Former Aircraft Engineer Jailed and Tortured for Three Years

Mr. Liu Yongsheng is a 57-year-old former flight engineer. He graduated from the Aircraft Department at Nanjing Aeronautics and Astronautics University with a major in aircraft design, and worked at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute in Sichuan Province.

Mr. Liu Yongsheng

In 2013, Mr. Liu was sentenced to a three-year prison term for exposing the death cases of Falun Gong practitioners at the Xinjin Brainwashing Center in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. During his imprisonment, he was sent to a labor camp and subjected to various forms of torture, including sleep deprivation, electric shocks, being tied up, and being forced to stand in the cold for hours.

Torture re-enactment: Shocked with electric batons

The following is a detailed account of the torture he endured while in prison.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

Sentenced for Exposing Persecution at the Xinjin Brainwashing Center

Following the death of two Falun Gong practitioners at the Xinjin Brainwashing Center, Mr. Liu posted two flyers exposing the death cases near the gates on July 12, 2012. He was then arrested by officers from the Huaqiao Police Station after receiving a tip.

On July 13, 2012, Mr. Liu was sent to Xinjin Detention Center and was sentenced to three years on May 9, 2013. He appealed, but the verdict was upheld on September 30. The Xinjin Court issued an order to have him transferred to a prison on October 15. By then, Mr. Liu had already been detained at Xinjin Detention Center for one year, three months, and nine days. He was taken to Wumaping Prison on October 23, 2013.

Currently, at least seven Falun Gong practitioners have been tortured to death at the Xinjin Brainwashing Center since the persecution of Falun Gong started. Retiree Mr. Xie Deqing died less than one month after she was sent to the brainwashing center on April 29, 2014. Head nurse Ms. Wang Mingrong died within ten days of being sent to the brainwashing center, on September 7, 2011.

Torture in Prison

1. Forced Prolonged Sitting

Upon entering the Wumaping Prison in October 2013, Mr. Liu was forced to wear the prisoner uniform, shave his head, take a police portrait, and give a blood sample.

Days later, a few inmates, under the instigation of guards, tried to force Mr. Liu to write a guarantee statement promising to renounce his faith. When he refused, the inmates forced him to get up at 6 a.m. to sit on the cold ground until 10 p.m. He was forced to sit even when the ground was wet.

On December 3, 2013, the Wumaping Prison relocated to Leshan City and merged with Shawan Prison, forming a new entity called Jiazhou Prison. This location became the main prison in the province for holding male Falun Dafa practitioners.

At Jiazhou Prison, Mr. Liu and many other practitioners, including Liu Yongsheng, Yang Xiaoping, Wang Yizheng, Deng Qixing, Zhao Benyong, and Ye Jianguo, continued to be made to sit or stand every day, despite the cold weather. Many practitioners’ buttocks festered after being made to sit every day.

2. Beaten for Not Writing Guarantee Statements

On one account when he refused to write a guarantee statement promising to renounce his faith, Mr. Liu was punched twice in his right cheek by an inmate. Mr. Liu then got up to shout that he was beaten, and the inmate stopped assaulting him.

The punches caused Mr. Liu difficulty and pain when eating.

3. Exposure to Cold Temperatures

In November 2013, prison guard Gong Jifu ordered an inmate to remove Mr. Liu’s clothes. During that time, the weather was very cold. Since Wumaping Prison was located on a hill, Mr. Liu was subject to harsh winds every day as he sat on the cold ground.

Again in January 2014, the inmates at Jiazhou Prison forced Falun Gong practitioners to remove their clothing and wear only two or three thin layers of clothing as they stood by the door. The cold wind caused pain in Mr. Liu’s lower back. He could not bend down after being forced to stand for a long time.

4. Forceful Prolonged Standing

Guards at Jiazhou Prison ordered practitioners to face the high wall from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day in January 2014 for a period of time.

One day, due to long-time standing and weather changes, Mr. Liu felt discomfort in his stomach and suddenly passed out. After he regained his consciousness, other inmates told him that he looked pale. Mr. Liu fainted another time but was still forced to stand after he came to.

The inmates told Mr. Liu that his shoulders were distorted, with one shoulder higher than the other, due to standing for a long time. Another practitioner’s shoulders were also distorted due to the same torture.

