While he was in Tieling Forced Labour Camp, Mr. Xin Shuren and other practitioners refused to wear prison uniforms and carried out a hunger strike to protest the persecution. Guard Miao Zhanpu led dozens of prisoners to beat Mr. Xin and the other three. Miao provoked these no-goods, saying, "If they do not eat, you guys will not eat" in order to make the prisoners hate Falun Gong practitioners and torture them more brutally. At that time, Du Dalin was the most severely beaten. He was almost blinded and almost made deaf. Liu Wenban's face and back were injured. The guards and the prisoners handcuffed them behind their backs and used electronic batons to hit their bodies, mouths, and teeth. Their wrists were handcuffed and bleeding. Wang Dongliang was dragged to the front door and stripped naked. They used an electric baton and their fists to brutally beat him. His ribs were broken.

There is a special section in Tianshui Prison, whose specific assignment is the torture and "transformation" of Falun Gong practitioners. This section is under the jurisdiction of the Education Department of the Prison Bureau of Gansu Province. Pan Xinsheng is the department head, and the primary person responsible for these activities. After practitioner Liu Zhirong was tortured to death there, and with the increasing pressure from the outside world, the guards themselves have stopped routinely beating the practitioners. Instead, the guards have now turned to using sleep deprivation as a form of torture, and are forcing practitioners to watch the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) brainwashing videos. The guards deceive the practitioners' families into helping them with the persecution, and put pressure on the practitioners to cooperate and "transform."

Practitioners who have been tortured to death include Mr. Yang Lichuang (In 2006, steadfast in his belief in Falun Gong, he was subjected to brutal interrogation through torture by the Huining Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs in collusion with the Public Security Police. He was then beaten to death and his body was thrown into a water cellar. They claimed that he "committed suicide for fear of punishment for his crimes"). Mr. Zhang Xiaodong was tortured to death in the labour camp hospital during his imprisonment.

Mr. Wang Guiming, a 38-year-old practitioner, was sent to the Chaoyanggou Forced Labour Camp on February 13th, 2008, by police. On February 29th, he died as a result of brutal torture in the labour camp. The camp administrators claimed that the cause of his death was him slamming into the heater very hard to try to commit suicide. According to a reliable source, while Wang Guiming was on a hunger strike, he was tortured with force-feeding. He died after being shocked with many electric batons.

At 9:25 a.m on February 22nd, 2008, Ms. Wang Yuqing was arrested at home by agents from the 610 Office and sentenced to forced labour. Recently, Ms. Wang was taken to the Guangdong Province Armed Police Hospital and there is no further information. Her family became aware that officers at Haizhu District Detention Centre planned to send Ms. Wang to the labour camp, however, because Ms. Wang went on a hunger strike for many days and she was very weak. She was rejected by the labour camp and returned to the Haizhu District Detention Centre. When her family members applied for medical parole, it was rejected by the officers from detention centre. They did not release Ms. Wang and did not allow her family to visit her.

60-year-old Ms. Zhang Jinlan was a Falun Gong practitioner from Shaanxi Province. After the Jiang Zemin [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] regime started the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, she was detained several times. The persecutors placed her in a mental hospital and injected her with unknown substances. As a result, Ms. Zhang became completely paralysed, and the lower part of her body was severely infected. While she was in such terrible condition, her home and phone were monitored. Unable to get any help from outside, Ms. Zhang Jinlan died on February 1st, 2008.

On March 27th, 2008, six Falun Gong practitioners, including Ms. Tang Yingxia, were arrested when they were in the house of practitioner Mr. Wu Jinping. Mr. Wu Jinping and three others were among those also arrested. On March 30th, 2008, police and officials broke into Ms. Tang Yingxia's home. Personal items and more than 8,000 yuan in cash were taken. At present, Ms Tang Yingxia is being held in Wangcheng County Detention Centre. During several interrogations, officers of the State Security Division have used violence to try to extort "evidence" from her.

