Demonstration of Torture Methods Used on Falun Gong Practitioners in Shenyang City's Longshan Forced Labour Camp (Photos)

In March 2001, guards at the Longshan Forced Labour Camp in Shenyang City started the systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners so as to "forcibly reform" them, a euphemism for brainwashing. The persecution was carried out under the direct supervision of Li Fengshi, the primarily responsible administrator. Li once ferociously told Falun Gong practitioners who were steadfast in cultivation, "This is an institution of coercion! You must be reformed, whether you agree or not!" Female prison guard Wang Jinghui said, "You don't want to be reformed? Then your stay here won't be comfortable!" Team leader Tang Yubao usually kicked and punched practitioners or shocked them with electric batons. He also verbally abused them.

Before March 2001, there were no "re-education assistants" in Shenyang City's Longshan Forced Labour Camp. Police personally forced practitioners to give up their belief in Falun Gong, but since March 2001, "re-education assistants" were used to persecute practitioners, with the guards in the background giving orders. Of course, the guards would come out as well once in a while. The "re-education assistants" took turns mentally tormenting and attacking practitioners. They alternated every two hours. Each time they wrote a detailed "progress report," documenting responses from practitioners including their facial expressions, words, and behaviour and reported to the team leader. After receiving further instructions from the team leader, they would carry those out in the next step. Different instructions were given for different practitioners.

Below is a representative and partial portrayal of torture methods used on Falun Gong practitioners in Shenyang City's Longshan Forced Labour Camp. The actors' clothes are actually those worn by practitioners when they were illegally held in that camp.

Torture Name: Bent Immobile at a Corner of the Wall

Several police officers pushed a practitioner to a squatting position, with the head bent in front of the legs. The practitioner's head and back continued to bend forward until the head touched the ground and the upper back leaned against wall. The practitioner was fixed in this position for long hours.

In August 2001, in the No. 1 Division Head office, the guards ordered prisoners to torture Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Lirong with this method.

Torture Name: Kneeling Down for Long Hours

Several guards pushed Falun Gong practitioners to kneel down on the cement floor for long hours. Practitioner's kneecaps felt as if they were fractured and piercing into the flesh. It was agonizingly painful.

In March 2001, Falun Gong practitioners Sun Fengxin and Zhang Lirong were tortured with this method in the Longshan Forced Labour Camp.

While squatting on one foot, the other foot was pulled on top of the squatting thigh. In March 2001, Falun Gong practitioner Chen Aiping was tortured with this method.

Torture Method: Shocking with Electric Batons

In one afternoon in February 2001, Falun Gong practitioners Zhang Xiufang, Wang Jingzhe and Zhang Lirong were called to the team leader's office. Team leaders were there and demanded the practitioners to squat. Zhang Xiufang was asked, "Do you still practise Falun Gong or not?" The reply was, "Yes!" Tang Yubao then grabbed an electric baton and started to shock her neck, head and mouth. Zhang Xiufang fell to the ground. Then Tang Yubao started to shock Wang Jingzhe.

Later on, the team leaders kept Zhang Xiufang alone. After a while, Zhang Xiufang dashed to the courtyard screaming and crying in pain, but was dragged to the corridor on the first floor by the team leaders. Soon, "bang!" Zhang Xiufang fell down and her head hit the metal heater in the corridor. A few seconds later prison guard Wang Jinghui said, "She is faking!" Then the beating and sounds of verbal abuse of the police head could be heard. When Zhang Xiufang was sent back to the cell with the help of practitioners, her face was swollen and covered with bruises. There were bloodstains on her sweater. She had been shocked to the point of having lost control of her bladder, could not eat or drink normally and could not walk for over ten days. Her mood became unstable as well. She would suddenly burst into crying or laughter; she was mentally traumatized.

Practitioners sent to the male forced labour camp were subjected to the following torture methods: "Squatting on a Small Stool;" "Force Feeding" and "Held in a Ball-like Position."

On June 18, 2001, Shenyang City's Longshan Forced Labour Camp perpetrators sent practitioners Wang Hong (since then tortured to death), Zhang Lirong, Shi Yulan and Cheng Yunyan to the male forced labour camp, the "Zhangshi Forced Labour Camp" in Shenyang City for escalated abuse, torment and mistreatment. It was the practice at the Longshan Forced Labour Camp to send determined women Falun Gong practitioners to the Zhangshi Forced Labour Camp for further abuse and coercion for a period of time before taking them back. During such a period, Longshan officials often called Zhangshi officials to check on the "reformation status". The ordeals suffered at Zhangshi were even more severe. The Longshan Forced Labour Camp is one of the worst in terms of abusing and torturing practitioners.

Torture Name: Squatting on a Small Stool

They put items underneath to raise the height of a small plastic stool. Then a practitioner was forced to squat on top of it for physical punishment and humiliation. The stool is about 20 cm wide, 30 cm long and 20 cm high (note: 1 cm is about 0.4 in).

Torture Name: Held in a Ball-like Position

Several police officers pushed Falun Gong practitioners to a squatting position, with both arms twisted behind, the knees pulled outward and the feet pushed inward, so that they were close to each other. Then the police grabbed the practitioner's head and buried it between the legs so that it touched the ground. The practitioner's whole body was contorted. With many policemen forcing the holding of this position, the practitioner could not move. A normal person usually couldn't stand this torture method for even five minutes. However, because Falun Gong practitioners had been deprived of sleep and had been physically punished for long hours, and they had already been tortured to the state of semi-consciousness, they were usually "Held in Ball-like Position" for 40-60 minutes. After that, their hair and clothes were soaked with sweat. In the meantime, the practitioners' bodies lost all strength, and they were close to going into shock. Because their legs were split beyond limits, it caused bleeding from the lower body.

Torture Method: Brutal Force-Feeding

At the end of June 2001 in the Zhangshi Forced Labour Camp, practitioners Wang Hong and Zhang Lirong were savagely force-fed. Several police fixed Falun Gong practitioner on a chair with the head bent backward, the nose pinched and teeth pried apart with a metal spoon. Then, half of a piece of crumbled cornbread was put into a soda drink bottle, with the addition of salted water. Since the nose was pinched, the practitioner could only breathe through the mouth. Food was fed with each inhalation of a breath. Sometimes, they choked on the mixture and it went everywhere. The practitioners who suffered from force-feeding said afterwards, "I don't know what they put into my body. The only sensation was bitter and salty." This kind of painful torture happened three times a day.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/9/2/83169.html