5. Sleep Deprivation

Between January 29 to February 16, 2014, Mr. Liu was only allowed two hours of sleep per night: from 10 p.m. to midnight. This was because he refused to sign a guarantee statement promising to give up his faith. For the rest of the day, Mr. Liu was forced to stand for more than 20 hours whilst monitored by two inmates.

When Mr. Liu showed signs of sleepiness, the inmates would torture him until he was alert, such as by slashing cold water on the back of his neck. On the occasions where Mr. Liu would faint due to severe sleep deprivation, the inmates would support his body to keep him in a standing position. The inmates tortured him for 17 days.

Mr. Liu’s body became weak. Despite this, the guards would induce further torture via electric batons.

6. Shocked with Electric Batons

On July 10, 2014, prison guard Shao Ling shocked Mr. Liu’s hand and threatened to extend his term. During this time, prison warden Tang Xiande punched Mr. Liu twice in the chest and told him to do “self-reflection” (a form of corporal punishment) and wear the word on his back.

From July 10 to July 19, 2014, Mr. Liu was forced to stand for long hours under the scorching elements from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m., often skipping meals and he was not allowed to shower. Alongside this, Mr. Liu was forced to do intense labor work. Whenever Mr. Liu refused to cooperate, he would be shocked with electric batons.

Torture re-enactment: Shocked with electric batons

7. Intense Labor Work

On March 28, 2014, Mr. Liu was sent to the Team No.1 of the 6th Ward of Jiazhou Prison to participate in forced labor and was strictly monitored upon arrival. For ten days, he worked during the day, and after returning to his prison cell, he was forced to stand until ten o’clock at night.

Illustration: Labor work in the prison

Mr. Liu was given the task to produce electric coils. Despite his efforts, it was impossible to finish the heavy workload. As a result, he was told to do “self-reflection” by standing until 10 p.m. This punishment lasted for nearly eight months.

After some time, Mr. Liu was transferred to another department and was separated from other practitioners. Again, he could not finish the assignments as he had not recovered physically and mentally. His punishment, like in the previous department, was to “self-reflect”. This lasted for more than a month before he was transferred back to the previous department.

On December 14, 2014, Mr. Liu asked prison guard Zhou Nianping about the excessive amount of labor work. Zhou responded by hitting him, causing Mr. Liu’s mouth to bleed. Mr. Liu then told Zhou that he should not persecute Falun Gong practitioners, but Zhou instructed inmate Hu Shigang to make Mr. Liu stand facing the workshop wall until the end of the work day.

That night, Mr. Liu went on a hunger strike to protest the assault. Prison guard Du Kun ordered several inmates to force-feed him. As a response, Mr. Liu then went on another hunger strike for three days. During this time, prison guard Qiu Peng made him watch videos slandering Falun Gong, but he resisted.

A typical work day would last at least 10.5 hours with Tuesdays as the designated off-day. However, the laborers would still work on the designated day-off and were made by the prison guards to sign Tuesdays as day-offs. Mr. Liu refused to sign the time-sheet, even though they threatened to transfer him to the strict-management department.

On May 14, 2015, deputy instructor Wang Yijun forced Mr. Liu to “self-reflect”, to which Mr. Liu responded with a three-day hunger strike. During his strike, Yang Xilin of the prison’s education department attempted to make Mr. Liu sign the time-sheets, but he still refused.

From March 28, 2014 to June 24, 2015, Mr. Liu was forced to do labor work. However, intense workloads spanning over the course of one year and three months caused his vision to decline. During this time, Mr. Liu’s labor group was given a new product to manufacture, however he was unable to work as efficiently due to unfamiliarity with the product. On June, 25, 2015, Mr. Liu was told to stand and “self-reflect”, however he refused and was transferred to the strict-management control department.

8. Strict Management Control

Upon entering the strict-management control team, Mr. Liu was told that he must obey all orders. He was forced to wear the uniform with a “strict-management” label and had to memorize the prison rules. Most of the time was spent on sitting on the ground, standing while facing a wall, or being exposed to the scorching sun. He was often deprived of sleep and given only a few seconds to eat his meals. He was also not allowed to talk with other practitioners or do the Falun Gong exercises.

The strict-management lasted from June 25 to July 12, 2015, the day he was released from his prison term.

When Mr. Liu’s family went to pick him up, they saw that his face, arms, and legs were tanned due excess sun exposure. His body was extremely thin, his face sunken, and his hair had turned gray. His emaciation left him extremely ill.

Based on an original Minghui article.