(Minghui.org) Mr. Zhang Hongwei, a Falun Gong practitioner from Changchun City in Jilin Province, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2015. He has been incarcerated in Fanjiatai Prison in Hubei Province since May 2016.

Prison instructor Chen Zhenming took Mr. Zhang to a small office on August 28, 2016 and slapped his face with his shoe in front of several inmates. Those inmates have been regularly beating Mr. Zhang since then.

Mr. Zhang was beaten so badly on August 30, 2016, that he had to be carried away. Several newly arrived inmates witnessed the beating.

“It's hard to believe that there's such a group of thugs in Fanjiatai Prison,” said one of the new inmates. “They can beat others without being punished, and are even rewarded by having their prison terms reduced.”

Ke Zuntong is one of the inmates who monitors and beats Mr. Zhang. He was assigned to clean the restroom, but ordered Mr. Zhang and another inmate to do the work for him. Mr. Zhang also has to get Ke's permission to use the restroom.

Falun Gong practitioners in Fanjiatai Prison are deprived of many basic rights, such as making phone calls and purchasing daily necessities.

A special phone card is used in the prison to make phone calls. However, the prison authorities find excuses to not issue practitioners with the cards. As a result, Mr. Zhang has not been able to call his family for some time.

A card is also required to purchase necessities, but practitioners are not given this card. Therefore, money sent by their family members cannot be deposited onto the card, so practitioners are unable to buy basic items such as toilet paper, toothpaste and soap.