Location of Torture and Death:

Wancheng Police Station, Henan Province, China

Perpetrators:

Wancheng Branch Police Department

A brief report of the incident:

Du Xu was arrested November 15, 2000 and detained in the Wancheng Police Station. Around 1:00 p.m. on November 28, the Security Team sent Du Xu to the First People's Hospital for emergency treatment. Du was barely alive as a result of the cruel torture he received from the police. The Team did not notify his family until after 7:00 p.m. Du's family found that Du was not recognizable due to the beatings. Medical examination revealed trauma to a large area of the brain, and blood inside the skull. His left leg was broken and his legs and feet were black and swollen. He had wounds all over his body including black eyes. Du had been unconscious since November 28, and was declared to be in critical condition. Doctors operated on his injured brain and told Du's family that Du could lose his life at any minute.

There was no information on Du Xu from November 15 when he was arrested to November 28 when he was delivered to the hospital. Therefore, it remains unknown how the Security Team tortured him during that period of time. The Team claimed that Du Xu was in the state of unconsciousness because he fell off the building.

He was hospitalized at 1 p.m. on November 28, 2000 and passed away at 5:30 a.m. on January 10, 2001. Du Xu never fully regained consciousness during his entire 43-day stay in the hospital. He gained some awareness in early January, but wasn't able to speak.

When Du died, his parents asked a legal medical expert to perform an autopsy of their son. However, the police told them to sign an order for immediate cremation. They refused to sign and did not let them cremate the body. The police broke into their home and confiscated the photos and evidence of Du Xu's torture. The police invaded the home and detained Du Xu's parents.  

(Reported on January 17, 2001)