Falun Gong Practitioners Abused at Yunnan Province Second Women's Prison

The Yunnan Province Second Women's Prison is located in Linjiayuan, the western suburb of Kunming City, Yunnan Province. Officials there established a specific team to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Team leader Yang Huan is in his 40s. A former team leader surnamed Ma is now the prison's education section head. Deputy leaders are Zheng Ping and Ms. Sun. In addition, there are over ten female guards in their 30s who were assigned to this special team, including Xie Ling, Jing Rong, Ms. Zhou, Ms. Liang and others. There is also a specified group in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners in the fourth ward. Guards Wu Xu, Ms. Yu, and supervisor Li Dongdong are now deputy heads in the education section.

The practitioners come from different places in Yunnan Province. The individuals participating in their arrests and convictions were from police departments, National Security Bureaus under the direction of the 610 Office¹, and courts that secretly sentenced them. Since October 2005, all women practitioners, regardless of age, were incarcerated in a confinement cell for the first forty days after arriving. They were forbidden from using water to wash themselves, brushing their teeth, taking a bath or changing clothes. Eating, sleeping, and relieving oneself all took place in the confinement cell. The detainees had to sit motionless on a hard bench in one posture from 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m.

During the summer, use of a mosquito net to keep insects at bay was forbidden, resulting in many insect bite scars on the practitioners' faces and other exposed areas.

Two prisoners monitored each practitioner, and these prisoners in the training ward could earn three promotion points per month. The prisoners in other wards could earn two points, and accumulate up to 15 points per month. When they reached 90 points they would earn a merit. These prisoners tried all their best to monitor practitioners to reducing their terms. They would not miss a practitioner's single movement around the clock. If the prisoners made a mistake when monitoring the practitioners, the guards would berate them and reduce their points.

1. Forced collective drill

Regardless the age, all practitioners must attend a three-month collective drill--two hours minimum per day under the scorching sun. From this drill, practitioner Ms. Tan Lingfang went into a coma twice. Her blood pressure climbed to 180/100, and her heart rate was more than 120 beats a minute.

Practitioners, who after three-months of incarceration, would still not give up their belief, had to attend the drill again, for no less than four hours daily. This included Ms. Miao Jing, in her 60s, who was a fine arts teacher at the Yunnan Industrial Arts Institute, and Ms. Gao Huifen, in her 50s, who was from a county in Yunnan.

2. Forcibly administered drugs that destroy the central nervous system

Ms. Yang Wangxian, who is in her forties, was arrested in 2003 and sentenced to four years. She was held in the collective drill ward. Former ward team leader Ma and guard Yang Yongfen more than once urged cell heads Liu Yuexin, Na Huixian, Ma Shufang, Luo Zhonghong, Tang Zhongmei, Yang Shulan, and others to mix drugs that destroy the central nervous system into Ms. Yang's food. This made a smart, capable, middle-aged woman into a slow-acting, dull looking "fool." She was sent home four months before her term expired.

Ms. Wang Lan, Kunming City Workers' Union staff member, was 57 years old and held in the collective drill ward. She was locked in a confinement cell three times. Team leader Yang Huan and deputy team leader Zheng Ping incited cell heads Liu Yuexin, Na Huixian, Ma Shufang, Luo Zhonghong, Tang Zhongmei, and Yang Shulan to mix Ms. Wang's food with the nerve-damaging drug. This made an astute woman look like a 70-year-old. I witnessed this in its entirety.

3. Beating and kicking

Prisoners, urged by the guards, often beat and verbally abuse practitioners. In summer 2005, prisoner Liu Yuexin invaded the confinement cell, and beat and kicked practitioner Ms. Zhao Xiuzh from Xuanwei County, bruising her back and thighs. Prisoners are also directed to control practitioners' food portions and limit their toilet use. Many practitioners have developed bladder and kidney problems, including practitioners Ms. Tan Lingfang, Ms. Yang Fengzhen, and Ms. Huang Tao.

4. Forcing practitioners to work long hours

All prison ward officials force practitioners to work long hours, doing slave labour 14 hours a day. Their duty starts at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 10:30 p.m. In the winter they have to work until 11:00 p.m. There is only a one-hour break for two meals. Overwork caused practitioner Ms. Huang Tao to develop severe diabetic symptoms. She formerly worked in a mechanical plant in Yuxi City and was sentenced to four years. She was imprisoned in the fourth ward. Her blood sugar index reached 18, and she became skeleton-like. She was bailed out on medical parole in December 2006. Ms. Yang Fengzhen from Lincang City was 69 years old and also held in the fourth ward. She developed heart failure symptoms, lost bladder control, her face and mouth turned black, she had severe oxygen deficiency, and she became skeleton-like. After several months of intervention, she was bailed out for medical treatment in August 2006.

5. When practitioners are persecuted, family members are implicated

Ms. Li Guizhi, in her fifties, was a music teacher at a school in Yangzhonghai, Yiliang City. She was sentenced to three years in November 2004 and imprisoned in the first ward. Her husband and son were devastated, and suffered both mentally and physically. Her husband died, and her son developed mental problems and could no longer take care of himself. Officials from her school tried to negotiate with the prison, but the prison administrators refused to release her.

Ms. Tan Lingfang is retired from the Kunming Power Supply Bureau. More than ten people took part in her arrest on April 22nd, 2005, at about 6:00 p.m. She was sentenced to three years in prison and held in the fourth ward. Her incarceration aggravated her son's illness. He developed uraemia and renal failure, heart failure, and extreme anaemia.

