Forty Practitioners Tortured in Shaanxi Provincial Women's Jail

Presently, there are over 40 Falun Gong practitioners in ten teams at Shaanxi Provincial Women's Jail. Each team has at least three or four practitioners. After being visited by the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) 610 Office leader Luo Gan and Zhou Yongkang, the number is increasing.

Of the ten teams, the No. 9 Team is the entrance team and is designated for newcomers to stay for their first three months. The No. 10 Team is the "Strict Discipline Team."

The detained practitioners have been subjected to all sorts of physical punishment and psychological abuse. Each practitioner is monitored and followed by two criminal inmates. Practitioners are not allowed to talk to one another, read Falun Gong books, or do the Falun Gong exercises. For example, Ms. Li Lin in the No. 1 Team was sent to the "Strict Discipline Team" just because she did the exercises in public. Last May, a "Transformation¹" Group led by Liu Zhenjun, Zhang Zhuoqing, and Chen Bin came to the jail and attempted to forcibly brainwash Falun Gong practitioners, but the practitioners were steadfast in their faith.

This year, the jail authorities started to use a new trick: all practitioners are required to "plead guilty," otherwise they will be handcuffed and tortured. Ms. Li Yanfang in the No. 9 Team did not cooperate and has been in the "Strict Discipline Team" for six months. Another practitioner was handcuffed for three days. Ms. Gou Yufang was forced to stand for the first two days and was then hung by her handcuffs with only the tips of her toes touching the ground for seven days.

Prison policy states that a detainee is only required to work for eight hours a day and has the right to rest on Sunday. But the jail never complies with that policy. Ms. Wang Hong in the No. 8 Team refused to work in the evenings and Sundays, so she was transferred to the "Strict Discipline Team" for nine months. She was sent back this March. She was handcuffed again for eight days for refusing to work in the evenings. In the "Strict Discipline Team," detainees are locked up all day in a small cell with only one window for food delivery. The cell has a small wooden bed and toilet. It is very cold in the winter.

During the Chinese New Year celebration in January, the jail launched a campaign to defame Falun Gong by inculcating Communist propaganda via pictures, posters, banners, and radio broadcasts. In addition, every criminal inmate was required to criticise Falun Gong.

Ms. Ma Yuhua of the No. 6 Team has been tortured by the team leader and monitored by the criminal inmates since March. Ms. Zuo Li in No. 2 Team was diagnosed with tuberculosis but was forcibly fed medicine by criminal inmate Ma Jixin and was severely beaten on her back. She is on a hunger strike in protest.

Persecutors:

Jail Wardens: Xin Haibo, Zhao Hailian
Jail Administration Section: Ji Jiafen, Liu Yilin, Chen Feng
No. 9 Team: Shi Jianrong (team leader), Zhang Wenxia
No. 8 Team: Yang Jin, Zhang Jianqing, Li Ping
No. 7 Team: Lei Xiaorong
No. 3 Team: Sun Yunxia

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://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/6/20/157237.html