The CCP Rewards Agencies and Individuals for Persecuting Falun Gong

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has officially persecuted Falun Gong since July 1999. Untold numbers of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained, imprisoned, and tortured.

This article features agencies and individuals that were rewarded for their active participation in the persecution. This shows that the brutal treatment Falun Gong practitioners have been subjected to is not isolated or random, but rather encouraged from the very top. It is a systematic human rights violation instigated by the CCP through a nationwide persecution policy.

Masanjia Forced Labor Camp

The now-defunct Masanjia Forced Labor Camp was a notorious facility in Liaoning Province in which Falun Gong practitioners were abused and tortured for their belief. It was recognized by the Central Organization Department and six other central agencies as an “Advanced Group in the Nationwide Battle Against Falun Gong.” It also received a “Collective First-Class” Award from the Ministry of Justice.

The Women’s Division, in particular, was recognized as the “Women’s Civilized Model Unit” in Shenyang City, the “national and provincial level Advanced Group in the Nationwide Battle Against Falun Gong,” the “Women’s Flag Unit,” and the “Advanced Group” in the national justice system. The provincial justice bureau gave it a “Collective Second-Class Award.” Su Jing, director of the Women’s Division, received the following awards: “Outstanding Educator” from the Ministry of Justice, the Provincial “Women’s Flag Bearer,” the “Satisfactory Police Officer in the Provincial Justice System,” and “Excellent Officer in Liaoning Province.”

About 100 methods of torture were developed and implemented in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, which took the lives of nearly 40 practitioners. Officials declared that the mission of the camp was to force practitioners to renounce their belief in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. All activities were undertaken to that end. “Everyone has to be “transformed”—whether you agree or not,” the officials often said.

Methods of torture used on Falun Gong practitioners in forced labor camps

Practitioners were forced to stand or squat for long periods of time, stretched in a spread-eagle position, shocked with electric batons, force-fed, slapped in the face, kicked, knocked against the wall, beaten, had their heads covered with a plastic bag, deprived of sleep, denied access to a toilet, not allowed family visits, subjected to brainwashing, and force-fed unknown drugs. Female practitioners were pushed in male cells to be gang-raped.

Many practitioners have recounted being tortured in the labor camp. Some even died as a result.

Ms. Gao Rongrong was disfigured and later died. Ms. Wang Yunjie was shocked with electric batons, her breast festered, and she later died. Ms. Li Baojie was brutally force-fed and later died. Ms. Qin Qingfang was beaten to death. Mr. Zhao Fei was severely tortured and later died of blood cancer. Ms. Zhang Guizhi died of torture. Because of torture, Ms. Jiang Fengying had poor vision, lost seven teeth, weighed only 88 pounds, was unable to walk, and later died. Ms. Tian Shaoyan was stretched out in a spread-eagle position for a long time and died.

As a result of brainwashing and psychiatric abuse, 60 practitioners became mentally disordered. Nine female practitioners were put in male cells and abused. An unmarried girl who was raped became pregnant and developed a mental disorder. Ms. Zou Guirong was transferred to several places within the labor camp, including being thrown into a male cell to be gang-raped.

Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp
Because of its high rate of “transforming” practitioners (forcing them to give up their belief), the now-defunct Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp in Hebei Province received a “Collective First-Class Award” from the Ministry of Justice. The locals often referred to the labor camp as “hell.”

Especially when former director Wang Peiyi and deputy director Wu Shiwang were in office, torturing practitioners was the norm. The facility boasted over 100 electric batons and more than 50 types of torture. There was a secret torture room on the second floor known as the “Devil’s House” with soundproof walls. But practitioners could be set upon any place, such as an office, duty room, warehouse, vegetable garden, or farm field.

Abuse also occurred at night, especially when it involved woman practitioners. Guards dragged them into a “jail in a jail,” pushed them into a “burial cave,” or connected them to an electrocution plate. The electrical shocks could be worse than dying. At least 7 practitioners died in the labor camp, and four ended up mentally disordered. Countless practitioners were injured and disabled in Gaoyang Forced Labor Camp.

Torture reenactment: Shocked with electrical batons

For actively persecuting practitioners, Wang was also given numerous awards. Yang Zemin, the manager of the women’s division, often instructed other officers or guards to beat practitioners. But sometimes he handled the torture himself. When that happened, it was usually ruthless. “No matter what happened to you in the past, no matter how other labor camps treated you, and no matter what the laws say, you have to listen to me since you are here!” Yang often said. “I have been here for so many years, I know how to torture you to death!”

There were many officials like Wang and Yang in the labor camp. But some of them incurred consequences for their bad deeds. Both Wang and Wu were arrested in February 2005, for “abusing power and illegal detention.”

Jinzhou Prison
Jinzhou Prison operates under the Prison Administration of Liaoning Province Justice Bureau. It often houses Falun Gong practitioners sentenced to over 10 years. Because its officials closely follow the persecution policy, the prison has been recognized at the provincial and national levels. In 2008, the facility was praised by the Justice Ministry as a nationwide model prison. On July 22, 2013, it again received a Collective First-Class Award from the Ministry of Justice.

According to information from Minghui, several practitioners have lost their lives due to torture in the prison. They include Mr. Zhang Litian, Mr. Cui Zhilin, Mr. Xin Minduo, and others. Dozens of practitioners were injured or disabled in the prison. Nearly 100 officers and guards have participated in the torture, and the tragedy still continues as many practitioners are still detained there.

Practitioners are deprived of sleep, forced to stand for long periods of time, forced to sit on a small stool (only enough for half of the buttocks) for long periods of time, secured to a wooden post, beaten, and watched by four inmates all the time.

