The Persecution of Dafa Practitioner Ms Li Ying at the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp

Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Li Ying is from a village in Jizhou District in Liaoning Province. In December 2001, Ms. Li was arrested in Beijing. In April 2002, she was sent to the Number 2 Women's Cellblock of Masanjia Forced Labour Camp, Liaoning Province. There, Ms. Li was inhumanly and brutally persecuted. On December 28, 2004, Ms. Li was released from prison. Before her release, she wrote a letter addressed to her parents, telling the story of the persecution she encountered inside the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. She was afraid to return home. In the letter, Ms. Li wrote, "I've been waiting for this day (December 28, 2004) when I'm to be released, but under the circumstances, I don't have the courage to return home. If I am forced to utter those slanderous words again, I'm afraid I won't be able to live any longer."

Following are two letters: Ms. Li wrote the first one to her parents. The second one was written to Ms Li's parents by a practitioner who had experiences similar to hers.

Dear Mum and Dad:

I am about to leave the forced labour camp. While writing this letter I shiver with fear recalling the past three years in prison. I want to tell all my relatives and family about my experiences. I want to tell everybody about those who have committed crimes so that people will know the truth.

At 11 a.m. on April 12, 2002, I was taken to the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. In the so-called "Monitor Room," prison staff members checked my belongings and searched my body. Three people started talking to me, trying to "change my mind" concerning Falun Gong. I told them that I needed to use the toilet, but Lu Dongqi refused my request. Later on, they noticed that I was barely able to control myself, so they let me go to the toilet. The next morning, I got up and began to clean floors with the other prisoners. Suddenly, a prison officer by the name of Zhang Li shouted, "You are under strict monitoring. You're not allowed to work here!" I was then dragged by force to a classroom.

One day, I was in a classroom after supper. Upon learning that I hadn't "changed my mind," Lu Dongqi came over and grabbed me by the collar, yelling, "You are now wearing the CCP's (Chinese Communist Party) clothes and eating the CCP's food, yet you're still against the CCP. If you continue to refuse to change your mind, you will be treated as an anti-CCP and anti-revolutionary element."

On the eighth day, around 10 p.m., Lu Dongqi and Zhang Li took me to a triangular storage room by the side of the lift. Inside the room, one inmate forced me to stand until midnight. During the night on my fifteenth day in prison, the chief director of the cellblock said that if I continued to refuse to write the so-called three statements (1), I would have to stand there continuously, and wouldn't be allowed to sleep. Consequently I had to stand for the whole night. The next day, several members of the prison staff continued to harass me and tried hard to force me to change my mind. They also insulted me. I felt so tired and sleepy. I went on a hunger strike for three days to protest this treatment. They asked me to eat; one of the people who asked me to eat was named Liu Bing. Right after I ended my hunger strike, these people immediately resumed their attempts to force me to change my mind using insults and threats.

I refused to recite the prison rules, sing the prison songs or do the physical exercises. I also refused to work for the prison. One day, the director for the division where I was assigned took me to a room and forced me to squat for about one hour, while she beat and kicked me. She said to the other directors who were present at the scene that I had asked for such treatment because of my refusal to work.

The next day, the director pushed me into the dining room and beat me there. Then she took me to her office and asked someone to bring her an electric baton. Another director came. The two of them started to threaten me and tried to force me to write a statement saying that I would perform the physical exercises and labour. As I still refused to renounce my belief in Falun Gong, they punished me by forcing me to stand there for the whole night. The following night, Lu Dongqi and Zhang Li brought me to the storage room again and forced me to squat there. Another prison official called Liu Juan was also present. I simply refused to give up Falun Dafa, and these people slapped me in the head heavily and said that I should wake up. Finally, they forced me to kowtow to them. The torture lasted for more than two hours.

I started another hunger strike. Seven days later, the director told me she would no longer send people to persuade me to change my mind, so I ended my hunger strike. This incident happened around June of 2002.

In November of that year, the director again sent Yu Huirong and Li Yanling and some others to talk to me in an attempt to "transform" me. Later on, they brought me to a storage room and forced me to stand still to "reflect." One night in December, the director approached me and asked me to change my mind. I refused, so she slapped me in the face and forced me to stand the whole night. The following morning, two directors came over and asked me to make a decision on Falun Gong. I wrote, "Falun Dafa is a righteous practice" on a piece of paper. Then the chief director took me to a tiny cell and handcuffed my limbs to an iron bench. I stayed in that tiny cell for a whole week. On December 17, I was released from the tiny cell. The chief director threatened me and said that if I continued to refuse to "transform", I would be deprived of sleep at night. She said she simply didn't believe that she couldn't deal with me. Under such circumstances, I was forced to write the so-called "three statements."

Later on, I personally witnessed an elderly lady (also a practitioner) being hung from the heater pipes in the classroom for a whole night. I knew that someone kept pinching her during the daytime. Now and then I would hear cries, struggling yells and enraged shouts. Just like me, many other practitioners in the prison had been persecuted so seriously that they had difficulty moving around on their legs. Every day my heart felt the tremendous pressure, and my ears were filled with the loud cries of the people around me.

