Mr. Huang Lizhong Tortured to Death in Panjin City Prison

On May 12, 2008, Judge Wei Aijun of Lianshan District Court “sentenced” Mr. Huang to ten years in a prison camp; there was reportedly no court hearing, but rather, the judge went to the detention center and informed Huang of the verdict; his family was not informed and to date, has not received sentencing documents. 

Mr. Huang Lizhong was arrested on February 25, 2008 at his home. He was subsequently “sentenced” in a show-trial to nine years in prison by the Lianshan District Court, and in September 2008 was taken to Panjin City Prison. According to sources in Liaoning province, office head Liu Xinyuan led guards in the Fifth Ward to electrically shock and hang up practitioners in April. Starting from April 16, 2009, Liu Xinyuan brutally beat and shock practitioners with electric batons when they tired to do the Falun Gong meditation exercises. They shocked Huang Lizhong and two other practitioners every day. From April 17-19, 2009 Mr. Huang and six other practitioners were taken to the strict control ward to be tortured. On April 20, 2009, a guard named Wang Jianjun shocked Mr. Huang was extensively with electric batons to the point that his internal organs were damaged.

On May 2, 2009, Mr. Huang’s wife went to visit him. Ma Ying, a guard in the Fifth Section of the Fifth Ward said, “Huang Lizhong violated the prison regulations, and according to the prison rules, he is not allowed to have visitors for five months.” Mrs. Huang requested to see the regulations, but Ma Ying could not find any, and replied, “The rules are not established by myself, and you can come back in five months.” Mrs. Huang had no choice but to leave without seeing him. She tried again to visit him in June, but was again refused.

On October 20, 2009, Mrs. Huang went to visit Mr. Huang in the Fifth Ward. Ma Ying told her that he had been transferred to the Fifth Section of the Seventh Ward, so Mrs. Huang went to the Seventh Ward Warden Zhang Guoloin. She was told, “Mr. Huang was transferred to the Seventh Ward on August 28, 2009. His physical condition is not good so he was taken to the Sick Inmate’s Ward located in the Fifth Ward. You can go visit him this afternoon.”

At around 2 p.m. on October 20, 2009, Mr. Huang was helped into the visitation room by another prisoner. Mrs. Huang hardly recognized him. His face looked very dry, he was as thin as a skeleton, his teeth were deformed, he had no energy to talk, and his whole body shivered. Over a period of only five months, Mr. Huang, a perfectly healthy 47-year-old had his physical condition deteriorate significantly.

Mrs. Huang told him, “They would not allow me to visit you, and said you violated regulations.” Mr. Huang replied, “Violated regulations? It was because they shocked me with electric batons until I almost died. Later I regained life little by little.” She asked, “When?” Mr. Huang answered, “April 20.” Mrs. Huang asked, “Who shocked you?” He answered, “Wang Jianjun.” She asked, “Who else tortured you?” He answered, “No one else, as I had enough.”

Mrs. Huang wanted to ask for more details, but the guards stopped her. Mr. Huang told her that he could not hear sometimes due to the severe electric baton shocks. The visit only lasted 20 minutes as Mr. Huang was very weak, had hardly had energy to talk, and shivered continuously.. She finally knew the true reason for not letting her visit was to cover up the fact that the guards had almost killed Mr. Huang with electric baton shocks.

Only five days later, at 9:30 p.m. on October 25, 2009, a prison official called Huang’s son to inform him that his father had died.