Ms. Zhao Yingjie, a practitioner from Jilin City, Jilin Province, was tortured so severely that both her hands, which are raw from the friction of the handcuffs, are horribly disfigured. She is being held in Jilin Province Women's Prison and is suffering from an extremely serious lung infection that is life threatening. July 10th, 2007, five months after Ms. Zhao was arrested and tortured, the Chinese Communist Party Court of the Chuanying District in Jilin City put her on trial. In court she revealed the identities of her interrogators and how she had been tortured and scarred. When Ms. Zhao Yingjie attempted to reveal that during her interrogation, those in charge sexually assaulted her with a wooden club and force-fed her five bottles of spicy black mustard oil, seriously injuring her mouth and face, and showed her leg wound, Judge Hu Chunwei refused to let her continue speaking. Ms. Zhao was sentenced to six years of imprisonment.

On October 7th, 2000, Ms. Liang went to Beijing to appeal for the justice for Falun Gong. She was arrested by local police. She was searched, beaten, and then was taken back to Tangshan City the same night. She was detained for seven days and suffered a mental collapse as a result. On October 14th, Ms. Liang was taken to the No. 5 Hospital of the Tangshan City Mental Hospital. Four months later, she was transferred to a testing clinic and was injected with unknown drugs. Ms. Liang was detained in the mental hospital for five years. As a result, her mental and physical condition deteriorated further and she tried to commit suicide which resulted in many injuries to her body - a third degree disability with a major depression disorder. (Note: the teachings of Falun Gong forbid killing, including suicide.)

Several hundred practitioners have been detained and their homes ransacked, some have lost their jobs, and some people have been fined up to 10,000 yuan. In total, several thousand people have been affected in some way by this persecution. The "transformation" centre in Jiansanjiang has detained hundreds of practitioners, some for as long as two years. This jail, a place that secretly houses those who have been deprived of their freedom without any legal procedures having been followed, is shown off by the government officials of Jiansanjiang in order to receive awards.

Mr. Ye Fenglin, 45, was an armed forces department official in Linkou Town, Bijie City. In October 2001 he was taken to Zhongba Forced Labour Camp of Guizhou Province for a three-year term. At the labour camp, he was subjected to brutal and merciless beatings because he resisted the forced brainwashing and was steadfast in not giving up cultivation. On June 27th, 2002, at 7:30 a.m., he was tortured to death while being held in the sixth team of Zhongba Forced Labour Camp of Guizhou Province. His autopsy result showed that his liver had extravasated blood, that one of his ribs was broken, and that there was no food in his stomach and intestines.

Mr. Guo Hanpo was a Falun Gong practitioner in his 50's who lived in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province. Early on the morning of April 5th, 2008, his family received a phone call from the Baoding City Prison saying that he had died. His family rushed to the prison. Police had had him sentenced to eleven years in prison in 2002. He had to do the most heavy labour - crack the rocks, but in a half starved state, while being mentally tortured by forced brainwashing.

Just a few days ago, I turned 15. My mother's name was Zhou Huimin, and she was 44 when she passed away. She used to be the manager of a moulding factory. Just a few days ago, my kind and healthy mother was tortured to death. In the 198 days since my mother was arrested, we worried and feared for her day and night. With great sorrow, I remember the days I spent together with my mother and mourn her. I want to call for the termination of the persecution so that such tragedies will no longer happen.

Nine female Falun Gong practitioners are currently imprisoned in Shanghai, several of whom are senior citizens. Four have been informed that they will be prosecuted for resisting the persecution with hunger strikes, including two held at the Shanghai Prison Main Hospital. An approximately 90-year-old female practitioner (name unknown) is imprisoned in Hongkou District Detention Centre. There are two other practitioners in the detention centre, both 66 to 67 years old.

In July, 1999, the Jiang regime [Jiang Zemin, former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] began a brutal persecution against Falun Gong and "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." In 2000, Ms. Li Guiling travelled to Beijing twice to appeal for Falun Gong and was twice imprisoned in a detention centre. In 2002 she was sent to a brainwashing class for persecution. For refusing to write the so-called guarantee statements to give up practising Falun Gong, she was sent to the Heizuizi Forced Labour Camp, where she was injected with unknown psychiatric drugs and suffered a mental collapse. Only after Zhang Sinan extorted 2,000 yuan from Ms. Li's family did they release her. After returning home, she could not recognize anyone and would hide whenever she saw anyone. She could not speak and appeared very afraid.

