Persecution and torture are foreign and far away concepts, but a released prisoner’s account reveals they are real and close to home.

Beaten, force fed, brainwashed and sleep deprived, Dr. Charles Lee, a 41-year-old Chinese American who graduated from the University in 1995 with a masters in physiology, returned to United States on Jan. 21, after a three year imprisonment in Nanjing, China.

Lee was arrested in the Guangzhou Airport in 2003 because of his intention to expose the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, Lee said. Falun Gong is a traditional Chinese spiritual practice that exercises three principles: truth, compassion and tolerance.

The Chinese government arrested him on grounds of attempted sabotage of broadcast facilities, according to the U.S. Department of State’s press release on May 25, 2004.

Lee’s plan was to tap into the broadcast signal of Chinese television to show a videotape of the human rights violations, said Dr. Sherry Zhang, a close friend of Lee.

He was not allowed to present his evidences nor allowed the chance to defend himself and was thrown into jail, Lee said in a phone interview.

“They tried to brainwash me by making me listen to articles praising the communist country and make me denounce my beliefs,” Lee said. “But I never gave up Falun Gong because I knew I was right.”

Lee went on a hunger strike nine times – 50 days in total – and was force-fed four times. The prison guards tied his feet, legs and arms to immobilize him and inserted a tube into his nose to his stomach. On one occasion the tube was left inside of him for 33 hours, Lee said.

A young cameraman who was videotaping the process fainted.

“I couldn’t move, and I threw up continuously,” Lee added. “Things were coming out of my mouth and my nose – it was a violent, brutal scene.”

After an eight-day hunger strike, Lee was able to send a 95-page letter to his fiancee of over three years, Yeong Ching Foo, describing how he was tortured daily. The letter was partially written while he was handcuffed.

“The three years were so painful,” Lee said. “It was like walking on knives. That was the feeling I had because every day, there was constant pressure to give up my faith. I was always watched 24/7. Can you imagine that?”

After reading the letter, Foo realized the Chinese consulate was lying when they told the local media Charles was receiving humane treatment, she said in a phone interview.

Foo had known the danger Lee would face when he left for China.

“I realized the risks, but no matter how much you prepare, it’s still a shock,” Foo said.

While Lee was imprisoned, Foo, a computer engineer, did not work for more than a year to concentrate her efforts to rescue Lee.

Foo got a call in December 2004 saying Lee had developed a heart problem, a premature heartbeat, because he had been forced to sit on a stool for 12 hours a day for 48 days.

“48 days! He could have died!” said Foo, her voice breaking over the phone. “I was really frustrated and heartbroken. But I knew I had to remain calm and use my brains, not my emotions.”

Foo and friends urged Congress to put the pressure on China to lessen Lee’s sentence.

They collected about 500,000 signatures of Falun Gong practitioners or other supporters with an interest in Lee’s welfare, Zhang said.

The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China began in 1999 under its former leader, Jiang Zemin, according to the Falun Data Information Center. There are more than 38,000 documented cases of torture against Falun Gong practitioners in China.

“After going through prison, he became a better person, practicing the three principles of Falun Gong,” Foo said. “Prison only wasted its time.”

Lee and Foo are hoping to get married in six months or sooner. Lee also plans on returning to China in the future.

“I realized more about how vicious and malicious the communist regime can be,” Lee said. “Even though I knew this before, I experienced it. I want people to know the truth of the persecution. It’s an issue of the whole human being, not just China.”