The Eighth District of Harbin Women's Prison Brutally Persecutes Falun Dafa Practitioners

The guards from Harbin Women's Prison brutally persecute Falun Dafa practitioners. The following persecution facts were provided by practitioners who were detained there.

Since 1999, the Eighth District of Harbin Women's Prison have never stopped persecuting us. Our assigned tasks in the workshop continued to grow. At that time, Hou Xueping, the director of the Eighth District, sent practitioner Ms. Zhang Yanfang to a "small cell¹" every night, and picked her up in the morning to continue to work. This abuse lasted for a month.

In early 2003, to stop the persecution against Falun Gong, Ms. Lu Yinhua refused to work. Zheng Jie and Zhang Chunhua dragged her on the ground until she almost suffocated. They handcuffed her, refused to let her wear thick trousers, and forced her to sit on a cement floor for as long as a month. On March 8th, 2003, they tortured Lu Yinhua with "Hanging up from Behind²". She was hung up without her feet touching the ground. Within just one hour, Ms. Lu Yinhua was sweating all over, and she started to convulse. Her wrists were broken and her hands were swollen for more than three months.

Between June and July of 2003, Zheng Jie tortured Ms. Lu Yinhua and Ms. Gao Jiafu by forcing them to squat, then "Hung them up from Behind" and slapped their faces. They kicked the women's heads with their leather boots. They hung the practitioners in the workshop office with their mouths sealed by tape. The torture lasted for 11 days. Ms. Lu was later locked in "small cell" for more than 80 days.

On August 15th, 2003, when Ms. Ma Shuhua was transferred to the Eighth District, she could barely walk. Gui Nana organised other inmates to tie her with rope, seal her mouth with tape, then drag her to the "chicken house," where she was tortured with electric batons and dragged by several inmates as they ran. At night, they put Ms. Ma on the cement ground and did not allow her to sleep. For 11 days, her feet were swollen and bloody, and the blood glued her socks to her feet for more than half a month. After her socks were taken off, her toenails came off... Her feet were dark blue and there were holes where the nails had been.

On September 5th, 2003, Zhang Chunhua ordered inmates Wang Fengchun and Zhao Yan to tie Ms. Zhang Yanfang with rope. They punched her feet with their fists and did not allow her to sleep. They broke two of her front teeth. On the second day, Zhang Chunhua brought several dozen inmates to the chicken house in front of the male cells and started another round of brutal torture. The guards and inmates worked together. Each of them held a torture tool. There were electric batons, wooden boards, bamboo poles, and iron rods. They circled the practitioners and forced them to run in a circle and beat everyone passing them as they ran by. Some inmates were not willing to cooperate and were consequently beaten by the guards. At night, they ordered the inmates to strip off Ms. Zhang Yanfang's clothes and beat her with wooden sticks and shoe soles. On the second day, they used electric batons to shock her. There was no uninjured skin left on Ms. Zhang's body. Then they rubbed salt on her, making her experience excruciating pain.

On September 6th, 2003, Zheng Jie called Ms. Wang Aihua to his office. Zheng Jie tied up her and did not loosen the bonds until Ms. Wang lost consciousness. After she recovered, he tied her again. He also forced her to squat continuously for three days. On the fourth day, Ms. Wang's legs could not bend at all. Her feet felt like they had been pierced by needles. Zheng Jie ordered inmates to drag her as they ran and to beat her on the back with electric batons. Her shoes were lost during the drag-and-run. Her heart could not stand this torture and she almost passed out. Then they hung her on a window frame. At 3:00 p.m., they took her back to the cell and made inmates watch her. Whenever she moved or closed her eyes, the inmates beat her. Ms. Wang was not allowed to sleep for the whole night. On the second day, they ordered her to write the Three Statements³ but she refused. They used four sticks to beat her face, stabbed her with toothpicks, then washed her with salty water. She was tortured until her whole body was a bluish colour and she passed out. Finally she was locked in a "small cell."

