Torture, Brainwashing and More: Persecution in Chifeng Prison, Inner Mongolia

Chifeng Prison was hailed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a "modernised and civilised prison in the self-autonomous region." This label was intended to deceive people both inside and outside China. The two cases below are enough to reveal how "modernised and civilised" this prison really is.

Practitioner Qi Hongshu was a school teacher in Chifeng. He was sent to the so-called "transformation class¹" in Chifeng Prison on June 14th, 2005. He was beaten and verbally abused every day by five to six inmates led by prisoner Qu. Wardens forced Qi to stand at attention at all times, strictly monitoring him. His legs became swollen from extended standing. At 11 p.m. on June 16th, 2005, wardens shocked Qi with an electric baton. His excruciating cries woke up all inmates in the building. For three consecutive days from June 16th to 18th, Qi sustained cruel torture day and night without stop. Inmates and wardens actually took turns torturing him.

According to people familiar with the matter, Qi Hingshu one time spoke out loud about the truth of Falun Gong in front of some three hundred inmates in the second prison brigade before roll call. He undertook a hunger strike to protest the persecution, and he was savagely force-fed, some times with feces.

Practitioner Zhou Jinpeng worked in the Tong Liao Power Plant in Inner Mongolia. On Sept. 2nd, 2004, he was arrested when police raided a site producing leaflets exposing the persecution. Zhou was then detained in the Hexi Detention Centre for six months. Zhou wrote his defence testimony on Jan 23rd, 2005. In the show trial on Feb 3rd, Zhou was sentenced to seven years in prison, beginning on Feb 19th. In June 2005, Zhou was secretly transferred to the Chifeng Prison, where he has been closely monitored. Wardens forced Zhou to squat down in the corner of the room and nicknamed him "Reflection." Wardens in charge of the Prison Admissions Section were Zhang Hongwei and Wang Weigang. Zhang forced Zhou to write statements renouncing Falun Gong, and Zhang often ordered Zhou to stand at attention for hours on end. Zhang shocked Zhou with a 300 kilovolt electric baton for one hour.

Zhou was shocked three times during his first 6 months in Chifeng Prison. In 2006, the prison started another bout of brainwashing sessions and used torture to transform Falun Gong practitioners. Zhou remained steadfast in his belief despite brutal beatings and electric shocks. Inmates often took part in the torture. They wrapped Zhou in a big blanket, then over a dozen inmates punched, kicked, and rammed him.

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/2007/11/11/166354.html