Falun Gong Practitioners Cruelly Tortured at the Shandong Province Prison

The Shandong Province Prison authorities are still carrying out the policy of Jiang Zemin's [former leader of China and instigator of the persecution] regime to "physically extinguish" Falun Gong practitioners. It has become an evil den where practitioners are brutally tortured. What follows is recent information.

On March 30th-31th, 2007, using careful, manipulative tactics, the prison authorities hosted a forum to "talk about and reveal" Falun Gong to a group of individuals who had been brainwashed and denounced their belief under extreme pressure. They also held activities such as ping-pong and group singing, and they video-recorded the activities. They created falsified materials for release to domestic and international media in an attempt to cover up the real crimes behind their propaganda.

How did Shandong Province Prison deal with those unlawfully sentenced and detained practitioners? Let's take a look at the following cases:

Practitioners detained in this prison are not allowed to speak or to step out of their cells. The authorities assign other inmates to strictly monitor them. In addition to depriving the practitioners of their fundamental rights, they often brainwash them. Practitioners are also forced to participate in a "revealing and criticising meeting," and then have to write reports of their understandings about the "criticism." The authorities then use these reports as the criteria for routine, repetitive brainwashing. If ever practitioners do not obey, they are subjected to "restricted discipline" and crueller tortures.

Practitioner Shao Chengluo was beaten by police officers from the Criminal Team when they arrested him. Consequently, one of his legs is now paralysed, because he refused to write the four statements¹ ("Confession Statement," Repentance Statement, "Disassociation Statement" and "Revealing and Criticising Statement"). After being sentenced, the authorities put him in the "strictly controlled team" for two months, where he was brutally tortured. After that, Shao Chengluo held a hunger strike to protest this treatment, and for this he was cruelly force-fed.

The authorities confined practitioner Yin Xiangyang to a solitary confinement cell (with extremely bad conditions) for over 40 days, due to his refusal to be brainwashed and because he persisted in his belief. They also stabbed his entire body with needles, forced his legs apart, and forced him to kneel.

On July 20th, 2005, it was announced that over ten practitioners, including Yang Shuming and Shi Zengshan, had resisted the brainwashing and their statements were invalid. Because they believed that Falun Gong was a righteous practice, the authorities tortured them individually. Some were tortured until they bled, and others sustained injuries to their internal organs.

The Shandong Province prison system has been infamous for adding drugs to practitioners' food, which led to Yang Shuming and others developing critical medical problems, from which they still have not recovered.

The authorities have put practitioner Gao Hongjie under strict surveillance many times. In addition to other tortures, they have deprived him of sleep and food. Mr. Gao passed out many times due to hunger.

Under "strict control" the authorities put practitioner Sun Guo in a solitary confinement cell. They left him there with mosquitoes and gave him one tiny steamed bun, one small piece of a preserved vegetable, and a small cup of water for each meal. By the time he was released, he was emaciated and could not walk for many days.

The authorities deprived practitioner Zhao Weidong of sleep for 26 days during the "strict control" period. They beat him as soon as he closed his eyes. They even lifted him up and threw him to the ground.

The authorities injected Wang Yubao with unknown drugs every day. He was placed under "strict control" three times. They beat the centre of his palms and feet with sticks, and clamped his fingers with two wooden sticks. He also had wounds and scars all over his buttocks and feet.

Practitioner Shi Cenglei was beaten, and his cervical vertebra was injured.

The above cases are only a few examples of the tortures that Falun Gong practitioners have had to endure at the Shandong Province Prison. Due to the information blockade, further crimes remain to be uncovered. We call on the international community to pay attention to this persecution in China. We will not allow the 2008 Olympic Games be used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for further persecution and torture.

Note

1. "Four Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write the "four statements" as proof that they have given up their belief. Created by the 610 Office, they consist of "a letter of repentance," "a guarantee" to never again practise Falun Gong, a "Dissociation Statement" to declare a dissociation with Falun Gong and promise not go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong, and a list of names and addresses of all family members, friends and acquaintances who are practitioners.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/6/21/157306.html