Mr. Xu Zhibin Is in Great Danger Due to the Torture He is Subjected to in the Wafangdian Prison

Mr. Xu is a 44-year-old graduate of the Dalian University of Technology in Jinzhou District, Dalian City. In his 30s, he began to suffer from overall physical degeneration. Fortunately, in 1995 he started practising Falun Dafa and quickly regained his health. Since the persecution began on July 20, 1999, he has been arrested seven times because of his firm belief in Falun Dafa. In March 2003, Xu was secretly sentenced to 14 years in jail and detained at the Wafangdian Prison, where he has suffered severe torture and abuse. He is currently in a very weakened state and has lost feeling in his feet. He is 180 cm (5'11") tall, yet he weighs only 40kg (88lbs.) . He is in a grave situation. Following are the details about his seven arrests .

First arrest

On July 24, 1999, after Xu declared that he would continue his practice of Falun Dafa, police officers jailed him at the Jinzhou Detention Centre and illegally searched his home.

Second arrest

On August 3, 1999, the government authorities shut down the Jinhaiwan Audio-Video Production Company in Dalian for reproducing Teacher Li's lecture tapes. Because Xu was a quality inspector there, police arrested him. At that time the Dalian TV Station and CCTV (China Central TV) spread rumours that Xu and Liu, the head of Jinhaiwan Audio-Video Production Company, earned profits in excess of ten thousand yuan (1). In fact, Xu never made a cent on the operation. Xu's family hired a lawyer for his case. Less than a month later, their lawyer informed them, "The Liaoning Province Legal Department has decreed that no attorney may handle Falun Gong related cases." On December 24, 1999, officers forced Xu's family to pay 10,000 yuan before releasing him. When Xu returned home, he was so weak that he couldn't even ride a bicycle.

The Third Arrest

On February 2000, with the excuse that Xu had attended a Falun Dafa experience sharing conference on February 9, 2000, police officer arrested Xu and detained him at the Jinzhou District Detention Centre. When he was released on September 29, 2000, his body was covered with scabies.

The Fourth Arrest

On January 6, 2001, police officer Yuan Hongguo asked Xu to come to the station to pick up his deposit, saying Xu should come alone. Xu's wife accompanied him to the Police Brigade. It turned out to be a ruse used by Yuan Hongguo to trick Xu into coming so they could arrest him. Officers forcibly took his wife's keys and searched Xu's home, his mother's home, and his mother-in-law's home, all the while carrying a camcorder with them.

At Xu's home, police took all materials related to Falun Dafa, including a small amount of leaflets exposing the persecution. Police officers used torture while interrogating his wife in order to discover the source of the materials, to no avail. The next day, they hung Xu's wife off her feet by her handcuffs and used chicken feathers on her ears and neck to torment her. That evening she was released. It took four months for the handcuff marks on her wrists and hands to go away.

Xu was detained at the Jinzhou District Detention Centre, and was secretly transferred to the Wafangdian Detention Centre ten days later. At Wafangdian, when police officers interrogated Xu, they forced him to wear only a vest and shorts and sit on the concrete floor for more than two hours. This happened during the coldest part of the winter, and Xu was freezing and experiencing difficulty breathing. He was released on May 23, 2001.

The Fifth Arrest

In April 2002, Police officers commenced large-scale arrests of Falun Dafa practitioners. Flagrantly disregarding legal procedures, they broke into Xu's home and conducted an illegal search. They had intended to arrest Xu, but he wasn't home. On April 27, police officers arrested Xu while he was visiting a fellow practitioner. After he refused to inform on the practitioner, police officers tortured him using a method know as the "Hanging Water Basket." Officers hung Xu off the floor using handcuffs and ropes, and then they suspended two baskets of water (weighing around 35 kg or 80 pounds) from Xu's neck. The pain was excruciating. Xu later said he felt like his body was shattered. Police officers also beat Xu on his hands, face and head. Gao Mingxi, head of the local 610 Office (2), shouted, "Break his arms and legs. If he dies from the beating, we'll throw him in the West Sea and say he committed suicide."

The next day Xu was sent to the Jinzhou Detention Centre. His face was twisted and unrecognizable due to the torture he had suffered. A police officer that knew Xu couldn't recognize him. Xu had lost the feeling in his hands and arms . The police officer said that nobody could endure such cruel torture for so long a time.

