Chongqing Yuxi District human rights defender Zhao Liang endured two and a half years of wrongful imprisonment and was released on parole on June 21 of the previous year. Due to severe physical persecution, it was only recently that he mustered the courage to report that Yuxi Prison in the west violated the Prison Law and Prison Management Regulations by using torture on him.
Zhao Liang’s father died in 2016 while receiving treatment at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, leading Zhao Liang to advocate for his rights for an extended period. Although the court verdict stated “medical dispute,” Zhao Liang emphasized that it was not a medical dispute, believing that his father was killed by extremely cruel means.
In order to seek justice for his father, Zhao Liang was twice imprisoned. The first time (2019), he suffered torture in prison resulting in a disability in his left leg, and the second time (2022) he endured severe mental and physical persecution in prison, even developing mental issues.
In his complaint, Zhao Liang detailed the torture he endured: “On June 27, 2022, Zhu Yang, the head of Unit 2, sent me to the strict control unit of Unit 8 under the pretext of ‘reporting irregularities.’ During the strict control period, the chief officer Chen Wei and four others made me wear heavy iron shackles weighing twenty to thirty pounds, dragging me to and from a four-kilometer interrogation, causing my ankles to bleed profusely and forbidding me from seeking medical treatment.”
Zhao Liang told a reporter from The Epoch Times, “The so-called ‘reporting irregularities’ were set by the unit head Zhu Yang. When he called you, you had to immediately squat down, look up at him, and recite words he prescribed. At that time, I didn’t do as told. I said, ‘I am innocent, even if I were guilty, I wouldn’t bow down to look up at you.’ I said, ‘Whether guilty or not, our dignity is equal, and I should stand and speak to you.’ Therefore, I was sent to strict control.”
To Zhao Liang’s surprise, the one interrogating him was the head of the complaint office in Dadukou District, Wu Qing, not a prosecutor.
As the prison guards did not allow Zhao Liang to treat his foot injuries, he endured agonizing pain for over a year. He was forced to stand or sit for 16 hours a day (from 6 am to 10 pm), leading to severe back pain. Due to not being allowed to bathe or brush his teeth for over six months, his genitals rotted, and his teeth decayed. The prison staff also woke him up every half hour every night, causing him to go without a good night’s sleep for over six months.
On November 27, 2022, Zhao Liang began experiencing hallucinations, illusions, and delusions for the first time. He said, “Due to the prolonged sleep deprivation, I developed hallucinations. In despair, I attempted to commit suicide by hitting the wall, only to end up with my limbs shackled to an iron bed for over twenty days, unable to move, and being forcibly injected with unknown drugs. I protested through hunger strikes multiple times, but to no avail.”
After the strict control ended on December 31, 2022, five months later, he experienced various hallucinations again and was injected with unknown substances twice.
In 2016, Zhao Liang’s father died due to a medical incident, and the compensation issue with the hospital remained unresolved, prompting him to file lawsuits. Since then, unidentified individuals have been monitoring him 24 hours a day outside his house.
One night in 2021 at midnight, Zhao Liang went out for a late-night snack and drinks with a friend, returning home only at 4 am. The individuals monitoring him said, “You know we’re watching you and deliberately drinking for so long. You don’t regard us as human beings, causing us so much trouble!” and proceeded to beat Zhao Liang. After being beaten, Zhao Liang reported to the police, but no action was taken.
One day, the same person who beat Zhao Liang reappeared and physically assaulted him again, using a knife to cause a long and deep wound on his back leg, leading Zhao Liang to be hospitalized and receive 45 stitches. While in the hospital, one day when Zhao Liang went home to shower, the police suddenly called, asking him to come downstairs for a report receipt. As soon as he went downstairs, he was taken away.
Zhao Liang said, “After being arrested, I was directly sent to the detention center, and they kept harping on my father’s compensation issue, saying, ‘If you don’t agree to this amount, the consequences will be severe.’ I didn’t agree. I said, ‘We can discuss, but let’s do it outside. You’re negotiating with me as a prisoner; this is unfair.'” After that, no one brought up the issue again.
After being arrested by the public security, Zhao Liang was sent directly to the detention center, and then the procuratorate arrested and prosecuted him without a pretrial procedure, all in violation of legal procedures.
Zhao Liang said, “During the first trial, court police carried me from the basement to the courtroom. It was a Saturday, and courts typically don’t conduct trials. The entire courtroom had only me, one judge, one clerk, and four doctors; it might have been during an epidemic. After they lifted me up, I lost consciousness, and shortly after, they took me out. The second time was an online trial where I was sentenced to two and a half years without saying anything.”
“They arrested me without trial, directly prepared a pretrial record and submitted it to the procuratorate. A policeman told me, ‘It’s the order from above.’ With no trial, how could a case be established? But the procuratorate directly arrested me; it was absurd! This is a lawless society where they can judge you as they please!” he exclaimed.