(Clearwisdom.net)

Zhang Yuanming was a Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioner from Zhenchai Village, Nongan County, Jilin Province. After he began practicing Falun Dafa in January 1999, he had become a good person in all circumstances.

On July 20, 1999, Jiang's regime began the persecution of Falun Gong. On September 4,1999, Zhang Yuanming went to Beijing to appeal. On September 11, however, police from his hometown arrested him in Beijing and took him back and detained him at Nongan County Detention Center. He was not released until December 27. On February 14, 2000, he was abducted from his home by the police and sent to the Fenjin Labor Camp in Changchun City, Jilin Province.

At the labor camp, Zhang Yuanming firmly refused to write the "five statements" (all of which are statements made to renounce Falun Gong) and suffered inhuman tortures as a result. He was forced to sit on a small bench for more than ten hours each day. The longest time he sat was from 5 o'clock in the morning until 2:00 a.m. the next day, in total about twenty-one hours. He was tortured so badly that he became deaf. His teeth were damaged, so it was very hard for him to eat. Some practitioners offered to give him some milk, but the police refused to give it to him. His family members were also forbidden to visit.

In December of 2000, the labor camp's personnel suddenly called Zhang Yuanming's family members and said that he was sick, asking them to bring money to the labor camp to pay for his medical expenses. The next day, his family members arrived at the labor camp and paid them one thousand yuan. Only then were his family members allowed to see him. When they saw him, they could not recognize him. Zhang Yuanming used to be a very strong man. He was 5' 9" tall and used to weigh more than 190 lb, but when they saw him he was a mere skeleton, weighing only a little more than 50 lb. His face was tortured beyond recognition and he could not talk normally.

When he was dragged to the labor camp hospital, the chief of the labor camp told the doctor that Zhang practiced Falun Gong. He forced Zhang's wife out of the room and privately talked to the doctor for some time.

On December 15, Zhang's wife requested to see him and the guard asked her to pay sixty yuan, promising to allow the couple to have a meal together. However, the guard did not allow the couple to eat together, instead, he took the couple to a very cold room. Zhang Yuanming told his wife that he was unable to eat without assistance, but no one was allowed to help him. He also told her that he was beaten by the police even in his poor physical condition.

On December 21, the hospital notified Zhang's family members to pay a medical fee. When a family member asked them about Zhang's condition, they said that he was fine, but on December 25, his family members were informed that Zhang had been dead for several days. According to the death record, he died on the night of the December 21.

Zhang was tortured to death under these conditions and the lawless policemen involved did not notify Zhang's family for several days. The reasons for his death are unclear and there has been no explanation. When his family members changed his clothes, they found several purple spots on his arm, chest and back. His mouth, nose and ears were stuffed with medical cotton and the cotton in his mouth was even inserted into his throat. The family had to use a wire to pull the cotton out of his throat.

On December 26, 2000, the labor camp forced Zhang's family to agree to promise not to create any trouble for what they had done, and only then would they allow them to take the body away to be cremated. During the cremation, two policemen from the Fenjin Labor Camp came to monitor the process.

Posting date: 11/23/2004
Original article date: 11/22/2004
Category: Eyewitness Accounts
Translated on 11/7/2004
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/11/4/88309.html

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