(Minghui.org) Since the persecution of Falun Gong began in July 1999, Mr. Yang Feng has been imprisoned and tortured many times by the communist regime for his faith in this spiritual discipline. He was last imprisoned for 13 years.

Mr. Yang, from Changchun City in Jilin Province, started practicing Falun Gong in August 1996. Before that, he had many illnesses, including cirrhosis of the liver, cholecystitis, herniated disc, and asthma. However, he recovered from his illnesses within a month of learning Falun Gong.

Imprisoned and Tortured for Thirteen Years

Mr. Yang was arrested in February 6, 2001, for printing Falun Gong informational materials. Several police officers, including the head of the No. 1 Division in the Changchun Police Department Li Shichang, section head Li Xingtao, and Liu Huibin tortured him during the interrogation.

They beat his head with a belt and strapped him to a tiger bench, cuffing his hands and feet. In the frigid winter, they removed all his clothes, left the window wide open, and poured cold water over him. They also shocked his neck with electric batons.

He was held in Tiebei Detention Center for one year and four months before being sentenced by the Nanguan District Court to 13 years in prison.

Mr. Yang was taken to Jilin Prison in March 2002.

Li Yongsheng, from the “education section,” assigned four inmates to take turns monitoring Mr. Yang at all times.

Mr. Yang was put on the death bed torture for one week. He was forced to sit on a small stool for long periods of time, and was not allowed to have contact with anyone.

His physical condition worsened due to the torture. He was unable to eat his food, and became emaciated. His leg muscles atrophied, and his body was covered with scabies.

Mr. Yang was once beaten by inmates Liu Jinbao and Wang Cheng for reciting the Falun Gong lectures with another practitioner.

He was transferred to the Tiebei Prison in March 2005, where he was held for one year. He was then taken to the Gongzhuling Prison in March 2006.

He was put in solitary confinement in Gongzhuling Prison on April 16, 2008, when he was caught reading the Falun Gong lectures on an ebook (an electronic version of a printed book). He was tortured for 14 days in that cell. He was tied to a bed with both arms and legs stretched out. Lu Gang, the head of ward No. 5, shocked him with an electric baton and kept slapping his face.

Yin Yuhui, the then newly promoted director, called Mr. Yang to his office on May 16, 2009, because Mr. Yang was not wearing his name badge and refused to do the hard labor.

Yin assigned three inmates to beat Mr. Yang. He was pinned down on the floor and his hands were cuffed behind his back. They stepped on his body and shocked him with electric batons, burning his neck.

Mr. Yang was subjected to brainwashing sessions from August to September 2010, where he had to sit on a small stool throughout the day and listen to recorded programs that slandered Falun Gong. He was also forced to write “self-criticism” reports, in an attempt to get him to renounce his belief.

Mr. Yang was released on February 7, 2014.

Great Hardship After Release

Mr. Yang's wife had divorced him in 2004, while he was in Jilin Prison, because she was unable to withstand the enormous pressure and harassment from the authorities. His mother had passed away around the 2013 Chinese New Year.

The persecution also led to a huge economic loss for Mr. Yang. His home had been ransacked many times by the police. Several laptops, printers, and cash totaling 5,400 yuan was confiscated, and never returned.

Mr. Yang used to work for a power company with an annual salary of more than 100,000 yuan, but he was fired after the persecution started.

He later worked for a taxi company, but the car was impounded for several months after his arrest. He then had to pay the taxi company more than 10,000 yuan for loss of income.

Previous Arrests

Shortly after the persecution began, Mr. Yang was arrested by officers from the Jilinjie Police Station and the Erdao District Police Department because he refused to give up his belief. He was held in the Daguang Detention House for 15 days. This was around late August, early September 1999.

In an attempt to prevent Mr. Yang from going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, police from Jilinjie and Erdao detained him in the Balibao Detention House from September 29 to October 8, 1999.

However, Mr. Yang did go to Beijing to appeal. He was arrested and escorted back to Changchun, where he was detained for 15 days, from October 14 to 26. A guard in the Daguang Detention House punched his face, chest, and stomach.

Mr. Yang was arrested again in March 2000 by police from the Jilinjie Police Station who claimed the arrest was for “stabilizing social order.” He was taken to the Erdao District Police Department, where a police officer slapped his face more than a dozen times.

He was then taken to the Tiebei No.1 Detention Center for 30 days, where he was tortured for two hours while being interrogated by four police officers. Torture methods included stretching his arms, and putting him on a tiger bench.