In September 2003, during the "chicken house run," Ms. Jie Shuying could not keep up, so Xiao Lin slapped her on both cheeks, making her very dizzy. Afterwards, she was severely kicked, which caused her to experience breathing difficulty for the following six months. Zhang Chunhua dragged Ms. Jia into a room and slapped her around a dozen times. Ms. Jia still has hearing problems as a result. Wang Fengchun used needles to stab Ms. Jia's feet until both of her feet lost sensation. Then they hung Ms. Jia from a window, using their knees to pound on her private parts, making her cry out in agony. Four or five male guards dragged Ms. Pu Shuying to the male prisoner's building and hung her on a window frame. Wang Fengchun and Huang He thrust wooden sticks into Ms. Pu's private parts. They used their hands to pinch the inner side of her thighs and other parts of her body. The handcuffs cut deeply into her flesh. Even now, she still has scars. Four of her toenails came off as a result of the beating.

Zhu Yuhong beat Ms. Zhou Chunlan with handcuffs and jabbed her back and waist with her knees. Ms. Zhou felt immediately that she could not move her back any more. This 58-year-old woman was persecuted so terribly that she could not help crying out. They also handcuffed her and hung Ms. Zhou on a window for a whole night. The next day, they dragged her to the running field. If she refused to run, they would beat her or shock her with electric batons. The abuse was brutal and inhuman. Guard Wang Jinnan ordered inmates to seal Ms. Wang Yanpin's mouth. Then they used electric batons to shock her chest, legs, and knees. After they got tired, they hung her up and did not allow her to sleep for 11 days. Even when she went to the bathroom, they did not release the handcuffs.

Gui Nana told Wang Wei to seal Ms. Wang Jianping's mouth and hung her upside-down for half an hour--until Ms. Wang passed out. Then she ordered inmates to continue beating her. Afterwards, they hung her up again, then beat her once more. The torture lasted for more than ten days. Ms. Wang Jianping had injuries all over her body and she was mentally disordered.

Ms. Wang Shuling and Ms. Du Yuling were not allowed to eat during the day and not allowed to sleep at night. The torture made them mentally disordered. Ms. Du Yuling, persecuted until she wanted to die rather than continue to live, jumped from a building [Editors' note: the teachings of Falun Gong strictly forbid taking life, including one's own. While such measures are never advocated, they underscore the extreme brutality of the persecution.]. Taken to the hospital, Ms. Du was diagnosed an arm fracture, fractures of the seventh and eighth neck bones, and a rib fracture. Even under this circumstance, the guards still refused to release her.

Wang Fengchun and Wang Wei continuously beat Ms. Xu Youqin and Ms. Li Caiying for more than ten days, causing Ms. Xu pass out, and Ms. Li to become mentally disordered.

Once, guards Gui Nana and Xiao Lin ordered us to sing. When we refused, they started to beat us. At that time, Ms. Zhang Shuqin lost three front teeth due to the abuse.

In the middle of September, Ms. Li Yushu, Ms. Guan Yingxin, Ms. Zhang Shuzhe, Ms. Wang Hongjie, Ms. Ding Wu, and Ms. Tian Guiqing were beaten. Ms.Tian and Ms. Guan were force-fed drugs multiple times. During the force-feeding, they were given an overdose of salt. The feeding tubes were not pulled out until one week later. The tubes were blackish after they were pulled out.

On September 11th, Zhang Chunhua deceived Ms. Zhao Xin and Ms. Liu Liping into going to the "running field." Inmate Song Libo sat on Ms. Zhao, and guard Niu Tianyang kicked her in the mouth with his feet. Ms. Zhao started bleeding immediately.

In December 2003, because they refused the forced labour re-education, Ms. Han Ying, Ms. Yan Huijuan, and Ms. Wang Xiuli were made to squat with both hands cuffed. Inmates used needles to jab Ms. Yan all over, and beat and kicked the practitioners. Ms. Han had heart episodes due to the torture.

On the seventh day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar Calendar in 2004, the head of the prison directed several people to drag Ms. Feng Xiujuan, Ms. Han Ying, Ms. Lu Yinhua, Ms. Wang Xiuli, Ms. Zhou Chunlin, Ms. Yan Huijuan, Ms. Du Jinlan, Ms. Lan Hongying, and Ms. Li Xiuying to the third floor of the workshop for refusing the forced labour re-education. They sealed the practitioners' mouths, beat them with their fists, kicked them, and pounded their heads on the ground. Then three practitioners were handcuffed together. Their thick cotton pants were stripped off and they were forced to sit on the cement floor. They bodies were nearly frozen with the windows open, and they were violently force-fed. The force-feeding tubes made their noses bleed, but the force feedings did not stop.

