Brutal “Hang and Cuff” Torture Used by the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

The “Hang and Cuff” torture used by the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp of Heilongjiang has a brutal and sinister history. The camp has been disbanded but shall be remembered for this torture method.

Guards detained practitioners in two cells on the ground floor of the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp. Constructed of brick and cement, each cell was five feet three inches wide by about five feet high. The cell door was made of welded iron that was one and a half inches thick with three horizontal crossbars about eight inches apart; vertical crossbars were about four inches apart.

Guards forced practitioners to face the wall opposite the cell door to apply the “Hang and Cuff” torture. The guards handcuffed practitioners to crossbars in a position where they could neither stand up nor squat. Over time, this position caused excruciating pain. Some practitioners were handcuffed in this way for seven days at a time, and some endured this for over 20 days.

A guard would stand outside of the cell to watch them. As soon as practitioners would close their eyes to sleep, the guard would poke them through the crossbars with a stick.

The two cells in the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp were constantly occupied in 2001. Although the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp is no longer in operation, the wounds it left in the minds and hearts of practitioners can never be erased.

Practitioners Persecuted in the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp

On January 20th, 2001, Mr. Jin Xigui from Yilan County, Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to serve in the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp for two years. During this period, he was “hung and cuffed” in the cell four times.

Mr. Yan Jiguo was hung and cuffed for 20 days in the cell. For over 40 days afterward, he couldn't hold a chopstick to eat. He asked Shi Changjing, deputy director of the Changlinzi Forced Labour Camp, why he used this brutal torture on practitioners. Shi gave the preposterous response: “For your safety.”

Mr. Kong Xiaomei was hung and cuffed for seven days. His feet and legs were swollen, and blisters developed around his heels.