Atrocities in Jiutai Forced Labour Camp

Since the end of December 2001, the police at Jiutai Forced Labour Camp have been ordering inmates to torture Falun Gong practitioners in order to achieve the so-called 85% "reform" rate. The police officers also direct inmates to torture practitioners. The major units involved include the Construction Brigade, the First Brigade, the "Education" Brigade, and the Fifth Brigade. The Police officers involved include Peng Yong, Zhou Kaiming, Guo Yiping, Zhang Xin, Feng Wei, Zhang Haibo at the Construction Brigade. The methods of torture include directing the most vicious criminal inmates to torture practitioners with electric shocks, over-loaded hard labour, sleep deprivation, and forcing the practitioners to watch lying propaganda more than ten hours a day.

In December of 2001, practitioner Yu Jianhua at the Construction Brigade refused to have his head shaved. Policeman Peng Yong beat him up with electric batons in the public in House No.2. Later he was sent to the Education Brigade and was beaten up by inmates with pickaxe handles.

Around March 20, 2002, the Central Government ordered the forced labour camps to forcefully "reform" Falun Gong practitioners. The police called the practitioners into their offices one by one and tried to force them to give up their belief in Dafa. They punched, kicked, and shocked the practitioners.

When they tortured practitioner Gu Yundong, they applied four electric batons simultaneously to his armpits and other parts of his body. Police officers Zhou Kaiming and Zhang Xin beat 50-year-old practitioner Dong Xue to the ground several times. Blood was all over the ground. Zhou Kaiming also broke Dafa practitioner Li Wenxue's mouth and shocked Li's neck until it became hot and red. Police officers Zhang Xin, Zhang Mingcai, and Guo Yiping hit Dafa practitioner Zhang Beiqi together with electric batons. During those days when the tortures were very cruel, the corridor resounded with the noise of electric batons and crying. The inmates were scared and said, "The corridor smells like something burning." The police tightly controlled the firm Dafa practitioners by ordering the inmates to monitor them and prohibit them from talking, eating, or walking with other practitioners. They forced the practitioners to sit on stools for 14 hours a day and prohibited them from closing their eyes, double crossing their legs, folding their hands on top of the knees, or doing any Falun Gong exercises. They beat the practitioners if they moved even a little bit. They limited the practitioners' time to use the toilet and dragged some practitioners out before they finished. They did not allow the practitioners to communicate with family members, take a nap, or shop from the prison store.

In April and May, police officer Guo Yiping ordered inmate Sun (nicknamed "Big Tiger") and Sun Jun to deprive Dafa practitioners of sleep. Policeman Zhou Kaiming ordered inmates Yang Zhengchun and Zhang Baozhu to torture Falun Gong practitioner and indicated that "Inside the house, you can do anything to torture (Falun Gong practitioners)." In order to force Falun Gong practitioners to give up their belief, they did not allow the practitioners to take showers or wash their clothes for three months in a row. The police asked inmates Zhang Huaju and Qi Hongjiang to prevent practitioners from going to sleep at night calling it a "security check" and ordering to "poke (the practitioners) every 15 minutes to see whether they were still alive." Seven Dafa practitioners were tortured in this way.

In April, May, and June, they played over ten hours of television programmes made to slander Falun Gong each day to forcibly brainwash Falun Gong practitioners. They turned the volume of the television to the maximum and disallowed Falun Gong practitioners to express their viewpoints. For a period of time, Meng Xianglin, the vice-head of the camp let Falun Gong practitioners sit on the cold ground to watch those lies. They organised several collaborators [former Falun Gong practitioners who have stopped practising due to brainwashing and torture and now assist in the persecution] to move back and forth between several brigades to do the brainwashing work. These collaborators include Wang Bo, Wang Baogong, Liang Guozhong, Lin Jinshu, Xue Quan, Li Defang, and Pan Zhaotian.

In April, they beat two practitioners, including Sun Shizhong, to death. Two practitioners, Zhao Hui and Bai Ruisong, escaped, but Bai was caught again and his term was extended for another half year. Many practitioners were injured or handicapped from the torture. The police feared their atrocities being exposed. Therefore, when the Deputy Governor Wang Guofa inspected the Camp, the police moved Falun Gong practitioners out of the Camp, locked them into the basements and empty rooms, and forced them to work in the field. Only after the inspectors left did the director of the Management Section allow all brigades to go back to the camp.

In April, Falun Gong practitioners in the First Brigade were the most severely persecuted. Liu Huaqing and another Dafa practitioner were beaten up. The inmates drilled into their ribs with plastic tubes which made bloody holes and then dumped noodle condiments (which contain salt and pepper) to the wounds, saying "now let's add more flavour." They also used other horrifying torture means including ironing the practitioners' soles and cutting their flesh open with a knife. Even the head of the camp Meng Xianglin later acknowledged, "The methods used are a little too much." Seven to eight police officers and inmates stripped and beat practitioner Dong Guangwen. The examples of tortures are innumerable.

In April, the persecution in the Education Brigade was also severe. They covered the practitioners' heads with buckets and beat them with pickaxe handles and wood batons in places such as the water house and toilet room in order to force the practitioners to give up their belief. They beat two practitioners to death. Practitioner Shao Changpu's legs were disabled. In May, practitioner Liu Qing was made mute from the torture. These are just a few examples.

On July 7, 2002 in the Construction Brigade, police officer Zhou Kaiming used white plastic tubes to whip Dafa practitioners Chen Peizhong and Lin Xianchen, who was more than 50 years old, in public, leaving both of their backs bruised. Lin's flesh on his right arm was broken open. In July, 10 Dafa practitioners in house No.2 refused to sign the Grade Paper. Police officers Guo Yiping and Zhangxin beat them one by one with electric batons. Police Feng Wei forced practitioner Bai Yunxing, who once gave up practising Falun Gong under pressure but later woke up and declared his intention to practise Falun Gong again, to do extra heavy labour and caused him to develop a hernia.

In October, Dafa practitioners Liu Qing and Li Qiang talked in the field. At noon, policemen Guo Yiping and Zhou Kaiming beat and seriously injured them. Liu Qing reported the issue to the Camp Head Meng, but Meng did nothing. Zhou Kaiming said complacently, "It's true, we officers protect each other." Practitioner Zhao Guoxin questioned him, "Why do you beat people? It's illegal." He was later transferred to the Working Team (all criminals) for intensive monitoring. Zhen Lijun and Yang Jianwei talked with each other in the work place, so Zhou Kaiming extended their terms, citing their "breaking the rules".

In Summer 2002, policeman Guo Yiping chose Yang Tiejun, a most vicious inmate who used to be a thief, to be the head of the cell in charge of Falun Gong practitioners. Yang Tiejun was chosen because he was cruel enough to put liquid medicine for Athlete's Foot into Dafa practitioners' eyes at night. He sexually insulted Dafa practitioner Yang Fujun. Inmate Wang Zhenjie, who used to be a pimp, often beat practitioners at night in the water house or toilet room. Police officer Feng Wei promised to reward him if he tortured Dafa practitioners. Inmate Wei Shichen in the Education Brigade poured water into practitioners' ears and blew chili oil into their noses. Wei also openly played pornographic videos in the cell, but police officer Zhou Kaiming still promoted him.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2003/6/16/52326.html