Harbin City's Female Prison Brutally Tortures Dafa Practitioners

On November 28, 2002, Dafa practitioners, detained at Harbin City's Female Prison peacefully resisted the persecution they received, such as being forced to stay outside on a very cold day. As a result, seven practitioners were locked in a small cells for 33 consecutive days. In addition, their undergarments were forcefully stripped off in a time when it was winter. They could only wear coats without buttons, and were shackled to a ring set into the floor. They had two extensions staying in this small cell, because they refused to wear prison name labels or participate when the police were conducting the head count.

The practitioners commenced a hunger strike to protest against the persecution, but then they were force-fed by the police. The police used a device to open their months so that practitioners were subjected to excruciating pain. The inserted tubes were not taken out, but were taped on the top of the practitioner's head, both hands were handcuffed behind their back, and the practitioner was made to stand in this position on either concrete ground or on a platform of the toilet The hunger strike went on for three days. After they were sent back to the division, they continued being handcuffed on the headboard in the cell. They were not allowed to sleep until 12:00 midnight and this kind of persecution continued for 18 days. Every day, they had to stand on their feet for 18 to 20 hours while handcuffed. The police released their hands when their feet became severely swollen and permitted them to take a break at 10 p.m. During this period, the food supplied to the practitioners was never sufficient and amounted to only two small bowls of corn soup per day.

On March 8, seven practitioners protested by refusing to wear their prison uniforms in order to protest the ban on sending personal mail to their families outside, ban against purchasing daily necessities and the ban on the use of paper and pen as well as other basic legal rights. The next day, March 9, all seven practitioners were separated. The police subjected each of them to a different method of torture in order to force them to obey the prison orders. Practitioners who were subjected to torture were handcuffed to the headboard again for 16 days straight. Among those 16 days, they were not permitted to sleep on the bed. During this time they were only allowed two brief nights sleep after 12:00 midnight, and were forced to sit on a stool over night for five of the nights. The personal account of their persecution is as follows:

Because of our persistence, we were forced to stand without break. Our feet became swollen, extremely painful and we were exhausted. Xiao Ailing's feet and her lower legs turned red, swelled up and were in pain. She began to have a fever and suffered great pain. She almost fainted before she was allowed to sit on a small stool. In the meantime, I continued to stand and was handcuffed by criminal inmates. My face was scratched and swollen and my mouth was broken by the metal spoon they used to force-feed me. When the authorities became afraid my feet could have to be amputated from the extended standing punishment, they finally allowed me to sit for a couple of days and then I was handcuffed to the bed. After being handcuffed again, my feet became red and swollen again. Ren Gaohui and Cheng Peiying's feet turned red and then black. Under these kinds of conditions, we were still forced to continue standing. We could not sit until we suffered several serious physical complications that required medical treatment. When that happened, the police refused to take off our handcuffs and instead forced injections on two practitioners. Ren Xuiying's swollen feet could not even fit in a shoe.

Over a 16-day period, we were starved by the authorities who gave four people only two small steamed buns at each meal between them. We had no sleep for 16 days. When we asked Liu Zhiqiang about which law stated that we were not permitted to sleep, he responded, "I am the law!"

On April 1, practitioners Li Ping, Xiao Ailing and Ren Xuiying were separated. Xaio Ailing and Ren Xuiying were hung up and handcuffed. Li Ping was monitored by a criminal inmate, named Wang Daiqun, who liked to beat people. He beat her when Li closed her eyes and he forced her to obey him. Li shouted to report this incident to the jail guards. As a result, the beating by Wang continued. Qiao Lina, the guard, rushed to the scene, blamed Li for fighting with Wang, and asked Wang to step out for a "punishment." However, when he came back, he continued to torture Li Ping. Since Li Ping kept silent, Wang didn't couldn't manufacture a reason to beat her so instead he started poking her eyes for about 30 minutes. Later Li told the practitioners how she was tortured. The guard, Qiao Lina, was very angry and forced Li to reflect on herself with no breaks until 12:00 midnight.

A couple of days after this incident, Li Ping could not see very well. Her eyes were all red. She reported her condition to the jail head. As a result, the criminal named Wang did not beat practitioners again, but he was not punished for his actions either.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/5/14/74620.html