In March 2003, the police detained Mr. Zhang Zhao, male, a teacher at the Zhangye Normal School in Gansu Province, in the Pingantai Forced Labor Camp in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, because he is a Falun Gong practitioner.

On the first day of Mr. Zhang's detention, political instructor Wei Haihua tried to force him to give up Falun Gong. Mr. Zhang refused. Wei then viciously abused him verbally and incited a cell inmate to torture him.

On the second day, Mr. Zhang was forced to do hard labor, and the inmates beat and kicked him when he was unable to finish the work. After work, he was forced to kneel down on the ground to clean the floor. The inmates beat him if he cleaned too slowly.

On the third day, since Mr. Zhang refused to denounce Falun Gong, Wei tied his hands behind his back, hung him up in the yard, and ordered a group of inmates to beat him. In the evening, the inmates tortured him for a long time. As a result, his body was covered with black and blue wounds, and he was not able to sleep due to the extreme pain.

On the fourth day, Mr. Zhang became unable to control his urination and defecation. It was a very cold early morning. Although it was still winter, inmates dragged him to the restroom, and stripped his clothes off. Inmate Ma Huiping then poured basins of ice-cold water all over him. Every time Ma poured water over him, Mr. Zhang screamed, jumped, and shook all over. He was tortured this way until he showed symptoms of mental collapse. That night, he was forced to lie down outside on cement tile in the yard while inmate Xue Wenqing squeezed toothpaste into his mouth.

The torture continued for the next several days. Then, Mr. Zhang was sent to the Tianshui Mental Hospital in Gansu Province.

type=Case, Torture; type=Labor Camp, Pingantai Forced Labor Camp; location=Gansu, Lanzhou