Mr. Wang Gang, 41, Hebei

Name: Wang Gang (??)
Gender: Male
Age: 41
Occupation: Farmer
Date of Most Recent Arrest: 2003
Date of Most Recent Release: October 14, 2009
Date of Death: October 31, 2009
Province: Hebei
City: Zhuozhou
Address: Xiweituo Village, Zhuozhou City, Hebei Province
Persecution Most Recent Place of Detention: Jidong Prison (????)

Case summary

After being unlawfully detained in 2003 for practicing Falun Gong, Mr. Wang Gang was “sentenced” to 10 years in prison in 2004 following a sham trial. He was then taken to Baoding City Prison in Hebei Province. In May 2005, prison guards placed Wang in solitary confinement for ten days, tightly tying him to a board and shackling his feet. After being forced to remain stationary with limited blood circulation to his appendages for this extended period, the health of Wang’s right leg deteriorated and had to be amputated immediately upon his release from solitary confinement.

Fearing punishment for Wang’s condition, Baoding Prison authorities transferred him to Jidong Prison. In May 2009, Wang’s health deteriorated, but prison officials refused to release him into his family’s care. He was finally released on October 14, 2009, when he was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his lymph nodes. Wang died at 10 p.m. on October 31, 2009. He was 41 years old.

Detailed account

Mr. Wang was detained in 2003 because he practiced Falun Dafa. He was “sentenced” to 10 years in prison in 2004 following a sham trial and taken to Baoding City Prison. According to sources in Hebei province, prison warden Gao Ying was directly responsible for Wang being brutally abused during his time there.

On May 19, 2005, guards locked Wang in solitary confinement for 10 days. He was carried into the solitary confinement cell on a bed board with three metal rods welded to the top, his feet shackled, and a large belt tied across his waist to hold him down. He was not allowed to talk and was given very little water to drink.

At approximately 4 a.m. on May 27, 2005, prison guards Fan Jianli and Ran Lin entered the cell. Fan kicked Mr. Wang’s right leg and said, “Who put a comforter under you?” He then removed a comforter that had been placed under Wang. Fan kicked Wang again and ordered him to meet him in the control room. Wang replied that his leg was in extremely pain and that he could not walk. Fan ordered other prisoners to drag Wang out into the hall, then ordered Wang to enter the control room himself. As Wang could not stand up, he was forced to crawl into the room. Fan kicked him again hard, ordered prisoners to drag him back out into the hall, then told Wang to enter the room by himself again. Fan abused Wang in this humiliating way three times.

On May 28, 2005, a doctor found that that the bones, muscles, and blood vessels in his right leg were no longer functioning. Warden Gao Ying refused to notify Wang Gang’s family of his condition and ordered the amputation of his right leg. Only three inches of his right leg remained.

In order to cover up their mistreatment of Wang, Baoding City Prison transferred him to Jidong Prison located in Tangshan City.

In May 2009, Wang’s health was deteriorating and Jidong Prison took the dying man home. However, local Yihezhuang Township police soon came to Wang’s home and refused to allow him to be released, possibly because they feared this would facilitate public exposure of the torture he had suffered. Jidong Prison authorities returned him to their custody.

In August 2009, Wang’s family traveled to Jidong Prison, hoping to pick him up, but the prison authorities refused to release him.

Only on October 14, 2009, when Wang was diagnosed with late-stage cancer in his lymph nodes, did the prison finally release him into his family’s care.

Wang died at 10 p.m. on October 31, 2009. The village Communist Party secretary forced his family to bury him the next day, apparently to minimize the amount of public attention his untimely death would receive.

Additional details for verification:
Gao Ying, Baoding City Prison warden: 86-312-5923801 (Office), 86-312-5928999 (Home), 86-13832224005 (Cell)
Fan Jianli, Education Office chair of Baoding City Prison: 86-13832224037 (Cell)