From my own experience, I knew that imprisonment in a forced labour camp was just like entering a demon's den. Besides insolent guards, there were one or two inmates assigned to monitor and torture practitioners. The inmates cooperated with the guards to carry-out brainwashing, involving instilled falsehoods and absurdities, in attempts to force practitioners to "reform." If these measures were counter productive, the guards would strike out by themselves. For example, division head Sun Juan would kick the older practitioners' naked calves with her shoes on. If you asked, "Isn't beating people not allowed here?" She would answer flagrantly, "Is this beating you? What I did was to educate you." She often declared openly and shamelessly, "We often denigrate you practitioners or even beat you. Why don't we do the same thing to passers-by on the street or others but only to you? It is because we love you."

On March 7th, 2008, Ms. Li Shujie was arrested at work by Public Security officials. They forced her into a car and took her to a building in which Falun Gong practitioners were brutally mistreated. In this building there are iron chair torture apparatus, thick, double-layer curtains, and several separate rooms. Five of the persecutors put Ms. Li in an iron chair and restrained her hands behind her back. They force-fed her about 500g of liquor and a bottle of mustard oil. They also put lit cigars into her nostrils and tried to force her to smoke. They did this several times, so Ms. Li was force-fed nearly 1,000g of liquor and one and a half bottles of mustard oil. Her mouth was tied tightly with a towel, causing her lips and mouth to crack and break.

Ms. Zheng Hongwen, a practitioner, was reported while she distributed leaflets explaining the truth about Falun Gong so that the Chinese people could understand the unreasonable persecution and what Falun Gong is really about, and is now under house arrest. She has been deprived of physical freedom for over a month. In 2000, she was imprisoned at the Banqiao Forced Labour Camp in Tianjin and forced to sign the three statements. In 2006, she resumed practising Falun Gong. She became more healthy both physically and mentally and used this fact to show people the benefits of Falun Gong. During the last few weeks, she has been locked up in an office on the third floor of an administration building. The officials have been taking turns talking to her in an attempt to force her to write something. Ms. Zheng has not complied, and they are threatening to hand her over to the police.

On March 17th, Mr. Li Guochen, 34, drove to a village to distribute Falun Gong leaflets exposing the persecution and to hang banners saying "Falun Gong Is Good." He was arrested by a policeman from Yingjun Police Station. Mr. Li was interrogated and tortured by the police for the entire night. He was beaten until his face and body were black and blue and one of his teeth was knocked out. On the second day, Mr. Li Guochen's family members requested his immediate release but the police had already imprisoned him in Weizigou Detention Centre in Changchun City. His family requested the return of his car, which is valued at more than 10,000 yuan, but the police refused.

"Vows of Love" is a classic pop song that often evokes sweet memories among many in Mainland China. Its catchy tune and mellow lyrics propelled it to the top of the charts--which is why the death of 42-year-old singer and percussionist Yu Zhou came as a great shock. His name is often associated with this song ever since he conquered hearts with his unique interpretation of its complex emotions. Beijing police officials, in the name of "preparing" for the Olympics, had him killed just 11 days after his arrest on January 26th, 2008 on his way home from a concert.

One year before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese Communist regime has intensified its persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. Based on official documents from Chinese authorities and reports from persecuted victims, the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) has gathered ample evidence to show that the Chinese Communist regime never intended to improve its human rights practices by hosting the 2008 Olympics. The regime has actually taken advantage of the Beijing Olympics and used it as a justification to further persecute Falun Gong.

Ms. Hu Zhenru is 61 years old. She began practising Falun Going in 1999. On January 14th, 2007, she was arrested while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong in public. She was taken to the Jurong City Women 's Forced Labour Camp in Jiangsu Province, where she has been brutally tortured. Ms. Hu now suffers from brain damage, poor vision, and one of her ears has been torn off. Ms. Hu Zhenru's daughter is a permanent resident of Hong Kong. Although she does not practise Falun Gong, she is supportive of her mother. She has demanded that the Chinese Communist officials release her mother immediately and has appealed to kind-hearted people around the world to help rescue her mother, but to no avail.

