E/CN.4/2000/9 page 49 the letter left by Liu exists, but has been lost by the security officers who handled the case and who are alleged to be the perpetrators; five other persons detained at the same time have provided written testimonies that they were severely tortured, but did not sue the Air Force. Therefore, the investigation is said to have concluded that the allegations of torture in the case of Dongjie Liu are unfounded. The case has reportedly been appealed to the Prosecutor's office of the Chinese Army. Dongjie Lie's family, in particular his wife, is allegedly constantly harassed by police officers. 217. Cheng Meiying, a prominent Christian activist leader, was allegedly detained on 27 October 1998 in Wugang, Hunan province when she attended a national meeting of house church leaders. She was allegedly beaten by police officers with a water-soaked whip made of hemp rope and struck on her head with a heavy club. The beatings reportedly caused serious head injuries and resulted in loss of consciousness for three days. She was reportedly released on 21 November 1998. Since her detention she has experienced memory loss. Allegedly, 70 other religious leaders were arrested on 27 October and on 5 November 1998. 218. The Special Rapporteur has also received reports regarding the alleged torture of Falung Gong practitioners who have reportedly been arrested since July 1999 and on behalf of whom he sent a joint urgent appeal with the ChairmanRapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 23 July 1999. It is alleged that most of the practitioners, including children and elderly persons, have been insulted and beaten by the police at the time of arrest and during their subsequent detention. Electric shock batons and a device called "Di Lao", in which alleged victims' wrists and feet are shackled and linked together with crossed steel chains making it nearly impossible to walk or sit down, are said to have been used. In particular, the Special Rapporteur has received information on the three following individual cases. 219. Zhao Jinhua was reportedly arrested on 27 September 1999 by the Zhangxing county police. She was allegedly beaten to death in police custody. On 7 October 1999, she allegedly lost consciousness and was sent to the county hospital emergency room. She was then reportedly returned to the police where she was allegedly interrogated about her Falung Gong practices and tortured again, allegedly with police electric clubs. She is believed to have died the same day. An autopsy report by forensic doctors of Yantai City dated 8 October reportedly confirmed the presence of injuries, wounds and haematomas on many parts of her body, except the head, and revealed that her death was caused by beatings with blunt instruments. 220. Practitioners from Hunan province were allegedly ill-treated at the time of their arrest. Yu Hanxin was reportedly arrested on 24 July 1999 by members of the Public Security Bureau of Yueyang city at his publishing enterprise, where books on Falung Gong were seized. It is reported that his feet were broken by the assistant director of the Yueyang Public Security Bureau at the time of arrest. Li Juhua was reportedly arrested on 25 July 1999 by members of a local Joint Defence Team, who allegedly raped her. Zhou Zhi, from Dichen district, Chande city, had his home allegedly ransacked on 25 July 1999. He was allegedly severely beaten at that time. Yang Junhua was beaten and injured by No. 7 Joint Defence Team of Xiangtang city on 26 July 1999. 221. Xiao Hong Zhang was reportedly arrested on 9 September 1999 and chained back to back with another Falung Gong practitioner for 23 hours, during which