Cruel Tortures Falun Gong Practitioners Suffer in Jilin Prison - Part 1

Jilin Prison, whose full name is The Second Prison of Jilin Province, is located at 100 Junmin Road, Jilin City. It is a provincial prison. Jilin Prison claims its management is civilized and the facilities are perfect, and it is a "model civilized prison" ready to be promoted to a departmental-level prison, but actually it is an evil den where innocent people are being tortured.

Since July 20, 1999, more than 100 Falun Gong practitioners have been jailed in Jilin Prison. The main department in Jilin Prison that is in charge of persecuting practitioners is the Education Section. The Education Section is in charge of all the prison Wards and practitioners' family visits. They shouted, "In Jilin Prison, if I let you live for 6 days, you will be done for in 5 days." The confirmed deaths include practitioners Liu Chengjun, Wei Xiushan, Zhang Jianhua, and Cui Weidong, and there are numerous cases of severe injury and disability due to torture.

Every steadfast practitioner has two "personal monitors" who strictly supervise their movement. There is also a group leader in every monitoring group. If the "reform" tasks are completed according to the requirements from higher authorities, then the monitors will be awarded points. The ordinary monitors can get 3 points every month, which means a 4-5 day sentence reduction, and the group leader can get 6 points. If the monitors cannot finish the "reform" tasks by the specified time, the whole group in each ward will be punished. Thus, in order to get released sooner, with prison authorities' permission, the criminals beat and physically torture the steadfast practitioners, trying various methods to force them to renounce Falun Gong.

According to the law in China, torture instruments such as the "constraining bed," the "stretching bed," and the "strictly controlled unit" have long been banned. However, these tortures as well as the "small cell" (solitary confinement) are still being used in Jilin Prison. The prison authorities ordered each group not to let practitioners die in the jail cells. They ordered that practitioners who are near death should all be sent to the "strictly controlled unit" or the "small cell," where their death will be declared a suicide or attributed to natural causes.

"Stretching bed" Torture

The cruellest torture in Jilin Prison is the "stretching bed." The police fix the steadfast practitioners' limbs on a specially made bed on which there are 4 rings. Practitioners' hands and feet are fixed in the rings. Then the police would apply force to the rings, so that the practitioner's body will be pulled up away from the bed as their limbs are stretched. If more force is exerted, one will pass out in a few seconds. If one is left in this position for more than ten minutes, all his/her muscle and bones in the limbs will be dislocated and the person will be maimed permanently. Moreover, the police forbid others to take care of the maimed practitioners.

Picture: "stretching bed" 1	Picture: "stretching bed" 2

Picture: After being fixed on the "stretching bed," practitioners' joints are struck by a small rubber mallets

After the practitioner's body is pulled up off the bed and the limbs are stretched, the police will strike the joints with small rubber mallets until the joints become bruised and extremely sore. Many practitioners, were tortured on the "stretching bed." Not only were they tortured physically, but they were also mentally tormented by the torture. Ninety percent of the victims of this torture developed heart disease. Tan Qiucheng, a practitioner jailed in the 5th Division, was sent to the "strictly controlled unit" and tortured on the "stretching bed" for refusing to sign the Four Statements (same as the "Three Statements" (1), but includes "Acknowledgement of Guilt Statement"), and feet and made him bite his own tongue so hard that it tore.

Zhang Jianhua, a practitioner from Yushu City, Jilin Province, was tortured to death on the "stretching bed" on Chinese New Year's Day 2004. Thirty-six-year-old practitioner Sun Qian from Dehui City, Jilin Province, and Liu Zhaojian from Changbaishan, Jilin Province were both tortured on the "stretching bed." Both were maimed and transferred to the Prison Ward for the disabled. In 2003, dozens of practitioners who had gone on a hunger strike were tortured on the "stretching bed."

The "constraining bed"

Around the end of September 2002, another inhuman torture method was implemented in the 10th cell of the 5th Ward in Jilin Prison. Since practitioner Zheng Weidong refused to cooperate, policemen began to monitor him around the clock, and they didn't allow him to sleep for 7~8 days. Even so, Zheng Weidong still firmly refused to sign the Four Statements. The persecutors then set up a "constraining bed" in the 9th cell just for torturing practitioners. They tied him to the bed, and had criminals ask him whether he would give in. Zheng ignored them, so they placed a soft-drink bottle and a wooden board vertically between Zheng's lower back and the bed. He was tortured this way for 5 days.