Mr. Yin Yucai is 76 years old. After he retired, he started practising Falun Gong in 1996. Through practising he became healthy both physically and mentally. Since 1999, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) police officers have detained Mr. Yin many times. Mr. Yin was once sentenced to three and a half years in a forced labour camp. In 2005, he was sentenced to an eight-year prison term. Currently, he is imprisoned in Yuzhang Prison in Jiangxi Province. Because he has suffered from the persecution for such a long period of time, his health is deteriorating. Recently his whole body became swollen.

An incident occurred on March 5th, 2002, where a cable TV network was tapped into. Mr. Feng Long, 44, was arrested in March 2002, simply because he repaired household electrical equipment. The police inhumanly tortured him using the methods of beating, suffocation with a plastic bag over the head, and shocking on the neck, armpits and genitals with electric batons. He was then taken to Weizigou Forced Labour Camp, and later transferred to Chaoyanggou Forced Labour Camp in September 2002. Mr. Feng's health worsened due to the brutal treatment he had received, and he had lumps in his lower abdominal area. In the later half of 2007, his lower abdominal area had severe oedema and he died on March 15th, 2008.

Practitioners were forced to view videos that slandered Falun Gong. There were over 100 such videos and a book that defamed Falun Gong. The police also searched practitioners' homes for Falun Gong books, materials and their sources, destinations where the materials were sent, those who taught Falun Gong, whom they practised with, and those who still practised Falun Gong. Each practitioner was monitored by two people. Practitioners' places of employment had to provide money and people to watch these practitioners. It is said that the cost of monitoring one person is ten thousand yuan. If the workplace could not provide people, the 610 Office would do it. They recorded every detail of practitioners' daily lives. They went wherever the practitioners went. Practitioners were not allowed to contact anyone outside of this military camp.

Chengdu City practitioner Mr. Tao Yuan was sentenced to four years by the Wuhou District Court after he was arrested and detained for two years. During the past six months, Mr. Tao's family went to see Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials repeatedly to ask for his release. His father is more than 80 years old. He visited the officials every day even though he was very ill. The Jinyang Police Station officers told his family to see the procuratorate officials. The procuratorate officials told them to see the court officials. After a lot of effort, the Wuhou District Court still sentenced Tao Yuan to four years and did not allow his family to see him. The court also did not process any paper work.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Teng Wenzhi was detained in the Pulandian Detention Centre for nine months. Recently she was secretly sentenced to a three-year prison term by a Chinese Communist Party court. During the time Ms. Teng Wenzhi has been detained, staff from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) law enforcement agency has done many devious thing. They unjustifiably denied Ms. Teng's family their visiting privileges many times. They didn't dare to make the trial public. They didn't directly notify her family when the trial began or reveal who was in charge of the trial. Furthermore, they provided a fake schedule of the trial to her family.

A gang of people in Dabei Prison violently assaulted Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Sun Jingmei between July and August 2006. Prison Ward Chief Zhang Xiuli led criminal inmates to brutally persecute Ms. Sun. They and others in a gang physically assaulted Ms. Sun Jingmei. In the communal wash room, five people used a wooden stool to hit Sun Jingmei from behind. Ms. Sun lost consciousness from the blows and lay motionless on the ground for many hours. While unconscious, the criminals accused her of pretending. They violently kicked and beat her nonetheless. As a result, Ms. Sun sustained serious injuries to her back and leg.

On December 1st, 2002, when Ms. Zhao Fenglian and her husband, Wu Kaili, were distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong in Wuweimiao Township, village head reported them to local police. The couple was arrested. Mr. Wu, was sent to a detention centre where he began a protest hunger strike. His captors began force-feeding him on the 15th day. Eight people held him on the ground, stretching his four limbs in different directions, and then jamming their knees into his arms, legs, and stomach. One person held his head, and one pinched his nose. He was unable to move and had difficulty breathing. They opened his mouth with a device customarily used on animals. In 2004 Ms. Zhao was taken to Gansu Province Women's Prison and she was forced to work like a slave. She died in December 2005 as a result of the abuse.

