Zu Lanzhen, female, 62, resident of Nanhanzhuang, Jiachun Village, Wangdu County, Hebei Province

In August 2002, Ms. Zu Lanzhen was arrested and sent to a detention center because she practices Falun Gong. One day, during her detention,the police from the Jiachun Village Police Station went to the detention center, were allowed to interrogate her, and took her to an office. Police burned her palms with cigarettes and she immediately developed egg-sized blisters on her palms. Then, they stuck toothpicks into her fingernails nearly one centimeter deep, and her hands were covered in blood. They used a cigarette lighter to burn her fingers until the lighter ran out of fuel. As a result, both Ms. Zu’s hands were burned and bleeding. Then they burned her mouth and tongue with cigarettes. Ms. Zu was unable to eat and sleep because of the pain after the torture.

type=Case, Torture; type=Case, Women; location=Hebei