Some of the officers responsible have met unpleasant fates. Wang Hongbo, deputy director of Jinzhou Prison, was interrogated many times for corruption. In the end, he committed suicide in his own basement. Some of the local residents considered it retribution for Wang’s persecution of Falun Gong.

Wang was not alone. Other officials who persecuted practitioners also incurred consequences. Chen Yuanchao, presiding judge of Haikou Intermediate Court in Hai’nan Province, sentenced four practitioners in November 1999 to up to 12 years in prison. As one of the first nationwide cases involving Falun Gong practitioners, Chen was recognized by the Supreme Court and Luo Gan, then-secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Committee. After being diagnosed with lung cancer at 51 in March 2002, Luo died in September the following year.

In Hebei Province, after a Minghui article in early 2010 reported that the 610 Office persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in the name of the World Expo in Shanghai, several practitioners were arrested in Qianxi County. Some of them were sentenced to prison and some were detained for a long time. Although Dong Junbiao, deputy director of the Qianxi police, was rewarded by the Hebei authorities, he later had a stroke.

Behind the Ministry of Public Security Awards
As mentioned above, most of the awards were given to officers who abused their power and mistreated innocent people. Below are a few examples of recipients of the Public Security Ministry’s “Collective First-Class Award.”

He Yan was the director of Wuhan First Detention Center in Hubei Province beginning in June 2010. Within five months, at least 10 Falun Gong practitioners were admitted and detained there. Because of her active persecution of Falun Gong, He was given a “Collective First-Class Award” from the Ministry of Public Security. Then, in 2011 she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Local residents believed this was related to her suppression of Falun Gong. Her predecessor, Xiao Lin, died suddenly at 32 in 2004 after brutally persecuting Falun Gong.

Another recipient of a “Collective First-Class Award” from the Public Security Ministry was Shenyang First Detention Center, which ruthlessly persecuted Falun Gong practitioners. Ms. Wang Hong was shocked with electrical batons, scalded with boiling water, and had a water bottle inserted into her vagina. Ms. Song Caihong was tortured on a tiger bench, beaten while covered with a quilt, and forcibly injected with unknown drugs. Ms. Ma Xiaolian was handcuffed behind her back for a long time, force-fed highly concentrated salt water, and injected with unknown drugs. Ms. Hu Ying was force-fed, beaten, and had her hair pulled out. Ms. Wen Yingxin died of torture nine days after her arrest.

Many other practitioners were also abused in the facility. Ms. Liu Zhi was beaten, shocked with electric batons, locked to metal rings on the floor, had her legs pinched with priers, and force-fed unknown drugs. Ms. Du Yuhong was stripped and beaten and force-fed. Ms. Niu Gufang was handcuffed tightly behind her back and force-fed. Ms. Zhao Shuyun was beaten, shocked with electric batons, handcuffed to a metal bed, forcibly injected with unknown drugs, and force-fed. Ms. Xing Anmei was beaten, handcuffed to metal rings on the floor, and force-fed drugs until she developed a mental disorder. Instead of being punished for this illegal torture, the officials were rewarded.

After Changchun police in Jilin Province arrested Mr. Yang Guang in November 2000, they detained him with over 10 other practitioners. The police took turns interrogating and torturing Mr. Yang. This included shocking him with electric batons for a long time, restraining him on a tiger bench, beating him with a metal bar, and handcuffing him behind his back and hanging him up while beating him. This could last over 30-40 hours with no sleep. They also covered Mr. Yang’s head with a plastic bag and force-fed him alcohol.

To please higher officials, the police tortured Mr. Yang and pressured him to “admit” that he had been instructed by practitioners in Beijing and the U.S to organize activities. Once this was submitted to Luo and the Public Security Ministry, Changchun Police Department received a “Collective First-Class” Award.

Mr. Yang was sentenced to 15 years and sent to Jilin Prison in May 2002. By then he had become paralyzed and could not take care of himself. But the mistreatment continued until he died in August 2008. To cover up their crimes, officials cremated Mr. Yang’s body without his family’s consent.

Li Shudong, an officer from Jingzhi Town Police Station in Weifang City, Shandong Province, was very active in persecuting practitioners. Especially during the Beijing Olympics in 2008, many practitioners in the region were targeted. After Li died at 39 in September 2008 due to drinking, the Public Security Ministry gave him a “Second-Class Award.”

Shandong First Prison
Zhang Leiguang, section manager in Shandong Province First Prison, often instigated detained murderers and thugs to torture practitioners. About 12 practitioners died of torture in 2002 alone. The thugs included Zhang Yongsheng, Zhang Dianlong, Xu Hu, and Hu Tiezhi.

After Mr. Shao Chengluo, a detained physician and Falun Gong practitioner, told officials about the torture he suffered, officers and guards abused him further. Zhang Leiguang held him with Qi Dongxing, on death-row for murder, and instructed Qi to torture Mr. Shao.

According to a Minghui article in 2011, Mr. Shao suffered “various tortures in the Shandong Province Prison, such as...yanking out his hair, beard, and eyebrows, twisting objects between his fingers, beating him in the chest, beating his buttocks until the skin broke, and then putting salt on the wounds. He became disabled in less than three years.”

However, manager Zhang Leiguang, political instructor Li Wei, and other officers helped Qi and other inmates who killed practitioners with falsified testimonies, claiming the practitioners died of “heart attacks.” Although the practitioners were dead, officers took videos of people pretending to resuscitate these practitioners to deceive the public.

This is all proof of just how vicious and harmful the CCP is. It encourages and rewards criminals to torture innocent practitioners for their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.