Systematic and Brutal Torture at the Shibalihe Women's Forced Labour Camp

Since the Jiang regime began its persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999, many female Dafa practitioners have been detained in the Shibalihe Women's Forced-Labour Camp. Starting in late 2000, the camp officials extended practitioners' terms of detention without giving any reason or did not release them when their terms expired. In a kindly manner, the practitioners reported the situation to the top officials of the camp hoping to resolve it. However, instead of having the problem solved, these practitioners were retaliated against. The policemen and the camp staff directed collaborators [1] and drug addicts to be their "personal cangues." [2] The "cangues" watched the practitioners no matter what they were doing, including during forced labour, mealtimes, going to bed or even using the toilet. Steadfast Dafa practitioners were not allowed to talk to each other or else they were punished by either being verbally abused, which was considered lenient, or punched and kicked.

During the later half of 2001, officials allocated special funds to the Number Three Division (specialised in persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners) to install surveillance cameras in all bedrooms, bathrooms and toilets. During the same period, to protest the unjustified extension of the detention terms, steadfast Dafa practitioners adopted various methods to negate the arrangements, such as not participating in the count-offs, not taking part in forced labour, not wearing prison uniforms, and some practitioners even went on a hunger strike.

Dafa practitioner Wang Hongxia from Puyang refused to wear the prison uniform. At the end of December 2001, prison guards Wang Yulin (more than 50-years-old), Cui Yingyang (more than 20 years of age) and incarcerated drug addicts stripped off her clothes. Approximately 300 practitioners were forced to stand in freezing temperatures for several hours in the prison workshops. Dafa practitioner Xu Yunbu from Nanyang was stripped of her clothing leaving her wearing only a bra and underpants and was then forced to stand in sub-zero temperatures in the prison guards' office for several hours. The policemen also directed collaborators to forcibly strip off practitioners' clothing and make them wear prison uniforms. They were also ordered to beat up practitioners. During that period of time, collaborator He Haihua, Wang Juan and others constantly took part in verbally abusing Dafa practitioners.

At the end of 2001, the newly appointed police chief of the Number Three Division, Jia Meili; the chief of the forced-labour camp, Wu Hongru; the deputy chief, Zhou Xiaohong; and the head of the administrative section, Guo Hongyan, conspired to persecute all Dafa practitioners held in the four divisions of the camp. The large-scale persecution included "tying the ropes." [3] The practitioners were also shocked with electric batons or subjected to other torture instruments, such as the "tiger bench." [4]

A Dafa practitioner named Ding Xiangying, was held at the Number One Division and had been tortured for as long as ten days and nights. Luohe Dafa practitioner Jing Xiangqin of the Number Three Division was tied with ropes by the inhuman chief of the forced-labour camp, Wu Hongru, for more than ten hours, and she then was hung up on a wooden frame, which injured her chin. Zhengzhou Dafa practitioner Xu Bishan had scars on her shoulders caused by ropes that were tightened until they bit into her flesh. Another Luohe practitioner, Yang Xiuhua ,64, had twice been tortured.

The evil deeds committed by the head of the Number Three Division, Jia Meili, has endangered her family members. Her sister is dying from cancer and has only a few months to live. Her son almost lost one of his eyes, and Jia Meili herself was given an infusion in the hospital for several days.

The policemen in the labour camp forced the Dafa practitioners to work extra shifts or extra hours and did not allow the practitioners to study the Fa [law and principles] or practise the exercises. At the end of 2001 or beginning of 2002, the labour camp staff installed several loud speakers to continuously slander Falun Dafa and its founder. Those Dafa practitioners who were being illegally held in the camp all explained the true situation of Falun Gong to the leaders of the camp. Subsequently, they were tortured at the hands of the camp policemen.

Zhengzhou Dafa practitioner Zhang Hanwen, who was held at Number Four Division, explained the facts while in the labour camp. Because of this, the chief of the guards, Chen Lanying, (female, about 30, one of the prime perpetrators) directed male policemen and security guards to drag Zhang into the torture chamber, located in the camps' office building. They broke Zhang's legs during the beating and tied her tightly with thin ropes that cut into her flesh. In the scorching summer, Zhang Hanwen became bedridden due to the torture, for several months, however, the miraculous power of Falun Dafa made it possible for her stand up again.

