A Falun Gong Practitioner's Letter to Her Husband from a Brainwashing Centre

The following is a letter from a practitioner in a Brainwashing Centre in Xicheng, Qixia, Shandong Province. Its contents expose the brainwashing in Xicheng and also how practitioners are persecuted in labour camps.

Dear Lei: How are you? I don't know what time you got home that day. Thank you for coming to visit me. You did not even have anything to eat or drink all day! To be honest, you are a responsible and loving husband, father, and son. Every time when I talked to my classmates about my husband and family, I felt very content and proud. I am happy even though we do not have money or power. No matter how others see us, our home is truly a happy one. Many people are envious of our family. Ever since I began practising Falun Gong, I learned the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance which have brought more harmony and joy to our home. However, when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started to persecute us, it created a lot of unhappiness. Many times, I was arrested, detained, and sentenced to prison terms. What happened to me has brought hardships to you and our family. You and the children and relatives all suffered a great deal, including tremendous financial losses. All that is not supposed to be a burden for us to carry, but has been forced upon us by the Community Party. Someone may say, "If you don't practise Falun Gong, everything will be all right." However, when I turn it around, I ask, "If the Communist Party stops persecuting us, would I need to speak out for justice for Falun Gong?" I have never told you my suffering in the detention centre and the brainwashing centre. The reason is that if I told you, you probably would say, "You deserve that," even though you heart is with me. I am telling you now about my experiences and letting you be the judge. Follow your conscience, and tell me whether they are right by doing what they are doing. That morning when I was at work, suddenly a few police officers rushed in and said that they wanted to understand what was going on. They forced me into a vehicle and drove to the brainwashing centre in Xicheng, Qixia. They searched my pockets and confiscated the cash I had on me. Fortunately, I gave my mobile phone to someone else ahead of time. Otherwise, they would have taken that too. They started to interrogate me, but I did not say much. They had my hands with one turned up and one pulled up from behind my back. My arms were handcuffed to the metal bars on a window. Do you know how high my arms were? If I stood with my feet on the ground, my arms were stretched to an unbearable extent. If my arms were somewhat relaxed, I had to stand on my toes. Do you think that such a posture is suitable for a human being? The staff members in the brainwashing centre were a few people from the government and the rest came from local towns and villages. They took turns watching and torturing me around the clock.

Of course, there are kind police officers. One time a young officer was on duty and he was in charge of watching me. When he walked into the room, he was astonished to see me handcuffed that way. He cursed those people who tortured me and said that they were animals. He loosened my handcuffs. After a while, seeing me still suffering, he sat on the bed and extended his feet in front of me and said, "You can stand on my feet." I told him, "Thank you, but it won't be necessary." He then said, "Human beings should not do such things. This is not a place for human beings either. We make people suffer here day and night. They are supposed to let you go after two weeks, but now it has been more than 20 days." The police officers here are not allowed to leave the building either. The gate is always locked. When they want to get out, they have to ask someone in charge for a key. He was the only policeman I met that still had a conscience. He was unwilling to follow the Communist Party to persecute innocent people. I heard that during the Cultural Revolution the people accused of being "rightists" had to wear dunce caps, but I, too, experienced that. Two guards used two big pieces of newspaper and folded them into a big hat which covered my whole head. I could hardly breathe. After that, they punched my back and kicked my legs. I asked, "Why are you hitting me?" He said, "Who hit you? Did you see who did it?" His remark did not make any sense. Later, they handcuffed me to the headboard and I had to kneel on the bed. I could not move. Afterwards, I was handcuffed to the widow bars again and had to watch Dafa-slandering video tapes. At night I was handcuffed to the bed again. This lasted seven days, and my knees and legs all became swollen. In other rooms, they physically abused practitioners with different methods. One could hear beatings and cursing in rooms not too far away. During the 21 days I was detained, I did not get an opportunity to wash my feet or hair. Often I could not wash my face and hands. When I had my period, I could only use a small portion of water that came with the meal to wash my finger tips. We had a small bottle of warm water divided between 13 people. It did not amount to a whole lot of water. In the morning, two people shared a three-ounce bun. I was starving, but other practitioners were hungrier than I. I saw so many practitioners being physically abused in the prison. I hated those guards then, but right now I feel sorry for them. They look human, but they have lost their humanity. Good deeds and bad deeds will have their consequences. The brainwashing classes are called legal education classes. What kind of legal institution is it that will not allow family members to visit a legal representative. Would you consider this legal? Why can't they do things in the open? When you saw me the other day, you said that my hair had turned grey. Do you know how, in the past several years, my heart has been tormented? How many nights I could not sleep? I believed in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, but I was forced to give it up. When I had to live a degraded life like this, how could I be happy? How could I look young? Our relatives and you all said that I knew that as a Falun Gong practitioner speaking out for justice I would be persecuted, but I still insisted on doing it, so it was my fault. Falun Gong practitioners speak the truth and are persecuted. However, our family members reproach us but not the evil Party. The minds of people have been warped so much! For the past several years, you worked very hard and suffered very much. Please don't miss me and I hope to come home healthy. Eat out often and be careful not to drink too much. Drinking will damage your body and I hope that you get home early and get plenty of rest.

Mei

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/7/9/158471.html