr. Li endured countless tortures such as these. When Mr. Li was released on May 16, 2009, he looked deathly pale, and he had no strength when his family brought him home.
A year and half later, on December 21, 2010, Mr. Li and his wife were arrested by the joint acts of the Domestic Security Group of Tianjin, the 610 Office, the Dayingmen Police Station of Hexi District, the Jiangdulu Police Station of Hebei District, and the Yueyahe Police Station of Hebei District. They were detained at the Hexi Detention Center and sent on to “secret trials” where Mr. Li was sentenced to eight years in prison. On July 18, 2011, Mr. Li was sent to Gangbei Prison on Tianjin (now called Binhai Prison). Ms. Chen Liyan was sent to the Banqiao Labor Camp for Women in Tianjin where she served one year of forced labor .
Ten days after Mr. Li was sent to Gangbei Prison, at around 5 a.m. on July 29, 2011, the Dayingmen Police Station notified Mr. Li's family that he had passed away at 2 a.m. on July 29. Mr. Li's 15-year-old son, who received the notice, was home alone at the time. Later, Mr. Li's elder sister went to the prison and demanded to see video recordings of Mr. Li. Prison personnel first responded by saying that their facility was not advanced enough to have video surveillance; they later said that the recordings were sealed by the courts. Mr. Li's family insisted, and eventually the prison revealed a recording with very poor video quality of the attempted resuscitation of Mr. Li.
On the video, Mr. Li is seen lying in a small room about one meter wide. The walls are made of rubber, there are no windows or ventilation, and there is only a door. Mr. Li is in the room alone with shackles on all four of his limbs. The prison guard released Mr. Li's hands and feet only after he had taken his last breath. In about one hour, Mr. Li went from struggling in agony to being motionless, during which time there was no attempt at resuscitation. In his sister's words, by the time the prison guard noticed him, “Heaven would not have been able to bring him back.” It was also obvious that the video had been edited.
Mr. Li has an 85-year-old mother at home. She does not yet know of her son's passing. Mr. Li's 15-year-old son cannot go to school. Mr. Li's wife just returned home from the forced labor camp. She is often being watched, and her phone is also monitored. Those who make telephone contact with Ms. Chen more than three times are investigated by the local police, and they are held responsible for their own actions if they make any contact with her after that.
Related articles:
Mr. Li Xiwang Died in Agony as a Result of More than Ten Hours of “Anchor Torture”
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2011/8/24/127653.html
Tianjin Factory Owner Mr. Li Xiwang Died as a Result of Persecution
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2011/8/10/127397.html
Li Xiwang Illegally Detained for More Than Six Months
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2011/7/1/126374.html
Tianjin Factory Owner Mr. Li Xiwang Detained for Almost Four Months
http://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2011/3/28/124097.html
