Shortly After Jiang Zemin's Visit to Xi'an, Atrocities Are Committed at the Zhaozhihe Forced Labour Camp

In 2002, I was unlawfully detained at the Zhaozhihe Forced Labour Camp in Fengxiang County, Shanxi Province. I witnessed many tragic incidents there.

Around April 2002, Jiang Zemin visited the city of Xi'an. In the following months of May and June, the labour camp started a fierce attack against practitioners.

One day it became known that an order from a higher authority was issued to immediately "transform" the practitioners within several hours, no matter what methods were used. No one was permitted to question this demand, which exerted pressure on those labour camp officials and gave them an excuse to do whatever they wanted. Later, the leaders of all the prisoners who were grouped in different teams in the camp were called in and promised to have their prison terms shortened if they had outstanding "success."

Very quickly, the Dafa practitioners were separated into different groups and transferred into a special building. Hardened prisoners who had been repeatedly arrested and other prisoners were assigned to stay with them 24 hours a day. Thus the so-called "warm education and transformation", which was often mentioned on the Chinese government TV stations, began.

Overnight the practitioners who cultivated "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" became targets for torture. Some were monitored in turn and not allowed to sleep for a long time, from four hours sleep per day to two hours per day, then to no sleep at all. A little nap would bring a heavy beating. Some were forced to hold positions such as "Riding the Airplane" (a painful stance with one's arms bent backwards with the body leaning over) and "Standing like Terracotta Warriors"(half squatting down) for long periods of time. Some were brutally beaten or struck with table legs by groups of people. The practitioners were not allowed to cry out during the torture. If they did, they would immediately be gagged with a piece of dirty cloth. Many of them were tortured to the point of not being able to keep a clear mind. Some were not able to turn around in bed. Some were beaten so badly that they were not able to walk. Such an "education" lasted a whole week. A young prisoner who was forced to monitor the practitioners said, "This is just too miserable and unbearable to see."

May and June passed. The evil persecution still went on until the Spring Holiday, early in February 2003. All the newly arriving practitioners suffered the same fate. At around 11:00 p.m. or midnight, the cries of pain from practitioners could often be clearly heard.

The labour camp repeatedly played CCTV video clips that viciously slandered Falun Gong and insulted Teacher and practitioners. Many prison police officers and prisoners were deceived by the vicious propaganda. Under pressure from higher authorities and the allure of 10,000 Yuan* for "transforming" a practitioner and reduced prison terms, they frenziedly tortured the practitioners.

In 2003, I was released, but I knew that there were more than 100,000 practitioners still detained around the country in places such as the Zhaozhihe Forced Labour Camp. I hope that by telling my story, people will be able to know a little more of what is going on in these places.

Attached is a partial list of names of persecutors in the Zhaozhihe Labour Camp in Fengxiang County, Shanxi Province:

Zhang, head of the Zhaozhihe Labour Camp

Xi, assistant to Zhang

Liu, political head of the Education Team (86-917-7485329)

Chen, head of Education Team (86-917-7485329)

Yang, political head of the No.1 Division (86-917-7485083)

Fan, head of the No.1 Division (86-917-7485083)

* Yuan is the Chinese currency. The average monthly salary of an urban worker in China is 500 Yuan.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.cc/mh/articles/2003/8/23/56131.html