On March 2nd, 2004, Zhang Chunhua put Ms. Li Xiuhua, Ms. Liu Liping, Ms. Zhang Shuzhe, and Ms. Ding Yu into "small cells." After they were beaten, they were handcuffed and then force-fed. Even when they slept at night, their handcuffs were not loosened nor were the force-feeding tubes pulled out. After half a month, the tubes were finally pulled out, but the handcuffs remained tight. Ms. Li Xiuhua kept vomiting and stomach juices came out of her mouth and nose. Ms. Liu Liping, Ms. Zhang Shuzhe, and Ms. Ding Yu were locked in the same cell and handcuffed to a Tiger Bench⁴. They were not allowed to go to the toilet, so they were forced to soil their trousers. The practitioners were restrained like this for more than five months.

On March 10th, 2004, Zhang Chunhua stripped more than 10 practitioners naked. They were hung up with ropes from 7:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. until they started to bleed.

On March 13th, 2004, Zhang Chunhua handcuffed and hung 66-year-old Ms. Wang Xiuyue from a bunk bed. After three hours, she passed out and lost control of her bodily functions. She was taken down but still handcuffed to the bed.

On September 9th, 2005, jail guard Zhou Xiaoli took away four undergarments from Ms. Zhang Yanfang, who reported this to jail director Liu Zhiqiang. In response, Liu put her into a "small cell" and had her beaten. Even guards from other districts said: "The Eighth District is too much." To stop these illegal acts, all the practitioners in the district started a hunger strike, asking that Ms. Zhang Yanfang be brought back. Zhang Chunhua ordered people to force-feed practitioners.

On December 29th, 2005, Zhang Chunhua brought accomplices to Ms. Yan Huijuan's cell. She stripped off Ms. Yan's toilet and beat her mouth, saying, "I am beating you now, you can report it to wherever you like!"

On December 31st, 2005, nine people held a hunger strike. The jail force-fed them with lots of garlic and chilli, severely damaging their stomachs and intestines so that the victims vomited blood. Beginning January 17th, 2006, Liu Zhiqiang moved criminal inmates from the Ninth District to the Eighth District, forcing them to persecute practitioners. They put Ms. Jia Shuying and Ms. Li Xiuhua into "small cells" with their mouths sealed with tape. The rest of the practitioners were handcuffed to the ground for 24 hours a day and beaten again and again. The cells were sealed with newspaper and the monitoring devices were turned off so that there would be no witnesses. The brutal persecution still continues to this day.

Those responsible for the crimes described above at Harbin Women's Prison:

Wang Xin, male, previous prison director
Chu Shuhua, female, current prison political adviser
Cong Xin, male, previous prison director
Xu Longjiang, male, current director
Liu Zhiqiang, male, current deputy director
Xiao Lin, male, current political department director
Zheng Jie, female, current Eighth District director
Gui Nana, female, Eighth District deputy director
Zhang Chunhua, female, Eighth District prison guard
Jail guards: Hou Xueping, Zhang Chunhua, Wang Fengchun, Zhu Yuhong, Wang Jinnan

Note

1. "small cell" - A small cell is a room of less than three square metres. It has no window, no bed, no water, and no toilet. A victim is locked in a small cell for months, having to eat, sleep, and excrete in the same small area. Since the height of the room is less than 1.5 metres, one cannot stand straight. To exacerbate the agony, the guards often handcuff the victim in the small cell door so the victim cannot sleep for many days.

2. Hang up from Behind - With both hands tied or handcuffed behind the back, the victim is hung up by the arms or the handcuffs, with both feet off of the ground or just touching the ground. Both hands and arms will soon lose feeling and go numb from lack of blood circulation. Countless Falun Gong practitioners have suffered this brutal torture. Some have even been hung up for several days.

3. "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.

4. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/6/25/131380.html