Violence and Torture in Shanxi Province Women's Forced Labour Camp

The Shanxi Province Women's Forced Labour Camp purchased many videos made by the Chinese propaganda to slander Falun Gong. In order to gain praise from their superior, the police desperately enacted the evil policy that was made by former Chinese Leader Jiang Zemin against Falun Gong. The police are getting more and more vicious and hateful toward Dafa practitioners. They have stepped up brainwashing and are resorting to violence constantly. In order to force Dafa practitioners into renouncing their belief, the police torture practitioners in many ways such as beating, electric baton shocking, forced feeding with a stomach tube, being hand cuffed for extended periods, etc. Due to the authorities cover-up of their crimes, the evidence we have is only a small portion of the total crimes that have been committed:

1. In 2002, the forced labour camp used torture: being handcuffed all day long and forced to stand for one month

They forced every Dafa practitioner to watch videos full of lies and to read slanderous papers. The head of the camp also asked collaborator [former Falun Gong practitioners who have gone astray due to brainwashing and torture] Chen Bin, to come to the institute for the purpose of spreading lies, which perplexed quite a few practitioners. For those practitioners who resisted the brainwashing, they were hand cuffed, tortured, and were not allowed to sleep.

When the police searched for Dafa teachings or found practitioners who declared they had annulled the "Three Statements" [Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write these as proof that they have given up their belief. Created by the "610 Office," the three statements consist of a letter of repentance, a guarantee to never again practise Falun Gong, and a list of names and addresses of all family members, friends and acquaintances who are practitioners.], they were handcuffed and confined in a solitary cell. The method is as follows: cuff the practitioner alone for long time in various police lounges. Practitioner is cuffed to a bed or desk leg, or stair rail. They are cuffed in such a way that one could not stand or sit down, but only crouch. In order to prevent the practitioner from sitting down, they put water on the ground. Sometimes, the practitioner is cuffed in such a way that both hands are held over their head and attached to the steel security mesh on the window. They are cuffed all day long. When practitioners are seen sitting down, the police yell at them and kick them. This sort of physical restraint has lasted more than one month.

Many Dafa practitioners, young and old, were tortured like this. In summer, they were cuffed all day long and not permitted to take a shower or change clothes. When they became smelly, the police insulted them saying their room had become stinky. When the police saw a cuffed practitioner, they became vicious and violent. Generally morning and evening time are allocated for using the toilet. However, the police on duty were not available to unlock practitioners so they could use the toilet. Some practitioners were allowed to go there only after being cuffed for more than two days. A 60-year-old Dafa practitioner--Mrs. Zhao, who formerly was a veteran police officer, had been cuffed for more than twenty days in the hot summer. One day, she was not allowed to use the women's room at the regular time. She told the guard for more than an hour that she had abdominal pains. They just ignored Mrs. Zhao's request. She could not endure it any longer so she relieved herself in a bowl. A drug offender then beat her up. Some practitioners could not endure this torture after more than ten or twenty days and wrote the statements against their own will. When the police received their statements renouncing their belief they would let them go to the restroom. However, those practitioners who went against their faith upon coercion were suffering from deep regret in their heart. As a result, some practitioners once again wrote a declaration to annul the "Three Statements." They were again tortured only this time their torture was doubled.

Persecution by handcuffing lasts from thirty to fifty days. During the period of being hand cuffed practitioners were incessantly beaten, abused, and insulted by the evil police. If the practioners did not renounce their belief, then the Dafa practitioners were forced to stand in front of wall. For several months, practitioners were forced to stand all day long under the supervision of drug offenders. The drug offenders were ordered to monitor and severely abuse practitioners. Long periods of standing makes the practitioner's ankles and legs swell and become stiff. They could not bend them or wear shoes. Still they were forced to stand.

2. In 2001 over one hundred strait jackets were specifically fabricated to prevent Dafa practitioners from practicing Falun Gong

The women's forced labour institute made more than one hundred strait jackets to prevent Dafa practitioners from practising Falun Gong. The director of the institute learned this method of persecution and the torture of Dafa practitioners from other provincial forced labour camps. The strait jackets are made of thick, sturdy, black cloth that cannot be torn. The sleeves are so long that hands are kept inside, but the back is open with ties. The jackets are forced on practitioners and the sleeves are tightened up behind the back and then tied to the back ties. In this way, the practitioner who is tied up cannot move. In the middle of the summer, it was unbearably hot.

Dafa practitioners--Ma Wenhua, Zhang Yunxian, Huo Guilan were sent to the forced labour institute. In May, they were arrested in Xian city when sending out truth clarification materials. At Xian Lainhu District Detention Centre, they were exhaustively tortured and their bodies were full of wounds. They were adamant on continuing their Dafa cultivation. When they were in transit to the forced labour camp, they walked out of the camp with dignity. The police were very scared and abducted them again to bring them back to the detention centre. After several months, they were sentenced for five and seven years and sent to the provincial women's jail.

3. In 2000, brainwashing classes were set up; steadfast practitioners were tied behind their back and hung up

On July 7, 2000, the women's forced labor institute began to set up brain washing classes. After supper on July 10, the wardens at Group Three told the offenders' heads: whatever, makes them transform, write "Three Statements," you are rewarded with a three-month leave for everyone that is transformed. The police arranged the task to copy the disciplines that slander Dafa. Dafa practitioners refused to do so. The heads tied practitioners' hand and legs at the side of stacked beds and made them stand on one leg.

At 11:00 p.m., Dafa practitioners who refused to copy the disciplines were all hung up at the doorframe of the jail dormitory. In every dorm there was a Dafa practitioner hung up with their two hands over their head and their feet barely touching the ground. This reminded people of a scene of a group hanging. Some were tied to the iron slate by two hands. When practitioners recited Teacher Li's poems, their mouths were sealed with duct tape. Some drug offenders even tried to imitate the evildoers. An offender said to a practitioner: others are hung up. If you don't copy them, you will be hung up too. With the help of several criminals, this practitioner was pulled out and tied up with two hands back stretched to the maximum to a steel iron gate.

Police list at Shanxi Province Women's Forced Labour Camp:

Camp Secretary of Legal Affairs: Zhao Xiaoyang. He harbours hatred toward Dafa and constantly defames Dafa. He introduced using the strait jackets on Dafa practitioners.

Deputy Director: Zhang Zhuoqing, female. She harbours hatred toward Dafa.

Police at Group Two: Wang Li, female. She was promoted to the group head because of her role in persecuting Dafa practitioners.

Head of Group Three: Wei Xiaohui, female. She blatantly persecutes Dafa practitioners.

Political Commissioner of Group One: Li Zhen, female. She is utterly vicious. She frequently beats and cuffs Dafa practitioners.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/11/27/61371.html