Peng Chengxu, male, 64, resident of Linyi City, Shandong Province;

Sun Maolan, female, 53, resident of Linyi City, Shandong Province;

Zhao Fuqin, 38, female, residents of Linyi City, Shandong Province;

Zhao Fumin, female, 38, residents of Linyi City, Shandong Province.

Between July and August of the year 2000, officials from the "610 Office"[1] of Linyi City, Shandong Province detained several Falun Gong practitioners including Mr. Peng Chengxu, Ms. Sun Maolan, Ms. Zhao Fuqin, and Ms. Zhao Fumin. The authorities took the four of them to the Lanshan Family Planning Office in Linyi City and hired 28 henchmen to torture them.

During the first 10 days of their detention, these henchmen forced the practitioners to watch videotapes defaming Falun Gong 24 hours a day. They would not let the practitioners sleep, or even close their eyes during for the whole 10 days. They viciously beat any practitioner who closed his or her eyes, until they themselves were exhausted from beating the practitioners. A number of times they forced the practitioners to stand still all day, placing small tables over the practitioners' heads, on top of which were stools with bowls of water on them. Practitioners were ordered to stand for several hours, with both arms outstretched, while balancing the tables, stools and water bowls on top of their heads. Any practitioner who couldn't hold the position, or who spilled the water, was brutally punched and kicked.

The thugs also stabbed the practitioners' hands and fingers with steel needles and forced them to hold the push-up position for over two hours each. Later, when the practitioners were finally allowed to sleep at night, the hired men poured water onto the cement floor, and forced the practitioners to sleep in the puddles. Then they turned on a high-speed fan to blow cold air onto the wet practitioners.

To further intensify the torture, the head of the "610 Office" ordered the ruffians to release a hungry snake in the practitioner’s room. The snake bit Mr. Peng on the neck, leaving its tooth lodged underneath his skin. In addition, they purchased scorpions and poisonous toads and released them in the practitioner’s room to sting and frighten them. All four of the practitioners had sting and bite marks on their bodies.

The four practitioners were tortured to the point when they had difficulty moving around, and had bruises all over their bodies. Afraid that they would die, the "610" officials finally released them. However, as Mr. Peng began to recover at home, he was once again detained and sent to a forced labor camp.

type=Case, Torture; type=Case, Women; location=Shandong, Linyi