(Minghui.org) “If I die, it will have been due to torture!”
“If I die, it will have been caused by persecution!”
Such strikingly similar words were cries from a wife and husband, who warned their loved ones of their dire situation in prison during family visits in April 2010 and January 2013, respectively.
Simply for upholding their belief in Falun Gong, Ms. Chen Shang and her then-newly-wed husband were ambushed and taken away by police the moment they stepped out of the door of her uncle's house on August 1, 2007. Ms. Chen managed to escape after three weeks, only to be arrested again one year later.
Ms. Chen was sentenced to 10 years and her husband, Mr. Gao Mingxing, was sentenced to 12 years in late 2008. Ms. Chen has been kept in isolation at Liaoning Women's Prison for 6 years, during which only one family visit was allowed. Meanwhile, Mr. Gao suffered so much abuse at Shenyang First Prison that he became paralyzed and lost almost all his teeth.
Ms. Chen's current condition remains unknown since no one is allowed to visit her. Mr. Gao is wheelchair-bound and in critical condition, yet the prison refuses to release him unless he gives up his belief in Falun Gong.
Only One Family Visit during Wife's 6-Year Imprisonment
Since Ms. Chen Shang was arrested on August 21, 2008 in Anshan City, Liaoning Province, her family members were only allowed one visit. Her parents-in-law visited her for a few minutes in April 2010. During the visit, Ms. Chen managed to tell them about some of the abuse that she was suffering.
Ms. Chen had been detained in isolation and tortured. She was beaten to the extent that she almost lost her vision. Once, she was not allowed to use the bathroom for more than 50 hours and she had to relieve herself in her pants. She had to sleep on the concrete floor no matter how cold it was. Sometimes she was tortured in the bathroom and her skin disease came back due to prolonged contact with the dirty floor.
Ms. Chen's parents-in-law burst into tears when they saw her walking with great difficulty. They questioned the guards, asking why they beat a good person. Ms. Chen was then dragged away. She turned around and told them, “ If I die, it will have been due to torture!”
None of Ms. Chen's family members were allowed to visit her again since that short meeting. In 2010, Ms. Chen's father was dying, but he was not allowed to see his daughter before he died.
After Ms. Chen's father's passing, her aunt and cousin tried to visit her, but were turned down each time they filed a request. The prison claimed that only parents were now allowed to see her, knowing that both were deceased.
Ms. Chen's current situation remains unknown.
Husband Paralyzed and in Critical Condition
After Mr. Gao was arrested, he was brutally beaten. He developed severe pulmonary edema and seizures as a result of the mistreatment. Despite his condition, he was sentenced to 12 years.
Mr. Gao went on a hunger strike in the prison. The authorities then restrained him to a bed with handcuffs and shackles for two months. His legs were paralyzed as a result.
Torture illustration: Restrained to a bed with handcuffs and shackles
Mr. Gao was eventually transferred to the prison hospital and after two months, the prison decided to give him medical parole, but the local 610 Office refused to allow it.
On May 8, 2012, Mr. Gao was transferred to the special district for seniors and ill patients at Shenyang No. 1 Prison. The head of the district said Mr. Gao could only be released if he gave up his belief. On May 14, Mr. Gao's family was permitted to visit him. Mr. Gao was in a wheelchair and appeared very weak. His voice was so faint that they had to lean down close to make out his words.
On January 13, 2013, Mr. Gao's family visited him again. They saw that he had been tortured and nearly all of his teeth had fallen out. Just as his family was about to be led away, he said to them, “If I die, it will have been caused by persecution!”
After the Chinese New Year of 2013, when his family learned that Mr. Gao was still being tortured in his cell, they went to the head of the prison to appeal for his release. The prison head said that nothing would change unless Mr. Gao gave up his belief.
On October 10, 2013, Mr. Gao was in critical condition per earlier reports from Minghui.
Wife's Recovery from Psoriasis and Subsequent Persecution
Ms. Chen, 36, is from Liaoning Province. Her father was a teacher and her mother was a peasant. She used to have serious psoriasis, which seemed incurable. It was a constant source of torment for Ms. Chen as she was growing up, and she had to wear long pants, even in the hot summer.
Ms. Chen was 19 when she discovered Falun Gong in 1997. She was amazed as she watched her skin disease disappear within a short time. Her mother started to practice as well, and her heart disease symptoms went away.
In response to the persecution that began in July 1999, Ms. Chen went to appeal for Falun Gong in the year 2000. She was arrested and detained in the local police station. Chen Lixin, head of the police station, slapped her until her face bled. She was detained for more than 50 days and was released after the police extorted 3,000 yuan from her family.
Ms. Chen's mother could not withstand the intense pressure of the persecution and gave up the practice. Her heart disease came back and she died in 2003. Ms. Chen had to leave home to avoid further persecution.
On August 1, 2007, Ms. Chen went to visit her uncle with her newlywed husband Mr. Gao Mingxing. They were arrested as they were leaving her uncle's home.
In detention, Ms. Chen was handcuffed to a chair and was not allowed to sleep for several days and nights. The policemen tortured her in an attempt get more information about her fellow practitioners. Ms. Chen refused to comply and tried to explain to them why the persecution of Falun Gong was wrong. She went on a hunger strike to protest the abuse. On August 21, Ms. Chen managed to escape from the police station. Unfortunately, she was arrested again exactly one year later.
Contact numbers of those involved in the persecution:
Address of Liaoning Province Women's Prison:Baixintai Village, Pingluo town, Yuhong District, Shenyang City, Liaoning provincepost code: 110145
Head of the Prison, Yangli: +86-024-89296666(O), +86-024-86914173(H), +86-15698806333Prison Reception: +86-024-89296825District 8's Office: +86-024-89296898, 024-89296893, 024-89296895Head of district 8, Daijing: +86-15698809633Liu Yili: +86-15698806937Chen Xiaolian +8615698806687
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