On about March 7th, 2008, police harassed the wife of Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Luo Wen, who is destitute and homeless, in order to obtain information about Mr. Luo. She peacefully resisted and the police finally ceased their attempts to contact her. On March 16th, at 10:30 p.m., she and her daughter returned home from an outing and, although the lock on the door was intact, when they unlocked the door they discovered footprints and dirt tracks in the living room and the bedroom. It was apparent that someone had entered their home without their knowledge. It is believed that police officers stole the house key when they confiscated property from the home about one year ago.

On February 25th, 2008, Mr. Wang Zenghu, a Falun Gong practitioner, was reported to the police for distributing CDs exposing the persecution of Falun Gong. In March 2002 police officers had ransacked an internet cafe that Mr. Wang Zenghu and his friends invested 160,000 yuan in. Their reason was that while it was being monitored, there were some people browsing the Clearwisdom.net [a Falun Gong website]. The police asked them which computer was used to browse Clearwisdom, and they couldn't answer, so the police took away twenty-six computers. In April 2003, the police demanded 10,000 yuan as a fine before they would return the computers. One computer's hardware was stolen, and there was a brick left in the machine instead. Since computers are upgrading very fast, the returned computers were like garbage by the time they were returned, leading to the closing of their business.

After being detained for less than three days, from February 27th, 2008, to February 29th, 2008, Wang Guiming was dead as a result of brutal torture in Chaoyanggou Forced Labour Camp. The family had solid evidence that proved that Wang Guiming's death was a result of the torture administered by electric shock while he was in the forced labour camp. To cover up the facts, the officials told the prison doctor to list the cause of death as "sudden death due to natural causes" and not to allow any doctors from other provinces to examine his body. Wang Guiming's wife, Han Fengxia, hired a lawyer to bring a lawsuit against the suburban Procuratorate in Changchun City on March 5th, 2008. On March 14th, Tonghua Police Department made a decision to arrest Han Fengxia as well as other members of his family, and to charge them with "creating a public disturbance."

Between 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. on March 1st, 2008, authorities in Anqiu City staged large-scale arrests of Falun Gong practitioners. Participating were more than 50 police officers who arrived in 20 vehicles. Many of the practitioners were in their fifties and sixties. That same morning, more than 20 police officers broke in and arrested practitioners Wang Peizhi and his daughter Wang Xiaomin. The police taped Wang Peizhi's mouth shut and tied him up because they were afraid he would expose the persecution of Falun Gong to people. Wang Xiaomin defied the police. They tied her with rope and carried her downstairs from the fifth floor. Wang Xiaomin's eight year-old son was frightened by the terrible sight and kept trembling and crying helplessly.

Officials at Tilanqiao Prison Hospital frequently force-feed practitioners who hold hunger strikes, as a form of torture. They tie the practitioner up to a bed and then tie a rope around his chest to prevent him from moving. I remember being sent to that hospital for torture three days after I went on a hunger strike. The guards and prison doctors pushed a very thick tube into my nose. It felt as though the tube was inserted into my heart and air passage, and I felt like I was suffocating. Since my hands and legs were tied, I couldn't even struggle. The person who inserted the tubes saw that something was amiss, and he pulled the tubes out. Blood instantly spurted out. They then inserted the tubes again. I lost consciousness during this torture.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-controlled court in Daan City held a secret trial to sentence Ms. Ma Fengyi and Ms. Tang Shude, both Falun Gong practitioners, to five year terms around March 8th, 2008. Ms. Tang was carried out of the court after the sentence. Ms. Ma was in poor health. Ms. Ma and Ms. Tang were arrested on January 2nd, 2008 and imprisoned in the Daan Detention Centre. Ms. Ma's family had 20,000 yuan extorted from them.

In February 2001, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhang Xuefeng was arrested. He was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison by the Xiaguan District Court in Nanjing City. Mr. Zhang has now been held at the Suzhou City Prison for seven years. Four practitioners have died as result of being tortured in Suzhou City Prison: Mr. Chen Wanzhi, Mr. Jiang Bingsheng, Mr. Chen Guanghui, and Mr. Yu Huinan. Mr. Chen Guanghui was tortured to death at the prison hospital. The three other practitioners passed away several days after they were released. Mr. Chen Guanghui was in his 40s. Mr. Yu Huinan was in his 60s.

