Practitioners Are Brutally Persecuted at the No. 5 Prison in Xinjiang Province

Mr. Zhang Shunxin, a Xinjjang Province Falun Dafa practitioner, has been brutally persecuted since being detained in 2002 at the No. 5 Prison in Xinjiang. In the beginning he was only allowed to sleep about one hour a day. He managed to endure, and even the inmates who once persecuted him respect him and admire Dafa for his perseverance. In August 2006, Mr. Zhang refused to wear the inmate uniform, so he was isolated. In January 2007, Mr Zhang was transferred to a division of the No. 5 prison that specialises in torturing practitioners. Nonetheless, he is very determined in his belief.

Another practitioner, Mr. Chen Yujiang, was detained in 2004. He has been on a hunger strike since then, requesting that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to release all practitioners. In December 2004, Mr. Chen was transferred to the No. 5 prison in Xinjiang Province. Mr. Chen continued his hunger strike and requested unconditional release. He did not follow any orders and refused to attend the so-called "transformation¹" class. Thugs force-fed Mr. Chen and broke two teeth. He was not intimidated and often called aloud "Falun Dafa is good" and "I need freedom."

Those in charge forced Mr. Chen into an isolated room and tied him to a Tiger Bench² , a cement round stool with metal rings to immobilise the victim. Everyday they force-fed Mr. Chen and he called out, "Falun Dafa is good!" Everyone going in and out of the prison could hear this.

In 2006, Mr. Chen was transferred from the No. 5 Prison to a new prison, where he was kept in a basement. After a long time Mr. Chen had symptoms of tuberculosis, but he was not released.

Mr. Yan Weihong has been illegally detained in the No. 5 Prison since July 2004. He has been on a hunger strike since then, requesting unconditional release and immediate cessation of the persecution of Falun Gong. Mr. Yan has become extremely constipated from his treatment, but he is still very determined in cultivation.

Mr. Zhang Kejiang was transferred to the No. 5 Prison in 2004. He was severely persecuted in the "transformation" class and in Division I. He continues to be very determined.

There are several guards that specialise in torturing practitioners. They include Zhang Yongjun; Li Fayun, the manager of two offices; and Wang Wenwu, the manager of the division that specialises in torturing practitioners.

Investigators from the UN Human Rights Council planned to go to Xinjiang Province in late 2005, so the judicial system in Xinjiang Province began a new round of deception. For example, the number of beds in many rooms was reduced to meet UN standards. Normally there were between 10 and 20 people in each room. It was so crowded that some had to sleep on the floor. The prison officials also trained some criminal inmates to lie to the investigators. For example, the 10+ hours the inmates had to work every day was to be reported as six to eight hours, and the poor daily meals described as "delicious." The officials also told the inmates to play games and have smiles on their faces. They then transferred many inmates who were detained beyond their terms or who wanted to appeal to a woodworking shop--several dozen were detained in a room less than 20 square meters. All these efforts to deceive the visiting officials went for nothing when the UN cancelled the trip.

No. 5 Prison in Xinjiang Province:
Political Head: 86-991-6633990
Prison Director: 86-991-6636515

Guards that personally tortured practitioners:
Wu Tianquan: 86-13899803602
Manager Dou: 86-13999936804

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")

2. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/10/29/165484.html