The Police Forced Them to Take off All Clothes to Humiliate Them

Jianzhen Zhu, from Liujiahui Town, Liqing Zhang, from Sanjiao Town, and Binlu Gao, from Qugu Town, Lin County, Shanxi Province, all male, were house church Christians. In the afternoon on May 18^th, 2003, they were stopped by police when passing by Nanyuan Village, Wenbi Town, Hequ County. The county police department Criminal Team Leader Yong Han led three policemen blocked them on the road. Without showing any documents, the police searched them, and confiscated a VCD player, a Three-in-One player, two portable tape players, some spiritual books, CDs and tapes. Then the police took them to the county police department.

About 2:00, the interrogation started. Team Leader Yong Han slapped Liqing Zhang on his face for several times, and then punched his head violently to force him to confess. One policeman used an electric baton to shock him at his face and body, while another one whipped him using a leather belt. Such interrogation lasted till 6:00. Suddenly, Team Leader Yong Han forced the three to take off all their clothes to humiliate them. He searched their clothes, found 100 RMB (~$13) from Binlu Gao’s pocket and put into his own pocket. Around 11:00 at night, the police interrogated them again. Team Leader Han had Liqing Zhang hung up by cuffing his hands to a 2-meter high steel bed. Zhang’s feet could not touch the ground. He was such interrogated for about half an hour.

In the morning on 19^th, Team Leader Han said to them, “Now is SARS time, and the detention center was closed. Otherwise all of you would be put in there. We even can sentence you to jail. You believe in God without any permission. This is cult organization.” The interrogation lasted till 11:00. But still the police did not get any thing. At last, the three Christians were fined 20,000 RMB (~$2500) under the charge of “Believing in God belongs to cult organization”, and then released.