(Clearwisdom.net) The people in Shandong Province learned about the brutal torture of Falun Gong practitioners in the No. 5 Ward in Tai'an Prison, and due to public pressure it was renamed the No. 1 Ward in May 2011. Since June 2011, the No. 1 Ward has put into place a "Breaking the Steadfast Ones" initiative to force Falun Gong practitioners to recant their beliefs. Practitioners Mr. Liu Yongjin and Mr. Liu Nailun from Linyi are now undergoing brutal torture in Tai'an Prison.

On August 2, 2011, police tortured Mr. Liu Nailun in a small cell in the No. 1 Ward. Although the cell was tightly sealed, people could still hear Mr. Liu screaming.

Mr. Liu was not able to move after being subjected to various kinds of torture at the hands of the police and their accomplices in the prison.

After the ward was renamed, there were significant changes in the manpower. Zhu Xuhu replaced Liu Xinrong as the new division head, and Lu Wenfeng replaced Gao Lingshan as the new political instructor. Liu Xinrong, the ex-division head, was assigned as section chief of the Prison Education and Reform in the No. 1 Ward, and the ex-political instructor was assigned to be the deputy section head of the Detection Section in the No. 1 Ward.

In June 2011, the No. 1 Ward launched its "Breaking the Steadfast Ones" initiative to force those with strong faith in Falun Gong to renounce their beliefs. The prison employed various tactics, including forcing practitioners to watch brainwashing videos every day, instigating prisoners to insult and threaten practitioners until they renounced their belief, forcing them to sit on plastic stools all day, beating them, and depriving them of sleep. Practitioners are usually not allowed to go to sleep until 3:00 a.m., and are woken up at 5:00 a.m. They are not allowed to step out of the ward, nor are they allowed to talk to other practitioners. They are closely monitored when they go to the bathroom and are forced to do cleaning.

Torture re-enactment: Forced to sit on a plastic stool

Practitioners are forced to sit on tiny plastic stools for extended periods of time, with prisoners watching. This torture causes damage to the back. After sitting for a long time, some people are unable to stand up. It also leads to bruises on the buttocks. Some stools are designed with pointed edges to cause further injury.

Mr. Liu Nailun is from Mengyin. In 2000, he was detained in Wangcun Forced Labor Camp. He was arrested again and sentenced to four years in prison in 2004. He was taken to the No. 5 Ward of Tai'an Prison. In October 2008, he succeeded in leaving the prison, however on July 12, 2011, he was arrested again and sentenced to three and a half years in prison. He was sent to the No. 1 Ward of Tai'an Prison and has been there ever since. He was brutally beaten by the inmates. He had to wear bandages on his feet due to his injuries. Due to incessant torture and lack of sleep, he is very weak. He is in the No. 7 team's ward. The team leader is Yu Zhijun, who is one of the most worst offenders in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. Du Shanhui, a drug addict, and Zhao Yupei, an inmate, have collaborated in persecuting Mr. Liu.

Mr. Liu Yongjin is from the Lanshan District of Linyi City. In 2008, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and placed in the No. 5 Ward of Tai'an Prison. Due to his steadfast belief in Falun Gong, he was confined in a small cell for two months. In June 2011, he was assigned to the No. 2 team and was one of the top targets for torture. All the inmates who are corralled into helping with this initiative are directed to pressure practitioners to give up their beliefs. In order to meet this goal, they employ all kinds of tactics. In Mr. Liu's case, they beat and kicked him so hard that he had multiple injuries and bruises, and had difficulty walking. Zheng Quansheng is the team leader. He was the ex-deputy director of Hefei City Water Bureau, and was imprisoned for corruption. Zhu Peijun, Feng Dongjun, and Zong Xibo assist him. Zhu Peijun was formerly employed at Laiwu Iron and Steel Group Co. Ltd., and Feng Dongjun previously worked at the Tai'an City Highway Bureau. Both were imprisoned for corruption. Zong Xibo used to work at the Tai'an City Education Bureau and is in prison for corruption.

Torture re-enactment: Beating

A partial list of those involved in the persecution:
Chen Hai, head of the Linyi Brainwashing Center: 86-539-8184395, 86-539-8185143
Li Yuan, assistant to the head: 86-13969950842 (Cell), 86-539-2023610 (Office)

Please refer to the original Chinese article for a full list of the personnel involved in the persecution in Tai'an Prison.