Mr. Tan Chengqiang, male, in his forties, resident of Hongcheng Village, Handian Town, Shuangcheng City, Heilongjiang Province.

Mr. Tan Chengqiang was arrested and detained twice for going to Beijing to appeal to the government to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. In August 1999, he was detained for 15 days. During his next arrest in September of the same year, the police confiscated 200 Yuan that they found on him, and sent to the Yimianpo Labor Camp where he was sentenced to two years of forced labor. During this sentence he was often tortured by being forced to stay in the position of "flying the airplane." He had to bend far forward, and keep his head under a bed, while his hands were stretched upward from the back. Several inmates were ordered to watch him. If his hands came down, an inmate had to poke his hand with a needle. In Mr. Tan’s case, he fainted repeatedly during this torture. Other times, he was kicked until he fell under the bed.

Mr. Tan’s family members had to hand over 500 Yuan before they were allowed to visit him. In May 2001, the police confiscated property belonging to Mr. Tan’s family. Then they took his wife, Guo Jinglan, to prison for a day before releasing her.

On May 18, 2003, the “610 Office[1]” in Shuangcheng City arrested Mr. Tan after the village head, Wang Hongsheng and villager Liu Hongguo informed on him, because he told them the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong. He was held in the Second Detention Center in Shuangcheng City where he went on hunger strike to protest his detention. He was force-fed and, when on the verge of death, was sent to a hospital emergency room. There Mr. Tan was found to have complications arising from liquid filling his lungs. Doctors could not save his life. The “610 Office” ordered Mr. Tan’s family to take him home. On arriving there, the village head, Wang Hongsheng, told him that, should his condition improve, he would be arrested again.

He passed away at 10:00 p.m. on July 19, 2003, only days after his return home.

type=Case, Death; type=Case, Freedom of Expression; type=Detention Center, Shuangcheng City Second Detention Center; location=Heilongjiang, Shuangcheng;