At the detention centre, Xu went on a hunger strike. Two months later, he was released. Xu, who stood 180 cm tall, was left weighing only about 35 kg (80 pounds). He was so weak that he had to be carried home by a family member. Police officers took 2200 yuan in cash and a mobile phone from him for no reason. His family asked for the money several times, but police officers used various excuses to skirt the issue.

The Sixth Arrest

On September 12, 2002, several police officers broke into Xu's mother's home, arrested Xu and jailed him at the Jinzhou District Detention Centre. Xu was wearing only a vest and shorts with no shoes. At the detention centre, Xu was told that he was sentenced to three years in a forced labour camp, and he began a hunger strike. On September 18, when Xu was sent to the Dalian Forced Labour Camp, due to persecution he didn't pass the physical examination, so the camp refused to take him. Zhao Kan brought Xu back and asked his family to take him home. When Xu's family members questioned Zhao, he replied, "If you don't like it, I'll arrest you too."

Xu's legs were covered with injuries because he had been dragged on the ground from the police station to the detention centre.

The Seventh Arrest

On September 28, 2002, Xu was arrested at a centre for leaflets exposing the persecution.

On November 6, 2002, Xu's family received notice of his arrest and learned that Xu was detained at the Dalian City Detention Centre. The arrest notice carried no signatures of a procurator. In March 2003, after hearing that Xu had been sentenced to prison, Xu's mother and mother-in-law inquired with the Dalian City Procurator, the Shahe District Procurator and the court, but they all said they knew nothing about the issue. After asking the Shahekou Police Brigade, they learned that the Ganjinzi District Court had secretly sentenced Xu to 14 years in prison.

Apparently, the Ganjinzi Court sentenced Xu without any witnesses, evidence, or a confession, and never informed Xu's family about the decision. Xu's family talked with Hu Xiaoping, who is a chairwoman for the Fourth Court. The following is a record of their conversation.

Family Member (FM): Why didn't you inform his family?

Hu: Xu is an adult, so there's no need to inform his family.

FM: Xu was very weak physically.

Hu: We saw that in court, but it wasn't too bad. (It was later learned that Xu was carried into court on somebody's back.)

FM; Why was he sentenced to 14 years?

Hu: Regulations prevent us from disclosing the reasoning behind the sentence.

FM: We'll appeal!

Hu: Others appealed, but he didn't appeal. (It was later learned that Xu's appeal letter was suppressed by the Dalian City Detention Centre.)

Since August 2003, Xu has been very weak. Law enforcement officers concealed the results of his physical examination and detained him in a unit specializing in jailing Falun Dafa practitioners at the Wafangdian Prison. The whole process is kept secretive to the public and the family. Xu's family only found out where Xu was after spending a year making inquiries. The family still hasn't received the court verdict yet, and doesn't know why the sentence is 14 years long.

On October 20, 2004, during a prison visit, Xu's family found that Xu was extremely weak. He was just skin and bones, and hardly able to walk by himself. He came to the visiting area supported by two people. Xu is still firmly practicing Falun Dafa. Prisoners detained with Xu said, "No one has endured more than him."

Since October 2004, Xu's family members have been appealing for a thorough medical check-up for Xu but have received no response. The prison has simply arranged for two people to watch him. Now Xu has lost the feeling in his feet, and his situation is getting worse. Xu's family would like to appeal to the good people of the world to take notice of his plight.

Relevant Phone Numbers:

Jinzhou District, Dalian City, Liaoning Province
Guangming Police Station, Jinzhou District: 86-411-7675244
Deputy head: Zhao Kan.
Jinzhou District Police Brigade: Sun Shixue, Wang Jain and others.
Xianjin Police Station, Jinzhou District: 86-411-7703317

Wafangdian Prison (zip code 116300)
Prison head, Chang Guoyao, 86-411-85676618, 86-411-85676688,
Liu Zengbin, 86-411-85676999, 86-411-85676818
Prison Management Director, Song Lujun, 86-411-85676630
Leader of Group1, Liu Weidong, 86-411-85676630
Leader of Group2, Li Xu, 86-411-85676630
Leader of Group3, Lu Chenglin, 86-411-85676630

Note:

(1) "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

(2) "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/4/14/99636.html