At the end of 2002, the illegal, extended terms of many Dafa practitioners expired. However, Jia Meili produced something called an "examination paper" which she attempted to force practitioners to sign. The majority of the practitioners in the Number Three Division refused to sign this document, which slandered Dafa, and as a result they all had their terms extended once again. Among them, Puyang Dafa practitioner Wang Hongixa was originally sentenced to one year of forced labour, and her term had been extended for four months. But this time her term was extended for another six months for failing to write her answers on the so-called "examination paper." More than 20 practitioners had their terms of imprisonment extended in succession.

At the beginning of 2003, the labour camp used funds specially allocated to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners to build a five-story building. Before the completion of building, several divisions had been moved into it. Number Three Division leaders ordered that each practitioner could only bring one blanket, one set of underwear and three pairs of shoes. Anything more than these would be thrown away. In the biting cold winter, many people could not sleep because of the cold. The Number Three Division had also installed new surveillance facilities. According to policewoman Chen Lanying, they spent a total of ten million yuan [The average annual income per person in urban areas is 6,000 yuan and less than 2,000 yuan in rural areas.] To prevent Dafa practitioners from reading Teacher's new articles, Jia Meili and Hu Zhaoxia ordered the practitioners to sleep with their heads facing the aisle. The deputy head of the camp, Zhou Xiaohong, and the section leader of the administrative section also issued a regulation forbidding practitioners to stand in the corridors, balconies or to enter other rooms other than their own. They also limited the time for practitioners to go to the toilet. Additionally, drug addicts, security guards and prison guards frequently entered practitioners' rooms to search for new Falun Dafa articles or to see if the practitioners were practising the exercises which was forbidden.

Jiaozuo Dafa practitioner Yan Aiying would not acknowledge that she was inmate subjected to so-called "re-education through labour," so she took down the bedside ID card and refused to sleep with her head facing the aisle. As a result, she was tortured for more than five hours.

At the moment, the division is planning to use all kinds of low excuses to persecute Dafa practitioners. Up to now, Zhengzhou Dafa practitioners Zhou Hongying and Anyang Dafa practitioner Chang Xirong are still held at a brainwashing centre. (They were taken there in October 2002.) Every day Dafa practitioners of the Number Three Division are forced to perform excessive amounts of manual labour.

[1] collaborators are former Falun Gong practitioners who have stopped practising due to brainwashing and torture and now assist in the persecution of Falun Gong

[2] "personal cangues." cangues is the name of an instrument of torture, is now used to identify inmates designated to supervise the behaviour of practitioners.

[3] Tying the ropes is a torture method where the practitioner with a thin rope, circling the rope around the neck, and tie his or her hands behind the back. Then, the police use all the force they can muster to tighten the rope. The rope becomes tighter and tighter around the body of the practitioner, and makes it more and more difficult for him or her to breathe. The pain is so intense that the practitioner sometimes loses control of his or bladder. Sometimes the rope is tightened enough to break a practitioner's arm.

[4] Tiger Bench is a torture method where practitioners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (six inches) high. Practitioners' knees are tightly tied on the small "Tiger Bench." He or she has to sit straight with eyes looking directly ahead. Hands are tied around the back or sometimes placed on the knees. The practitioner is not allowed to turn his or her head, close the eyes, talk to anyone, raise his or her hands, or call out to the guards. Many inmates are assigned to watch the practitioner. If the practitioner turns his or her head, the thugs force the practitioner to hold his or her head in that position indefinitely. If the practitioner raises a hand to signal to the guards, they would force the practitioner to hold his or her hands in the air continually. If he or she speaks, they force the practitioner to keep his or her mouth open indefinitely. Usually, some hard objects are inserted underneath the practitioner's lower legs or ankles to make it even harder for them to tolerate the abuse.

The List of Perpetrators bearing direct responsibility for crimes committed at the Shibalihe Women's Forced-Labour Camp:

Head of the labour camp: Wu Hongru, male, 50

Deputy head of the labour camp: Zhou Xiaohong, female, 30 or older, who is in charge of persecuting Falun Gong

Head of the Number Three Division: Jia Meili, female, 33

Deputy head of the Number Three Division: Hu Zhaoxia, female, 30 or older

Political instructor of Number Three Division: Ren Yuanfang, female

Section leader of the camp's administrative section: Guo Hongyan, female, 40

Section leader of the camp guards' section: Chen Lanying, female, 30 or older

Assistant to the head of the camp, Zhang Xiuhua ,female, over 30

Evil guards of Number Three Division: Wang Nan, team leader, 40; Han Jixin, team leader, over 40; Wang Yulin, Mao Yuzhen; Cuiying; Zhang Hui; Ma Lan; and Hu Lina.

The Number Three Division is the division focusing on persecuting Dafa practitioners.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2003/4/25/49073.html