(Minghui.org) “A police officer pulled one of my arms from above to my back and another from below and cuffed my hands behind my back. This torture, known as diagonal handcuffing behind the back, was meant to break my belief in Falun Gong.” Mr. Yang Yujun, a former Chinese naval officer recounted about the torture he experienced after his arrest in October 2001.

He continued to describe the torture he suffered and how hard he tried not to pass out because of the pain. Because of swelling, the handcuffs cut into his wrist.

Whenever the officers felt that he was about to pass out, they opened the handcuffs, which were difficult to unlock because of the swelling. But, the minute they felt that he had recovered, they locked the handcuffs again. This was done over and over again for 24 hours.

When they stopped the torture, the upper half of his body was numb. His legs were terribly bruised because police also beat him with rubber batons. Even after one year, he had only limited use of his arms.

Forced to Retire from the Navy and Deprived of Retirement Benefits

Mr. Yang was a deputy battalion commander of the Chinese Navy before he was forced to retire from his post in 2000 because he practiced Falun Gong.

He was hired by the Electric Power Cooperation of Laizhou City, Shandong Province, but was arrested before he began work. He was deprived of his apartment and the benefits he should have received as a retired naval officer.

Imprisonment, Forced Labor and Brainwashing Over 14 Years

Police officers from the Laizhou 610 Office and Political Security Division ransacked Mr. Yang's home in the north district of Laizhou City in November 2000. They arrested him and confiscated his computer.

He was detained in the local police station for more than 72 hours. His family was forced to pay 10,000 yuan for his release. However, the police returned 8,300 yuan to him one year later.

He was taken to a brainwashing center by police officers in Laizhou city in April 2001, where he was held for 20 days.

Police officers from the Laizhou Domestic Security Division and 610 Office arrested him in October 2001. Eight officers, including Gu Liping (former deputy chief of the Laizhou Police Department) and Liu Jingbing (an officer of the Laizhou 610 Office) interrogated and tortured him for 24 hours in the police department. Then, he was transferred to the Laizhou Detention Center, where he was held for eight months.

He was sentenced to three years in prison on March 19, 2002 and taken to the Weibei Prison in Shandong Province in May 2002. He was forced to work long hours and mistreated, which included exposure to the scorching sun.

He was reported and arrested when he was doing the Falun Gong exercises in late 2011. He was forced to attend brainwashing classes during the 14 days of detention.

For talking about the persecution of Falun Gong during a business trip in Quanzhou, Fujian Province in March 2012 he was reported to police. He was detained for 14 days in the Nan'an City Detention Center of Fujian Province.

He was then sentenced to 18 months of forced labor in the Fuzhou Forced Labor Camp. They tortured him with different torture methods, such as standing for a long time and sleep deprivation.

Throughout his detentions, his family experienced great hardship.

“I tell my story not out of revenge but with the hope that the persecution of Falun Gong will come to an end,” he said. “I bear no grudge against those who persecuted me. It is my wish that they hear the facts about Falun Gong and bear them well.