Ms. Jin Peixia is 64 years old this year. The Zhenjiang City Public Security Bureau of Jiangsu Province and the 610 Office have persecuted her just because she is determined to continue to practise Falun Gong. The prison guards instigated and controlled the drug addict and prostitute inmates to torture and harass the practitioners determined in their belief. Besides keeping the practitioners confined in the small cells and kept under tight surveillance, the guards also used other means to torture them, for example the so-called "husband and wife bed" (using an electric baton to shock the female practitioners' genitals). They refused to let the practitioners use the toilet, deprived them of sleep, and used unknown drugs to destroy their central nervous systems. Practitioners were not even allowed to talk to each other, nor were they allowed to make eye contact.

Since the Chinese Communist regime started persecuting Falun Gong, some police officers from Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, have been using all kinds of ploys to cooperate with the persecution and considered it their fast track to personal gains, such as a higher position and extra money. They have interrogated practitioners using violence and torture, falsified documents and evidence, and charged practitioners with made up crimes for personal gain. They have stolen personal property while ransacking practitioners' homes, threatened practitioners' families while claiming that the practitioners committed "serious crimes," taken advantage of Chinese people's fear of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and extorted money from practitioners' families.

At 8:00 a.m. on March 1st, 2008, more than 20 police officers broke in and arrested practitioners Mr. Wang Peizhi and his daughter, Ms. Wang Xiaomin, in Hanjiahou Village. The police taped Mr. Wang Peizhi's mouth shut and tied him up because they were afraid of him speaking out for justice for Falun Gong to people. Ms. Wang Xiaomin refused to comply with police. They tied her up with rope and carried her downstairs from the fifth floor. Her eight-year-old son was frightened by the horrible sight and kept trembling and crying helplessly. The invaders also confiscated their computer, TV, DVD player, and other things.

Ms. Xia Yuanlan, 68, lived with her three daughters after her husband passed away. She was constantly ill with a variety of ailments, but after she started practising Falun Gong, they disappeared. She stopped practising for a time because of the pressure of the persecution, but had returned to cultivation in recent years. On February 21st, 2007, Ms. Xia was arrested with three other fellow practitioners when distributing materials exposing the persecution and sent to Shuimogou District Detention Centre. on March 25th, the Shuimogou District Detention Centre personnel notified Ms. Xia's family to pick her up. They told her family that her heart disease had recurred. Her family took her to hospital, but her health did not improve, and she passed away.

In the brainwashing centre, the practitioners were forced to watch videos and read books with content slandering Falun Gong. They were also forced to write the so-called "guarantee statement". Those who refused to cooperate were tortured with many means, such as being locked up in a small cell, being deprived of sleep during long-term brainwashing sessions, having lights shone in their face and being forced to eat food mixed with drugs which caused practitioners to become bewildered, and to feel dizzy and nervous. For the practitioners that supposedly knew some details that the evildoers were interested in, they were fixed onto an "iron chair", had lights shining their face for extended periods of time, and were deprived of sleep during continuous interrogation. Consequently, a 20-year-old male practitioner became unable to walk.

On February 18th, 2008, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Yuxia, who lived in Shanghai's Xuhui District, was arrested while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong. The current situation of her two sons, 5 and 3 years old, remains unknown. Back in 2007, Zhang Yuxia's husband Guo Shenghuan was sentenced to four years in prison for not giving up Falun Gong's principles of "Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance".

At about 8:00 p.m. on January 28th, 2008, a dozen police officers broke into Falun Gong practitioner Ma Yukun's home, intending to take him away. However, he was not there. When they learned that Ma Yukun had left home, the police ransacked the house, including the bedroom of Mr. Ma's mother. This severely frightened his 90-year-old mother, and she passed away the next day. Mr. Ma's mother was known as a kind-hearted woman and was respected by all in the neighbourhood. She was in good health prior to the police harassment.

