Eyewitness Account of Persecution in the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp, and An Unforgettable Lesson Learned

I was arrested and locked up in a detention centre for forty days. Policemen from the "610 Office"** asked me to give up my beliefs and hand over 10,000 Yuan*** as bail in order to let me go home. I refused to comply with their demands, so I was sent to Masanjia Forced Labour Camp for a term of one and one-half years of forced labour.

In the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp, I was locked up in the No. 2 Women's Section, which has three floors. The second and third floors are for practitioners. Police took me to the third floor. Standing in the lobby of the third floor, I looked through the aluminum framed windows and saw about thirty people in each room. I recognized some practitioners that I knew. I greeted them but no one responded to me. I suddenly felt a horrible and nervous atmosphere.

Six of us were divided into three different groups. Collaborators**** body-searched us and checked our bags. Not allowing us to have a break, two or three collaborators started trying to brainwash us in an attempt to "transform" us. In front of the new practitioners, the policemen put on an air of being very friendly and considerate. They used polite words to persuade practitioners to give up the practice of Falun Gong. They used both vicious and manipulative methods, feigning kindness, toward determined practitioners. They fully exploited those who cooperated and gave up their practice. When the newly detained practitioners gave in to them, the police and collaborators sent them to brainwash the determined practitioners. At a critical moment, I wavered in my determination and accepted their "transformation."

Ms. Zou Guirong of Xinbing County, Fushun City (she was later tortured to death) and Ms. Su Juzhen were among the first group of practitioners imprisoned in Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. Both of them were steadfast practitioners and were sentenced to three years of forced labour. Ms. Zou constantly suffered from collaborators' torture, including mental abuse, beatings, and stabbings with needles. Because of the brutal treatment, her back was black and purple. But she did not say a word. Once a collaborator and I were ordered to monitor Ms. Zou; we forced her to cross her legs in lotus position. From 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. the next day, the police used all means to brutalize her. They usually tortured her late at night. One night, she was dragged into the toilet when the floor was covered in water. They forcibly put her into an extremely painful pose; she was held on the ground with her legs dragged forward and crossed over her head. Three or four people sat on her and covered her mouth, not allowing her to cry out. I was very afraid as I witnessed it. She was tortured like this for three to four hours.

Police sent over a collaborator from the First Women's Section to brutally torture Ms. Zou again. Ms. Zou was locked in solitary confinement. I witnessed four people tying her up with her legs crossed over her head. The collaborator lied to us, saying that they believed Ms. Zou had spirit possession on her body, and that they beat her on the part of her body that supposedly was possessed. They tortured her for the entire morning. I was ordered to leave the scene early, after less than ten minutes. After enduring such cruel treatment, poor Ms. Zou was in bed for a week, unable to get up. Her body was so seriously wounded and deformed that not a single healthy patch of skin could be found.

Ms. Su Guzhun is a most persistent Dafa practitioner. Frequently, the police shocked her with electric batons and also force-fed drugs to her. Police verbally abused her with vicious words if she did not squat exactly as they demanded; one collaborator used a leather belt to whip her when no one was around. But she kept a calm attitude, was always smiling, and did not complain. I heard that she was released from the forced labour camp. With unbelievable cruelty, police use high voltage electric batons on the more persistent Dafa practitioners.

These events I witnessed tell how Dafa practitioners are persecuted in the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.

Just as Teacher said, with a confused mind I cooperated with the vicious oppressors for eight months while in the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. My mind was still unclear even after I returned home. Dafa practitioners tried to help me raise my level of understanding of Dafa, yet not only did I not wake up, I also became self-critical and let myself go. I gave up on DaFa and lost my purpose in life.

I wandered around with this mindset for two years. Other practitioners often gave me Teacher's new articles and related Dafa materials, but I was never able to read them with a calm mind. One time I argued with another person over a very trivial matter. Afterwards I was shocked to realize that my attitude had dropped to such a low level. I calmly read all of Teacher's new articles. The things I experienced over the last two years were like a nightmare. I lost a lot of precious time by wandering away from Dafa; I decided to start all over again. I experienced Teacher's compassion and immense forgiveness. I read again and again Teacher's new articles and related paragraphs. I was deeply touched and suddenly I understood many things.

I solemnly declare to the public that all my actions, what I said, and my behaviour--I will correct myself with a clear mind and expose the vicious authorities and their notorious camp.

I am keenly aware that without a deep understanding of Dafa and solid cultivation, and with inadequate righteous thoughts, it is hard for one to remain unmoved under the vicious persecution. This is an unforgettable lesson.

* The "Guarantee Statement" is a statement to declare that he or she is remorseful for practising Falun Gong and guarantees not to practise Falun Gong again, not to go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and never again associate with any Falun Dafa practitioners.

** "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

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

**** Collaborators are former Falun Gong practitioners who have turned against Dafa due to brainwashing and torture.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/9/10/57058.html