Later, my mind became clear again and I decided to continue practising Falun Gong. After learning of my decision, the directors took me to a storage room and beat me. The person who beat me was known as Wan Zeping. Another official named Zhang Xue forced me to squat with a book on top of my head. Whenever the book slipped to the ground, Zhang Xue would pinch me. Another time, Zhang Li and two or three other officials tied me up and then locked me in a room, beat me, pinched me and tortured me, trying to force me to slander Falun Dafa and Teacher. At that time, my legs were still swollen and the pain made it impossible for me to stand up, so I shouted whatever they told me to say. They were finally satisfied and released me from the room, allowing me to go to the toilet. I noticed that there were some other practitioners in the room where I was locked up, some of these practitioners had bandages on their arms, and some of them were weeping.

I said to myself, it's an insult to live like this. During one of the so-called "new life" sessions (once a practitioner changed his or her mind about Falun Gong, he or she was said to have started a new life), one practitioner hit her head against the wall, and I saw blood oozing from her head. A director named Fang Ye ridiculed the practitioner in front of the others by saying, "Look at her, she knew she couldn't bear the hardship if she didn't transform. Now that she has transformed she feels she's lost face, this is a consequence of a faked transformation." I was really surprised at the director's words. I was afraid that the same thing might also happen to me.

From then on, my appetite began to diminish more and more. I wanted to cry, but there were simply no tears. In August of 2003, another practitioner and I decided to resume our practice of Falun Gong. My blood pressure was very low, and prison officials force-fed me and beat me. The people who beat me were Wang Yuwei, Liu Zhixian. Wang Meihua and Li Yanling also participated in the beating. They forced me to eat, and my face was swollen as a result of the physical beatings. Many people saw my swollen face, but prison officials told them that my swollen face was self-inflicted.

I've been waiting for this day (December 28, 2004) when I'm to be released from prison, but under the circumstances, I don't have the courage to return home. If I am forced to utter those slanderous words again, I'm afraid I won't be able to live any longer.

I am a cultivator; I only want to tell the world what happened to me. I have never thought of taking revenge on the individuals who hurt me or on society as a whole. Every Falun Dafa practitioner follows this same principle.

To report human rights violations, you can either call 86-248-9210516, 86-13390159763 (mobile), or send an email to [email protected], or to [email protected].

Li Ying

December 19, 2004.

The following is the letter written by the other practitioner.

Dear parents of Li Ying:

First of all, I'd like to wish you all the best during the New Year's Festival. I wish you all health and peace. Li Ying and I have common beliefs; both she and I have suffered similar experiences.

Where is Li Ying right now? Has she returned home or not? What is her current condition? I don't have any answers to these questions. Nonetheless, I swear to you that you needn't worry about Li Ying, no matter what happens. I also hope that you will believe in us. Furthermore, I hope you will support her and all the Falun Gong practitioners, and help them walk their path. I also hope you will realize that Falun Gong practitioners are kind and innocent. We are not guilty of anything; cultivating Buddha is not a crime; believing in a righteous path is not a crime.

We are telling you about our suffering and we hope all of humanity will stand up and support justice and maintain peace and kindness. This world needs "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and the people of the world should know the truth about Falun Gong.

We have never thought about overthrowing the government or bringing down certain officials, but the brutal experiences that we have endured make it imperative that I write this letter in order to protect justice and uphold truth. We'd like to use legal procedures to resolve this Falun Gong crisis; this is our right as guaranteed by the Constitution.

We want to let you know that all those who treat Falun Gong and its practitioners well are doing so for their own good; they are actually treating themselves well. Right now the overall situation has already changed. The Masanjia Forced Labour Camp is facing disintegration. (Shenyang City's Longshan Penitentiary has already disintegrated; Dalian City's Penitentiary has also disintegrated. Two directors from the Longshan Penitentiary have been arrested, and one prison police officer has become a fugitive.) Currently, many Falun Gong practitioners and their families are actively exposing the evildoers, appealing for their loved ones, or suing those officials who have persecuted Falun Gong practitioners.

The following is an excerpt from the Masanjia Forced Labour Camp handbook, which lists possible prison violations, and furthermore advises that if any of these violations occur, a legal complaint can be made and the prison can be sued.

1. The inmate gets injured.
2. The inmate becomes insane as a result of torture, bringing about grave consequences to society.
3. Prison officers beat, physically abuse, or torture an inmate more than three times.
4. Prison officers use extremely cruel ways of treating inmates that bring negative consequences to society.
5. Prison officers instigate inmates to beat, physically abuse, or torture another inmate more than three times.
6. The telephone numbers to file your complaints are: 86-24-89210516 or 86-13390159763 (mobile).

Dear parents of Li Ying, the officials at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp are most fearful of appeals, complaints, or lawsuits brought by inmates' family members. The prison has symbolically posted the above violations on the prison bulletin board to create a false impression among visiting government officials. The prison doesn't dare post this list of violations in the most visible and accessible place--the dining hall. Nevertheless, many practitioners and family members have learned about their rights concerning these violations and they have taken legal action to defend themselves.

Finally, we'd like to appeal to all the righteous and kind people in our society. Please stand up and help Falun Gong get the justice it is due. Please give your support to those Falun Gong practitioners who've been persecuted.

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.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/4/18/99888.html