The Persecution at Kaiping Women's Forced Labour Camp in Tangshan City, Hebei Province

I am a Falun Gong practitioner from Yanshan County, Hebei Province. On May 25th, 2004, I was arrested by the police and taken to the Yanshan County Police Department, where I was tied up in a steel chair and interrogated. I refused to answer any questions. As a result, I was beaten by police officer Zhang Xinping, the deputy head of Yanshan County National Security Group. Then I was transferred to the Yanshan County Detention Centre. Later, I was sentenced to three years forced labour and detained at the Kaipin Women's Forced Labour Camp in Tangshan City, where I experienced brutal persecution.

1. Forced brainwashing and "transformation¹"

Guards Qin Xiaoyan and Wang Yuhua were in charge of "transforming" me. In the beginning, they pretended to be very nice to me, yet they sent many former practitioners who had gone astray to brainwash me with false doctrines. On the first day, I was deprived of sleep until 2:00 a.m., and I was forced to read materials slandering Dafa. On the second day, they continued to "transform" me. When I did not cooperate with them, Qin Xiaoyan poured tea on my face, and forced me to stand for a long time. Criminal prisoners were designated to monitor me. If I fell asleep, the criminal was also punished, so the criminal prisoners hated Falun Gong and practitioners. I was so sleepy that I fell to the ground. On the third day, I was not allowed to sleep all night, and I had nearly lost my senses. When I no longer had the righteous thoughts that Dafa practitioners are supposed to have, I couldn't take it anymore and yielded to them.

2. Overloaded with labour

We were forced to do manual labour since December 2004, and the quotas kept increasing. We could not finish the extra quota even with overtime work on the weekend. On June 24th, 2005, I held a hunger strike to protest this kind of persecution and refused to do any forced labour, so I was forced to stand up for four days and nights. A criminal prisoner watched me to make sure I didn't move a bit. My legs and feet became so swollen that I could not put my shoes on. When the prisoner left for lunch, I wrote a statement to declare that my words and deeds under the forced brainwashing were null and void and that I would continue to practise Falun Gong. I handed the statement in to guard Liu Xiujuan. She was so furious that she tore it up and threw it in my face.

3. Locked in a small cell

On August 8th, 2005, I refused to work on the weekend, or wear the labour camp uniform. Liu Xiujuan slapped me in the face. Then they locked me up in a small cell. Yan Hongli, the head of the team, hit me in the face and ridiculed me. She wanted me to stand for punishment, but I did not obey her order, so she told Liu Xiujuan and Li Xiaofeng to bring some ropes, and attempted to tie me to the hot water pipe. I shouted loudly, "Yan Hongli, you will receive retribution for committing countless crimes against Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Dafa is good!" Finally, they blocked my mouth and tied me up in a chair. In the evening, guards Wang Yan and Gao Hui were on duty. Wang Yan loosened my ropes and asked me to have dinner. After dinner, she asked if I would do the forced labour and put on the uniform, and if I would show my respect to the head of the team. I responded that I would not do any labour nor put on the uniform. One minute later, four criminals surrounded me and tied me up again. I was not allowed use the toilet for two days. On the third day, I was allowed to use the toilet upon my request, but I was tied up again when I came back.

4. Force-feeding

Six days after I started the hunger strike, I was force-fed with heavily salted water. Every time they did it, I threw up. It was so salty and painful. On the ninth day, I was force-fed twice and threw it all up. After I threw up the first time, Yan Hongli said "It doesn't matter if you do it again, the camp has enough salt for you!" and she told a criminal prisoner to seal my mouth with her hand. But after the next force feeding, the brine still came out from between her fingers. They were scared and kept far away, and didn't try it again until my lips turned black and my face turned pale.

5. Bitten by Mosquitoes

During the nine days in the small cell, the guards deliberately opened the window to let the mosquitoes in. Every night, my hands, feet, and face were full of mosquitoes. There were countless bites all over my body.

6. Forced to sit on a small bench for a long time with restricted sleep and use of toilet

Two days after the force-feeding ended, I was terribly weak and even had difficulty breathing. However, they still forced me to sit on a small bench, and only at a designated time could I use the toilet. I protested this new form of persecution with another hunger strike. I was locked up in the small cell again until November 2nd. On January 5th, 2006, I was locked up again in the small cell until January 27th, 2006, because I refused to respond to the roll call.

7. Falun Gong practitioners hidden when camp was inspected by international organisations

When there was an inspection by international organisations, the labour camp authorities locked up the steadfast Falun Gong practitioners in small cells so there was no chance for them to be seen. For myself, the first time, I was hidden in a room, and the second time I was detained in a small cell.
What the evil perpetrators fear most is exposure of their crimes, so they tried all means to deceive the international community. We here urge all of the victims of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime to speak out and disclose the CCP crimes in order to end the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners as soon as possible.

Note

1. "Reform or Transform" Implementation of brainwashing and torture in order to force a practitioner to renounce Falun Gong. (Variations: "reform", "transform", "reformed", "reforming", "transformed", "transforming", and "transformation")

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/3/3/149991.html