Mr. Tao Hongsheng, male, an official in the Security Department of Hebei Province, died on September 20, 2000, at the age of 46. His wife, Ms. Yu Fengyun, is 52 years old. They have two daughters, Tao Lili, 24 years old, and Tao Yufei, 20 years old. Their home address is Apartment 501, Unit 2, Building 2, 2 Xihuan Road North, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province.

On December 26, 1999, after the persecution of Falun Gong started, Mr. Tao and Ms. Yu, along with their daughter Lili, went to Beijing to appeal to the government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. They were all arrested and confined in a huge room with over 100 other Falun Gong practitioners. The police tortured practitioners by pouring cold water into their clothing, even though it was the middle of winter. When they were transferred back to Hebei Province, a drunken policeman whipped Lili with a rope until her body was all black and blue. Ms. Yu and Lili were released, but Mr. Tao was sentenced to three years of forced labor. He was detained in Team 2, Group 201 of the Shijiazhuang City Detention Center.

During detention, Mr. Tao was tortured severely. In July 2000, he was locked in a "small cell" [1] for about two months along with practitioners Wu Bing, Wang Jin, and another practitioner from Xinji County, Hebei Province. The living conditions at the detention center were terrible; food, drink, and sanitation could not be guaranteed. In late August, most practitioners began to have diarrhea. Mr. Tao had diarrhea almost every day until he had bloody stool. He was unable to eat, breathed with difficulty, and had to stay in bed for nearly 20 days. Later, Mr. Tao's health deteriorated further. He suffered severe diarrhea and edema. His face swelled so much that his eyes could only open slightly and he continued to have blood in his stool as well as in his urine. On September 13, 2000, he was handcuffed and taken to the Urology Department of No. 2 Hospital of Hebei Province.

By then, Mr. Tao was too weak to speak and was on the verge of death. On September 17, he was sent back home so that the detention center could avoid any responsibility for his death. At 1:10 p.m., on September 20, 2000, Mr. Tao passed away, leaving his wife and two daughters. After his death, an officer from the Security Department of Hebei Province called Mr. Tao's family and threatened them. He warned them: "Don't tell others about his death."

In August 2001, Ms. Yu was arrested without notice and sentenced to two years of forced labor. The two daughters went to visit their mother and to take her some things; however, they were not allowed to see her simply because she practiced Falun Gong. When Ms. Yu was released two years later, her daughters could hardly recognize her. Ms. Yu was just skin and bones. During her detention, she endured many tortures, including sleep deprivation, constant surveillance, not being allowed to use the restroom, and physical and verbal abuse for doing the Falun Gong exercises.

In October 2003, less than three months after her release, Ms. Yu was arrested again and taken to a brainwashing center. She was detained there for several months and was forced to watch programs that slandered Falun Dafa. If she was found doing the Falun Dafa exercises, she was deprived of sleep and repeatedly pinched. Her thighs were often covered with bruises from being pinched. She was also brutally force-fed because she was on a hunger strike for nearly a month. The police tortured her to the brink of death. She was not allowed to go home for the Chinese New Year, although her daughters went to the center to request her release. Ms. Yu was finally released in March of 2004.

One day, at the end of November 2004, Ms. Yu and another practitioner went to Baotou City, Hebei Province, to tell people the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. However, they were arrested and held at the Guchengwan Detention Center.

Currently Ms. Yu is still detained at the Guchengwan Detention Center, and her daughters are not allowed to visit her.