(Clearwisdom.net) The police in Yilan County, Heilongjiang Province, cruelly torture detained Falun Gong practitioners, and they also instigate the inmates to do the same. These torture methods include, but are not limited to the following: using a plastic bag to suffocate the practitioners, slamming their heads against the wall, scraping their rib cages, whipping them with a bamboo stick, and piercing their fingertips.

Practitioner Ms. Zhang Min lost her precious life after being force-fed highly concentrated salt water, which caused her to choke as her lungs had been severely damaged by previous beatings. Practitioner Mr. Song Ruiyi passed away soon after his release from jail because of the torture he suffered in prison. For example, at the instigation of policeman Lin Zhong, the inmates choked him with a towel. The following photos show re-enactments of these torture methods. They are based on descriptions supplied by the victims who have been released, and they demonstrate the abuses Falun Gong practitioners have suffered at the hands of police officers and criminal inmates.

1. Slapping the Face

Police officers Li Baihe, Su Qiang, Li Zichen, Han Yunjie, Long Deqing, and others arbitrarily slap practitioners' faces regardless of their age or gender. Several female practitioners' faces swelled up and they experienced ringing in the ears for many months after getting slapped numerous times (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1

2. Kicking

Police officers Zheng Jun, Lin Zhong, Quan Limin, and others knock practitioners to the ground and violently kick them with their heavy leather boots. Some female practitioners were kicked until they bled, and some practitioners' internal organs were injured. Most of them experienced pain in their rib cages for many days. Several male practitioners were hit and kicked until they lost consciousness. Then when they regained consciousness after an emergency rescue, they were made to suffer the same torture all over again (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2

3. "Chopping" with the Edge of a Leather Belt

The police fold a thick and wide leather belt and then use its edge to "chop" practitioners' hands. Female practitioners' hands swell and are in pain for several days after this torture (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3

4. Suffocation with a Plastic Bag

The police put a plastic bag over the practitioners' heads and temporarily suffocate them while asking, "Will you renounce Falun Gong?" One female practitioner almost died from this choking torture (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4

5. Whipping with a Leather Belt

Some police officers use a leather belt to whip practitioners' hands, faces, and heads. They do not even spare young female practitioners. Practitioners' hands and faces swell up immediately from this type of torture, and they almost pass out due to the unbearable pain (Fig. 5).

Fig. 5

Some police officers pull down the male practitioners' pants and fiercely whip their buttocks, causing their buttocks and hip areas to swell up with purple and black bruises. They are in pain for many days afterwards (Fig. 6).

Fig. 6

6. Knocking the Head Against the Wall

Police officer Han Yunjie and others from the Yilan County Political Security Section knock female practitioners' heads against the wall. This type of torture causes a big lump on the head, dizziness and blurred vision. Some practitioners bleed while others pass out (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7

7. Scraping the Rib Cage

Police officer Li Baihe and people from the Yilan County Criminal Detectives Section pull up practitioners' shirts and use their fingers, small spoons, ladles, tweezers, iron boxes, or bamboo scrubbing brushes to scrape or scratch practitioners' rib cages. This causes their chests to turn purple and black. The pain is so unbearable that after such torture, one young female practitioner convulsed uncontrollably and could not lie down for several days (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8

8. Whipping with a Bamboo Lath

The police use the handle of bamboo scrubbing brushes to forcefully hit both sides of practitioners' hands and their heads and faces. They also use a bamboo lath of one-inch width to fiercely hit practitioners' heads. After this torture, practitioners' hands and faces become swollen and bruised (Fig. 9 & Fig. 10).

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

9. Pressing Handcuff against the Hand

The police use a handcuff to cuff one of the practitioner's palms and then press it against a tabletop. The cuff cuts into the hand causing horrendous pain and leaving permanent scars (Fig. 11).

Fig. 11

Police officer Li Baihe and others use a handcuff to cuff practitioners' fingers. Then they twist the fingers while forcefully hitting the fingers and the back of the hand with a small ladle. A young female practitioner who suffered this torture had many scars on her hands afterwards and could not move or use her right hand for many days as it was numb (Fig. 12 & Fig. 13).

10. Pricking the Finger Tips

Police officer Li Baihe and others use un-wound paper clips to prick the practitioners' fingertips until they bleed. They also break a plastic ruler in half and use the sharp edge to cut practitioners' fingers. Some police use toothpicks to puncture the practitioners' fingertips or the area under the fingernails until they draw blood (Fig. 14).

Fig. 14

11. Force-Feeding in a Barbaric Way

Practitioners who go on hunger strike suffer this torture. Police officers Lin Zhong, Zheng Jun, and others instigate inmates to cuff the practitioners' hands behind their backs and push them onto the ground or squeeze them into a torture chair (the chair could not be demonstrated due to our limited resources). Then they pull the practitioners' heads up by the hair and pinch their noses, while others grab onto the cheeks and use chop sticks, the handle of a tooth brush, a screw driver or other dirty objects to force open the mouths. Finally, they viciously insert bottles of highly concentrated salt water into the practitioners' mouths. Several practitioners' teeth were damaged and their mouth's bled due to the forceful prying. Their mouths also bled due to the rough insertion of the bottles. The concentrated salt water stung and caused severe pain inside the practitioners' injured mouths. The practitioners' arms and legs also got cut and bruised from the iron torture chair and their clothes were soaked from the concentrated salt water and their blood. It is a grotesque scene. Some practitioners choked as the salt water went down into their lungs, while others twitched uncontrollably and almost died due to the suffocation.

