Violence and Terror behind the Beautiful Facade at Gongzhuling Prison

Gongzhuling Prison in Jilin Province, China, looks like an office building complex with beautiful gardens. The guards also appear to be very courteous: “Hello, I'm the officer on duty.”

Once through the door of the visiting room, however, the guards are irrational and violent, almost as if they are possessed by demons. Behind its beautiful facade, the prison is a dark and terrifying hell on earth.

We are not able to investigate what exactly is happening to the Falun Gong practitioners detained there, but inmates who have managed to leave the prison alive have shared information with us. Below are examples of what is going on behind its closed doors.

Inhumane Persecution

In the so-called “recovery division,” a prisoner over 60 years old asked the guard if he could get a bed away from the window. In response, a young guard beat him brutally.

At the end of August 2013, a prisoner released from the confinement room said that guards sealed the mouth of an old man next to him with tape because he said “Falun Gong is good!”

A practitioner was ill. When his relative asked for a medical parole, the guard replied, “No, he doesn't qualify. We only grant a medical parole when the person is dying. Some will not get a medical parole even if they are dying.”

The guards claim, “We are not in charge of you. The department dedicated to (persecuting) you is called 'The Steadfast Belief 'Transformation' Team.'” When asked about this team, no prisoners dared to disclose any information.

Guards Terrorise the Inmates

When the guards say that a prisoner has violated a regulation, all the guards present usually shock the victim at the same time with electric batons. The victim then has to stand for a long time to “self-reflect.”

All the other prisoners are brought in to witness this.

The No. 3, 5, and 6 divisions at the prison use forced labour as a from of torture. Prisoners in these divisions have to start working early and work one more hour than those in other divisions. When a prisoner wants to take a short break later in the day, the guards will yell at him, “Why aren't you working?”

Solitary confinement is considered the most lenient form of punishment. Practitioners who refuse to do forced labor are taken to the so-called “training class.” There they are handcuffed, shackled, and forced to sit on a small bench for a long time. Such “training classes” usually last up to a month.

The inmates are then transferred to another division and transferred again. An unspoken rule in Gongzhuling Prison is that a prisoner won't be released until the guard who took the prisoner in agrees. This makes all the prisoners very “obedient” and fearful.

Tight Control of Information

The detective division in the prison is directly involved in persecuting practitioners. If a practitioner speaks to any prisoner, the information will be immediately reported to the guards, resulting in further torture.

Practitioners are not allowed family visits. Mr. Jiang Quande is full of injuries, and he hasn't been able to see his family for several years.

When prisoners meet with their visitors, the intercom phone is monitored. Once a “secret,” such as the torture, is mentioned, the phone is disconnected. Guards will say, “Why is the phone out of order? Let's get it repaired... The phone is out of order. Family members, please leave.”

Prisoners remind each other before visiting time, “Don't mention anything that goes on inside the prison, even compliments. If you mention the wrong thing, you don't know where you will end up. The easiest punishment is solitary confinement.”

A prisoner with the last name of Hu was tortured with the stretching torture for over 10 days, and then he was hung up. He is unable to walk without his walking stick.