In early December 2007, Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Xiong Zhengming, 39, died suddenly while he was being transferred to Mianyang Forced Labour Camp. The whole incident is very suspicious. TheNational Security head, Ye Xudong, called Xiong Zhengming's family and said he committed suicide, and asked them to go to Deyang at once, for the funeral. Mr. Xiong Zhengming had no facial injuries, but there was a hole in the back of his head. Ye Xudong claimed that Xiong had committed suicide. How could a person wearing handcuffs and with police officers on either side of him commit suicide? Questioned by Xiong's family, Ye Xudong changed his story, saying it was a car accident. But there was no accident scene or collision record written by the traffic police. The autopsy was quickly done, but the examiner dared not examine Xiong's back. Is it possible that Xiong's kidneys were missing?

It has been confirmed that Mr. Ba Shuqun, a Falun Dafa practitioner in Jinan City, Shandong Province, was unable to walk as a result of being tortured, yet he was taken to a courthouse in Tianqiao District, Jinan City on January 29th, 2008, for a secret trial and sentencing. According to a witness, several people dragged Mr. Ba Shuqun out of a car. His trial was scheduled to be on the second floor. However, it was difficult for several police officers to carry him up the stairs. Consequently, the hearing was then changed to another very small room on the first floor. When Mr. Ba was being interrogated, someone had to support him because he was unable to stand up and he was on crutches. He looked pale and wan.

Authorities in Tilanqiao Prison do their utmost to ensure that news of what goes on inside its "strict discipline" area doesn't leak to the outside world. Guards are free to do whatever they wish. "Strict discipline" cells are only 3.3 square metres in size, even smaller than confinement cells, and practitioners are imprisoned there for long periods of time. Every day, they sit on the uneven "tiger bench". If their posture is slightly off, the "safeguard inmates" beat and kick them. If they disobey them, they will have their hands cuffed behind their backs and tied to the ground with stubby shackles (the shackle is less than 20 centimetres long). There's no legal rule for the duration of handcuffing, so the prison guards can handcuff the prisoners for as long as they want. Some practitioners were even handcuffed for nearly a year.

The labour camps are used by the police to detain suspects and torture them without following any legal procedures, as there is no evidence against approximately two thirds of those who are detained in labour camps that they committed a crime or even disobeyed the law. When the police torture them but cannot find any criminal evidence, they send these people to forced labour camps to avoid trials and to cover up for their misconduct in enforcing the law. They also do this to make a profit by "selling the labour" of these detainees. In addition, they can make deals with the suspects for personal gains. For example, a criminal suspect given a forced labour sentence of three years could have it reduced to one year after some deals are made.

Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Zhou Qingyu, 67, was arrested in early 2007 while distributing leaflets exposing the persecution and telling people the facts about Falun Gong. He was sentenced to 18 months of forced labour and detained at the Xishanping Forced Labour Camp in Chongqing City. Prisoner Li Liang hit Mr. Zhou in the neck, which caused a painful injury. He had to bow his head all the time, even while labouring and doing military training on the field. He was forced to clean everyday and often teased by prisoners because of his neck injury. Mr. Zhou suffered from a stroke on the night of December 29th, 2007. Mr. Zhou Qingyu died that night.

In 1996 I was involved in a traffic accident and became paraplegic. My bedsore healed miraculously soon after I started the practice of Falun Gong. On March 10th, 2005, more than 20 policemen broke into my home. Four young strong policemen cruelly cuffed me and forced me onto a chair; they almost killed me. They also held my wife down in the toilet and cuffed her. They took away personal property worth more than 50,000 yuan. I was taken to Harbin City No.4 Detention Centre. Because there was no nursing personnel to help me, the bedsores on my hips, buttocks and back all festered with running fluid, blood and oozing pus; it smelled terrible. I was sentenced to five years in prison.

Recently, information was obtained about the severe persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners by the "610 Office" and police in Taihe County, Fuyang City, Anhui Province. Practitioners were arrested and tortured at the detention centre. The torture methods included being subjected to freezing temperatures for extended periods of time, being handcuffed and shackled, and being repeatedly poked with needles. Some practitioners were tortured by police twisting their arms and some were forced to jump down flights of stairs while shackled. Many of these practitioners were sentenced to forced labour. Eight practitioners were arrested. Some have been detained for almost a year.