Dafa Practitioners Used as Slave Labour in Jiamusi Labour Camp Forced to Work with Carcinogenic Materials

In order to make some quick money for themselves, prison guards at the Jiamusi Labour Camp in Heilongjiang Province accepted illegal production projects, and forced labour camp inmates, which included Falun Gong practitioners, to do the intensive production work. They used plastic materials with toxin levels exceeding the industry standard to make mobile phone cases. This caused serious harm to the health of the inmates who handled these materials. Because of the slave labour and toxic materials, Falun Gong practitioners suffered tremendously and were not able to work after a while. Practitioners who refused to do the work were severely beaten.

Slave Labour Involving Carcinogenic Materials

Starting on March 8, 2003, all of the inmates from the No. 9 Brigade of the Jiamusi Labour Camp, totalling more than 80 people, were forced to make mobile phone cases. The plastic was of poor quality and gave off an irritating smell that brought about a harsh choking sensation. Through lab testing, it was determined that the toxin levels in the materials used were well beyond the industry standard, and could cause cancer. Police agents wore large face masks while guarding us, and never entered the production area while we were working there. Meanwhile the prison authorities and the company that contracted the forced labour used these toxic materials to take advantage of consumers.

There was a daily production quota that needed to be filled or overtime work was mandatory until the production quota was reached. Many practitioners and inmates suffered from constant bloody noses, irregular heartbeats, and difficulty in breathing. Shi Jing had a pale face, and collapsed on the worktable from being overworked. Later, when she revived a little, she was forced to continue working.

Falun Gong Practitioners Experience Breathing Difficulties and Suffer From Inflamed Eyes Due to Exposure to Toxic Dust

In April 2002, the No. 7 Brigade received a production project making flax [a type of vegetable fibre similar to linen fibre] cushions for car seats. Practitioners were forced to perform slave labour from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. nonstop. This kind of flax produces a lot of dust, which is harmful to one's health, irritates the respiratory system and causes an itchy throat and difficulty in breathing. There were no safety measures in place in the production area. Practitioner Cao Xiuxia became ill from the long hours of slave labour and terrible working conditions. Because she could not work any more, prison guard Sun Limin brutally beat her.

In July 2002, authorities responsible for the No. 7 Brigade forced Falun Gong practitioners to construct paper boxes for mooncakes [a traditional Chinese dessert], using toxic, foul-smelling glue. Many practitioners were sickened, with inflamed and swollen eyes, but the prison guards didn't care.

When Practitioners Refused To Do the Slave Labour, They Were Brutally Beaten and Handcuffed

The authorities forced Falun Gong practitioners to do slave labour, and when practitioners refused they were brutally beaten. A lot of Falun Gong practitioners were seriously beaten, and exposed under the dangerously hot summer sun for many hours. Some practitioners were handcuffed for more than a month and when they were uncuffed, their hands, lower backs and legs had severe bruises, and they were unable to even walk. Yet, before they could recover, they were immediately sent to do more forced labour. Guards would often beat, kick and handcuff practitioners at will without even paying attention to the duration of the handcuffing. Some practitioners were over 60 years old, but they would still beat and handcuff them.

Prison guard Li Xiujin beat Falun Gong practitioners many times. Since January 2003, we know for certain that she beat Falun Gong practitioners at least 13 times just because they were protesting the persecution and refusing to do slave labour. Li Xiujin beat practitioners so severely that they collapsed. When any practitioner could not keep up with the disciplinary exercise regimen, Li Xiujing would knock him or her to the ground. Some practitioners were knocked unconscious, but the prison guards didn't care; they just walked away after the beatings. Some practitioners' ear drums were ruptured from the severe beatings, so that they were unable to hear. One female practitioner was 50 years old and was brutally beaten until she had black and blue marks all over her upper body, and a swollen face. She was handcuffed for a long time and was in extreme pain, so that she was unable to move. Her eyes could not see properly from the heavy slaps she received on her face when the guard used his boots to strike her face.

Hiding the Truth of the Persecution

In the labour camp, practitioners were severely undernourished. They were forced to eat blackened, mouldy noodles and cabbage soup the whole winter, which caused massive diarrhoea among practitioners. Whenever the inspection officials came, the food served was of better quality to fool them, and the labour camp hid those practitioners who were severely beaten and disabled from the torture. The authorities also forced some inmates who were convicted criminals to pretend to be Falun Gong practitioners and say positive things about the labour camp. In order to hide the evidence of their crimes against Falun Dafa practitioners, prison guards would videotape themselves buying cakes for practitioners and treating practitioners well.

Prison Guards Take Advantage of the Persecution of Falun Gong to Make Money

Prison guards extorted money from Falun Gong practitioners in the form of large fines. Prison guard Wang Xiurong publicly told Falun Gong practitioners that if they wanted to be released, they had to pay 15,000 yuan per person [500 yuan is the average monthly salary for an urban worker in China]. Liu Weidong and Li Xiujin extorted money and other items, including food, from practitioners' family members to buy a reduction in the jail terms. The prison guards claimed publicly that they could not eat all the food they confiscated. The Brigadier said in front of witnesses, "Whoever pays money, I will 'help' him get out." Practitioners were told they had to pay the going rate of 1,000 yuan to buy a reduction of one month from their jail term. When some practitioners had poor health and were not be able to do the slave labour, He Qiang would order his subordinates to beat them brutally. If practitioners attempted to reason with the guards and explain that their human rights were being violated, their words were met with a threat that their beatings had been too easy on them. The guards even charged money for the labour camp uniforms. Any practitioner who refused to wear a prison uniform on the grounds that they were not criminals incurred a severe beating from the prison guards. On the other hand, any practitioner that agreed to wear a uniform was forced to pay money to wear it.

Labour Camp Contacts:

Manager's Office: 86-454-8891958
Political Committee Member, Fu Maosen: 86-454-8891890
Assistant Manager, Guan Dejun: 86-454-8891948
Assistant Manager, Yao Debin: 86-454-8891931
Assistant Manager, Sun Dehong: 86-454-8891932
Assistant Manager, Xu Lifeng: 86-454-8891933
Clinic: 86-454-8891943 (forced feeding is implemented by staff from this clinic)
Women's Brigadier's Office: 86-454-8891638
No. 2 Brigade: 86-454-8891924
No. 3 Brigade: 86-454-8891926
Procuratorate's Representative Office: 86-454-8891953
He Qiang: 86-13945455333 (C)

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/1/30/66136.html