Ms. Ma Lida, 21 years old, was ruthlessly force-fed several bottles of the highly concentrated salt water that caused her to have stomach spasms and her life has been in imminent danger ever since. Ms. Zhang Min died from this torture when the salt water went into her lungs and caused her to suffocate. Her lungs had previously been injured after the police brutally beat her (Fig. 15, Fig. 16, Fig. 17, and Fig. 18).

Fig. 15

Fig. 16

Fig. 17

Fig. 18

12. Carrying a Sword on the Back

The police handcuff the practitioner's hands together behind the back with one hand over the shoulder and the other against the lower back. The police then apply a great deal of force to pull the two hands toward one another and handcuff the two hands together. (This way it looks like the practitioner is carrying a sword on his back.) Then the police hold onto the handcuffs and step on the practitioner's back to pull up their arms, as if an archer is pulling open a bow. The practitioner's arms are stretched until the handcuffs cut into the flesh and get stuck to the bone. This torture causes unbearable pain as though the arms are broken. The police also swing the pull the arms to the left and right so the handcuffs press against the wrist bone to cause more pain. The arms become numb during this torture and afterwards, practitioners are not able to move their arms and have no feeling for more than two weeks. At the same time that the police torture practitioners with this method, they also viciously beat and kick them, pull their hair, and use electric batons to shock them (Fig.19, Fig. 20, and Fig. 21).

Fig. 19

Fig. 20

Fig. 21

13. "Planning" and "Cutting"

The police instigate inmates to force practitioners to squat on the ground while one inmate after another uses the soles of their shoes to viciously rub the hollow area on the two sides of the practitioners' buttocks or dig onto the practitioners' backs. This is a cruel torture method that leaves black bruises and causes the practitioners' buttocks to become swollen. As a result, the practitioners cannot walk and have to limp to get around. Necrosis of the muscles can also occur. Even after the inmates have mercilessly tortured the practitioners, they continue to rub the injured area until the bone is exposed. Many practitioners have been tortured this way repeatedly (Fig. 22).

Fig. 22

14. "Bending Stoop"

Inmates are instigated to force practitioners to bend forward while someone uses his elbow to continuously and fiercely hit their backs. Practitioners experience severe pain in their chests after being tortured this way. Some constantly cough and some fall down to the ground from the pain (Fig. 23).

Fig. 23

15. Handcuffing to the Back

The practitioners' hands are cuffed behind their backs with a wooden stick placed in between. The torturers use the stick to twist the arms around and apply pressure to the backs, causing the practitioners' arms and shoulders horrendous pain. The handcuffs also cut into the skin (Fig. 24 and Fig. 25).

16. "Pasting Wallpaper"

The police force practitioners to face the wall and stand as close as possible to the wall with their arms up against it for a long time period. The police also instigate inmates to torment practitioners who are on hunger strikes with this torture. If the practitioners resist, they are forced to the wall and brutally beaten. This type of torture causes severe muscle pain, swelling in the arms, paralysis and pain in the legs and feet. It can also cause dizziness and confusion (Fig. 26).

Fig. 26

17. Locking up the Throat

The police direct criminals to use their fists and forcefully punch the practitioner's throat or use their fingers to tightly choke a practitioner's neck so that the practitioner is in severe pain and can't talk (Fig. 27).

Fig. 27

18. Squatting

The police force practitioners to squat with their feet apart and their bodies bent down while their arms are stretched out in front of them. Practitioners are forced to stay in this position for a long time period, which causes the muscles to ache and the whole body to tremble. Policemen Su Qiang and Li Zichen used this torture method to torment practitioner Mr. Song Ruiyi and others (Fig. 28).

Fig. 28

19. Standing on One Leg

The police instigate inmates to force practitioners who are on a hunger strike to stand on one leg for a long time period. If the practitioners resist, they are brutally beaten (Fig. 29).

Fig. 29

20. Squatting on One Leg

Police instigate criminal inmates to force practitioners who are on hunger strike to squat on one leg for a long time period. If the practitioners resist, they are brutally beaten (Fig. 30).

Fig. 30

21. "Flying an Airplane" (also known as "Flying" or "Sticking Up")

Policeman Lin Zhong directs inmates to force practitioners to face the wall and bend their heads down until they cannot go down any further. They then pull the hands up and force the practitioners to hold them at the highest point against the wall. Practitioners are forced to hold this position unchanged for a long time period. Some practitioners were forced to put their heads into the toilet while in the "flying" position. If practitioners do not obey, they suffer cruel beatings and other types of humiliation. This torture causes paralysis of the practitioner's feet and severe pain in the arms. It also causes dizziness, waist, spine and ankle pain, and can cause the body to tremble (Fig. 31 and Fig. 32).

22. Choking with a Towel

Policeman Lin Zhong instigates inmates to use a towel to wrap around the practitioner's neck to suffocate the practitioner. One inmate pulls the two ends of the towel to tighten it with full strength, while other inmates either tightly hold onto the practitioner's body to not let him or her move, or they brutally beat the practitioner. The practitioner is usually choked until his or her face turns dark-purple and the tongue is sticking out. Mr. Song Ruiyi suffered this as well as other tortures that included being cruelly beaten. He passed away soon after his release because of all the torture he suffered in prison (Fig. 33).

Fig. 33