(Minghui.org) Simply for telling people how Falun Gong turned her from a quick-tempered, sharp-tongued housewife into a kind, caring woman, Ms. Qiu Tieyan has been arrested four times and brutally tortured in a labor camp. Her plight parallels those of many others who have spoken out against the Chinese Communist regime's 15-year persecution campaign against Falun Gong practitioners.
Ms. Qiu's most recent arrest took place on August 7, 2014, when Hushitai Town police arrested her at her home. She had been reported for distributing DVDs at a market to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong.
Ms. Qiu had previously been arrested three times. Each time, she was imprisoned at the notorious Masanjia Labor Camp, where she went through unimaginable torture. It has been only a year and eight months since Ms. Qiu was last released. Her latest arrest has thrown her family into despair once more.
Below are details about her previous arrests and persecution that she has suffered.
Arrest in 2011: Threatened with Organ Harvesting
Ms. Qiu was arrested by officers from Shenbei New District Police and Puhe Police on June 7, 2011. Police searched her body, grabbed her hair, and bashed her head against a wall. She was not given any food or water, nor was she allowed to use the toilet.
Four officers from the Shenbei New District Domestic Security Division took turns to interrogate her while a dozen guards monitored her in shifts. Because she refused to cooperate, police bound her to a metal stool.
The next day, she was taken to the Shenbei New District Domestic Security Division and locked in a cage. With her hands and feet shackled, she was forced into a painful half-squatting position and could not move. There was no light in the room where she was detained for 24 hours. She recalled one official, Duan Qingzhu, boasting, “If there is a need for organs, we'll take Qiu Tieyan's first.”
Drawing of Iron Cage
Torture Re-enactment: Pulling hair and bashing head against the wall
Subsequently, Ms. Qiu was taken to the brainwashing facility in Zhangshi Labor Camp in Shenyang, where she was tortured for 14 days. Because she still refused to give up practicing Falun Gong, she was transferred to Shenyang No. 1 Detention Center on June 20. A few weeks later, she was illegally sentenced to one year and six months of forced labor and imprisoned at Masanjia Labor Camp.
At Masanjia, Ms. Qiu was forced to work for a minimum of six hours each day, making military coats and protective wear. Once, she was caught writing Falun Gong teachings on a piece of white cloth. Guards, including Dong Bin, slapped her face repeatedly before kicking and punching her.
When the guards became exhausted, they ordered her to write statements renouncing Falun Gong and its founder. Ms. Qiu refused to comply and was punished: she had to stand still facing a wall and was not allowed to eat, drink or relieve herself from 7 a.m. until midnight.
To protest the abuse, Ms. Qiu went on a hunger strike. In response, guard Wang Guangyun took her to a room where female practitioners were tortured. Guard Zhang Xiurong, Captain Zhang Huan and instructor Zhang Zhuohui cuffed her limbs to a metal bed. Guards stuffed a dirty rag in her mouth and forcibly stretched her suspended body in four directions for three hours.
Torture Re-enactment: Stretching Bed
Arrest in 2007: Beaten in Labor Camp for Refusing to Have Blood Drawn
Hushitai Police arrested Ms. Qiu and another practitioner, Guan Yanjie, on May 12, 2007 while making truth clarifying materials. They were initially detained at Zaohua Detention Center and later sentenced to one year of forced labor at Masanjia Labor Camp. Ms. Guan was released in April 2008, but Ms. Qiu's sentence was extended by three months.
Guards tried to take blood samples from Ms. Qiu while she was detained at Masanjia, but she resisted. Guard Zhang Yu then instructed prisoners Ning Yuhua and Lang Liya to beat her.
Torture Re-enactment: Brutal beating
Arrest in 2002: Shocked with Electric Batons
In June 2002, Ms. Qiu traveled to Beijing to protest the persecution of Falun Gong. She was consequently detained at Longshan Re-education Center in Shenyang for five months and then illegally sentenced to two years of forced labor at Masanjia Labor Camp.
Because she refused to give up her beliefs, guards shocked her with an electric baton, force-fed her, and stretched her body (as illustrated below) for 26 days. She was also locked in solitary confinement for long periods of time. In the winter, she was made to sleep on the dirty, cold cement floor in the restroom.
Torture Re-enactment: Brutal Forced Feeding
Masanjia Torture Method: Extreme Body Stretching
Wang Naimin, then deputy head at Masanjia, kicked Ms. Qiu in the chest and slapped her in the face until she almost lost consciousness. She slept on the hard cement floor for long periods in solitary confinement. As a result, she developed scabies all over her body. Her sentence was extended for nine months because she refused to stop practicing Falun Gong. She was released in April 2003.
