(Minghui.org) National Public Radio reported in February 2014 that some Red Guards (a communist group composed largely of students during the Cultural Revolution) had issued public apologies to their teachers for whipping them with leather belts during the Cultural Revolution. Such violence often took place in public, sometimes even on stage, and was encouraged by top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership, including former CCP leader Mao Zedong.
The case of former students torturing Ms. Guo Ren'ai, a retired middle school teacher and Falun Dafa practitioner, induces a sense of déjà vu in today's China.
Ms. Guo, 66, was illegally arrested and detained on multiple occasions due to her belief in Falun Dafa. Most recently Ms. Guo was snatched off the street by police on July 25, 2013. She was brutally tortured, and sustained severe injuries during a 15-day detention at the County Forest Bureau Detention Center.
Shockingly, the chief tormentors were her former students at the No. 4 Middle School affiliated with Huanan County Forest Bureau in Heilongjiang Province, including Yang Zhaobin, chief of Hua’nan County Forest Bureau Police Station; Wang Zhisen, director of Huanan County Forest Bureau Detention Center; and He Wenfa, a guard at Huanan County Forest Bureau Detention Center.
Police Chief Snatches His Former Teacher Off the Street
Ms. Guo and 70-year-old Sun Lianrong were distributing materials that contained information about the persecution of Falun Dafa on July 25, 2013, when Ms. Guo realized that local police chief Yang Zhaobin, her former student, was following them in his car. The two practitioners quickly retreated to a quiet alley, but were met with two more police vehicles.
After a quick body search, police confiscated their materials and ordered the two elderly women to get into the police vehicle.
When Ms. Guo refused, the officers beat and kicked her, and slammed her to the ground in a rain puddle on the road. They then yanked her up and shoved her inside the car.
Upon arriving at the police station, Ms. Guo was taken directly to an interrogation room. When she protested, Yang Zhaobin, Deng Tao, Zou Feng, and another officer forcibly carried her to a torture chamber where she was forced to sit on an iron chair torture device.
Torture device: Iron chair
With built-in shackles and handcuffs, this chair is used to restrain a detainee and cause physical torment.
The police separated Ms. Guo’s feet and slid them into the shackles. The shackles cut into her flesh when tightened, causing excruciating pain. Ms. Guo managed to hold on tight to the two sides of the chair, so the police weren’t able to get her hands into the handcuffs.
After just a few hours in this iron chair, Ms. Guo suffered severe spinal injuries, and couldn’t bend her back. The police didn’t release her from the chair until they noticed her body twitching uncontrollably.
Detention Center Director Encourages the Beating of His Former Teacher
Ms. Guo and Ms. Sun were transferred to the Huanan County Forest Bureau Detention Center after 3:00 p.m. on July 25, 2013.
When Ms. Guo refused to have her height measured as part of the admission procedure, Deputy Director Cui Yanbin and guards Li Wenbao and He Wenfa brutally kicked her legs and knees. She went on a hunger strike for a day to protest the illegal detention and gross mistreatment.
Ms. Guo and Ms. Sun were jailed together with two teenagers. Misled by the Chinese regime's hate-inciting lies against Falun Dafa, the two young women were frightened to see the two practitioners. Eighteen year-old Xin Huishuang hid in a corner and cried, while the 15-year-old girl merely stared at them in fear.
Miss Xin, however, totally changed into a different person after being coerced by the guards. She began savagely beating the two elderly practitioners. At 5’10’’ in height she easily made Ms. Guo’s existing injuries worse and added more bruises.
When Ms. Guo reported the beatings, director Wang Zhisen, also a former student of hers, blurted out casually, “You refuse to eat, so I am giving Xin Huishuang free reign. Let me tell you that she is just like a guard to you!”
Ms. Guo had been held in the same detention center in the past, and almost died during the earlier incarceration.
Noticing that He Wenfa, another former student, was also present, Ms. Guo recalled, “Last time you pinched and choked me so hard that I lost consciousness for four hours. Fortunately I survived. You still haven't changed, and still brutally beat me.”
She urged Wang Zhisen to order He Wenfa and the other guards to stop beating practitioners, “You’re the director. How can you not be held responsible for your subordinates’ actions?”
Wang responded, “So many practitioners have died, but their deaths were all in vain. There's no justice for them whatsoever! If you don’t stop your hunger strike, more torture will be awaiting you!”
When Ms. Guo practiced the Falun Dafa exercises at night, the guard on duty yelled for Xin Huishuang to stop her. Xin kicked her hard, which fractured some of her ribs. Any slight movement resulted in unbearable pain. Moreover, it was impossible for Ms. Guo to fall asleep on the uneven wooden plank “bed,” which only added to her suffering.
Wang Zhisen eventually ordered the others to stop beating Ms. Guo after receiving complaints from others in the prison who stood up for her.
The guards deducted 171 yuan from Ms. Guo’s account when they released her on the 15th day. As if that was not enough, they demanded she pay an additional 180 yuan for so-called meal expenses. She firmly refused, saying, “My ribs were broken here. I should be compensated instead!”
Falun Dafa Shows Miraculous Healing Power
Though Ms. Guo was brutally beaten, guard Li Wenbao insisted that she had faked her injuries. In response, Ms. Guo requested to have an X-ray to verify her injuries, but guard Ma Jinghui shouted back, “Who’s going to cover the cost?”
Ms. Guo replied that everyone responsible for her injuries should pay her medical bills.
Ma Jinghui changed the topic, “Haven’t you always said that practicing Falun Dafa can help people recover from their illnesses or injuries?” Not wanting to take on the medical bills, the guards agreed to let Ms. Guo do her practice without imposing any punishment.
Ms. Guo's bruises disappeared and broken ribs healed in just nine days, though her ankles still hurt a bit and her back was still somewhat stiff.
The 15-year-old inmate couldn’t believe her eyes and shouted for the guard on duty to take a look at Ms. Guo. She also told the guard, “I actually slept much better when Ms. Guo practiced the exercises at night. It was your cursing that sometimes woke me up!”
Moved by Practitioners’ Kindness, Young Inmates Vow to Start Their Lives Anew
Though Xin Huishuang physically abused Ms. Guo and Ms. Sun, the two elderly practitioners exhibited only compassion for her. They felt sorry that such a young person had been used by the guards to do bad things. They urged her and the 15-year-old girl to conduct themselves according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the core principles of Falun Dafa.
Miss Xin cried, “My parents have totally given up on me. I’ve been here for five months, yet no one has come to visit me.” Ms. Guo comforted her, “That’s because you disappointed them and broke their hearts. After you are released, you should stay away from bad influences. When you grow strong enough, you can go back to your former friends to help them become better people too.”
Miss Xin vowed to start her life anew after her release. The 15-year-old girl also couldn’t wait to turn a new page in her life.