Re-enactment: A wooden board placed vertically between the lower back and the "constraining bed"	Re-enactment: A soft-drink bottle placed vertically between the lower back and the "constraining bed"

Practitioner Zhang Hongwei was tied to the "constraining bed" for 58 days.

Wang Juncheng was jailed in the "small cell" and tortured on the "constraining bed" for 30 days from October 27 to the beginning of December 2003 (see the illustration), because he went on a hunger strike and wrote a letter to the CCP Committee of the prison appealing for fair treatment.

Cao Hongyan went on a hunger strike for 6 days and then he was tied to the "constraining bed," which broke his arm. He often woke up due to the pain after he was released from the bed.

For writing articles to expose the torture of practitioners in the prison, Tang Yuqiang was confined in the "small cell" and tortured on the "constraining bed," which caused ascites (fluid in the chest) and tuberculosis. He vomited upon eating anything and was sent to the hospital.

Turning a bed into a torture instrument

In Jilin Prison, the policemen force the steadfast Falun Gong practitioners to sit underneath a bed on the concrete floor. They let practitioners' heads up through the bed boards and then they sandwich their necks with the bed boards, leaving only their heads above the bed boards. Their bodies cannot move at all. If practitioners refuse to renounce Falun Gong, then the criminals will beat practitioners' heads with their fists or bed boards. As their necks are locked, and cannot move, they are unable to dodge the fierce blows. Some practitioners' teeth were knocked out and some of them were black and blue from the beating. If the practitioners still refuse to write the so-called "Guarantee Statement," (2) they will be confined in the "strictly controlled unit" or the "small cell" for more torture.

Re-enactment: Torture tool made by the persecutors	Re-enactment: Pushing a practitioner underneath the bed
Re-enactment: Beating a practitioner	Re-enactment: Beating a practitioner on head with a piece of bed board

Re-enactment: Practitioner after being tortured

Torture: Burning with cigarettes and the "big hang up"

Prison policemen and criminals burn practitioners' chests with cigarettes and hang them up so that their toes cannot touch the ground.

Re-enactment: burning with a cigarette	Re-enactment: "big hang up"; practitioners' toes cannot touch the ground

Torture: Sitting on a stool torture

The "sitting bed" is yet another torture method used in Jilin Prison. Practitioners are forced to sit on a small stool that has sharp ridges on the surface. One has to sit straight and still, and they will be beaten by the police if they are caught moving. Very often, practitioners' buttocks are rubbed raw from sitting on the ribbed stools; sometimes even the bones are exposed. Every day, except for mealtimes and using the toilet, practitioners are forced to sit still on a specially constructed stool with their legs stretched forward from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. They cannot put any cushioning between their buttocks and the sharp ridges. Meanwhile, they are forced to memorize the prison rules in a set amount of time. If the practitioners refuse to renounce Falun Gong, they will be forced to sit on a wooden stick or narrow wooden board, which will cause their buttocks to be rubbed raw within 2 days.

Re-enactment: Stool with raised ribs	Re-enactment: Sitting on the stool with raised ribs
Re-enactment: kicked by criminals	Re-enactment: beaten by criminals

When confined in the "strictly controlled unit," practitioners are forced to sit on the wooden bed board, with legs stretching forward and making a 90-degree angle with the body. They are not allowed any movement; otherwise they will be beaten by criminals assigned to monitor them. From 5:30 a.m. to 7:20 p.m., except for mealtimes and going to the toilet, they have to sit like this. Even time for using the toilet is strictly limited. After a few days, their buttocks will have blood blisters so that one cannot even walk. Then policemen will force practitioners to write the Four Statements.

Re-enactment: Wooden bed board with raised ribs	Re-enactment: Sitting on the wooden bed board with raised ribs, legs form a 90-degree angle with body

Re-enactment: Beaten by criminals with a wooden board

Note:

(1) "Three Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write "Repentance Statement," "Guarantee Statement" or 'Dissociation Statement" as proof that they have given up their belief. In the statement, the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

(2) "Guarantee Statement": A statement to declare that one 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.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/1/20/93873.html