Ms. Du Yingfang was a staff person at the Lincang Communist Party School. She was arrested in January 2005. Participating in the arrest were agents from the 610 Office and the police department. She was sentenced to seven years and imprisoned in the fourth ward. Ms. Du's husband was a staff member of the Lincang Municipal Party Committee. He had a mental collapse after his wife's arrest, and died this year.

6. Recent incidents of abuse and mistreatment

Ms. Xu Jianxia, in her sixties, was arrested and sentenced to three years in January 2003 and abused in the fourth ward.

Ms. Kang Yonglan, in her seventies, was from Yanshan County. 610 Office agents and local police officers arrested her and took her away from her husband, who was seriously ill and hospitalized, in May 2004. She is serving her three-year sentence in the fourth ward.

Ms. Yan Zhengshu, 73, from Yanshan County, was arrested twice, for the second time on April 19th, 2004, when she was sentenced to two years. She was imprisoned in the fourth ward.

Ms. Ye Yanzhen, 60, was from Yanshan County. She was arrested by 610 Office and local police officials and sentenced in May 2004 to three years. She was imprisoned in the fourth ward.

Ms. Li Qun, 46, worked at the Yanshan County Telecommunications Bureau. She was arrested in June 2004, and sentenced to four years. During her incarceration she was held in a confinement cell in February 2007. She was forced to do hard labour and is still being subjected to brainwashing.

Ms. Li Xian, 35, a teacher in the Lincang Middle School
Mr. Li Zhen (Li Xian's younger brother)
Ms. Du Yingfang, staff member of the Lincang Communist Party Institute
Mr. Du Yingxiang (Du Yingfang's older brother)
Ms. Zhu Bing, 52, self-employed
Ms. Yang Fengzhen

The six practitioners listed above were arrested by agents from the 610 Office and the police station in Lincang City in January 2005. Ms. Li Xian and Mr. Du Yingfang were sentenced to seven years. Ms. Li was imprisoned in the sixth ward and Mr. Du in the fourth ward. Mr. Li Zhen was sent to the Dapingba Second Forced Labour Camp in Lufeng County and then to the Guandu District Detention Centre in Kunming City on August 31st, 2007. Ms. Zhu Bing was sentenced to four years. Ms. Yang Fengzhen was sentenced to four and a half years and imprisoned in the fourth ward. Du Yingqun was sentenced to three years and imprisoned in Kunming Prison.

Ms. Shen Yueping and her husband were doctors at the Yuxi City Maternal and Children's Hospital. The couple was arrested twice. Ms. Shen was sentenced to one and a half years of forced labour in 2001, and held in Dabanqiao Women's Forced Labor Camp in Kunming City. In 2004 she was sentenced to five years and imprisoned in the third ward of the prison. Her husband was sentenced to three years and imprisoned in Kunming Prison.

Ms. Chen Guifen, in her eighties, was from Qiubei County. Her daughter was 57 years old. They were arrested in 2004. She was sentenced to three years and imprisoned in the fourth ward. Her daughter was sentenced to two years. Ms. Chen developed stroke symptoms in April 2005 and was released.

Ms. Xu Yuzhen, in her eighties, was from Luxi City. She was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to three years. She was sent to the confinement cell many times by members of the collective drill team.

Ms. He Lianchun, in her thirties, was a peasant in Mengtze County. Local police arrested her in January 2001. She was sentenced to five years and imprisoned in the fourth ward. Her daughter was only one year old at the time.

Ms. Wang Huizhen, 51, worked at Yunnan Province's Xinhua News Agency. She was sentenced to one and a half years of forced labour in 2001 and held in Dabanqiao Women's Forced Labour Camp in Kunming City. After she was released in late 2003, Kunming police arrested her at her home and eventually sentenced her to four years. Her third arrest occurred in August 2008, and no one knows her current whereabouts.

Ms. Zhang Xiaoling, 60, is a retired from the Yunnan Kunming Power Supply Bureau. She and her husband were arrested by Kunming police in 2004, and her home was ransacked. She was sentenced to four years and imprisoned in the sixth ward. Her husband was imprisoned in Kunming Prison.

Kinming police arrested Ms. Guo Juan and her husband Han Zhenkun on April 23rd, 2004. Their home was ransacked. Ms. Guo was sentenced to three years, and Mr. Han to seven years.

Ms. He Qiqiong, 54, is retired from the Kunming Iron and Steel Company. On October 24th, 2004, local police barged into her home and arrested her. She was sentenced to four years and twice detained in the collective drill ward and in a confinement cell. Guard Zheng Ping shocked her with an electric baton. Her health deteriorated sharply, and she lost weight from hard labour in the fourth ward.

Ms. Gao Mingxian, 57, is retired from the Kunming Iron and Steel Company. Local police arrested her in June 2004 and sentenced her to four years.

Ms. Yang Guangju and her older brother are from Sidian County, Baoshan City. Boshan 610 Office agents and police arrested them in 2004 and sentenced them to three years. Ms. Yang was held in the women's prison, and her brother was incarcerated in Kunming Prison.

Ms. Han Junyu, 68, worked at the Yunnan Refinery Plant. She was arrested and held in a detention centre five times and put in a labour camp once. In June 2005 she was again locked up and sentenced, ending up in this women's prison. Her family was only informed two months later.

Ms. Wang Zilan, 66, is retired from the Kebao Coal Mine in Yiliang County. She was sentenced to three years.

Ms. Xie Mei, in her fifties, worked at the Phosphate Fertilizer Plant in Kunming City. She was arrested and sentenced to three years on October 2nd, 2004, and held in the sixth ward.

Ms. Wu Mingcai, 63, is retired from the Jingdong County Forest Bureau. She was arrested on May 29th, 2005, by the Simao District Police. Simao Intermediate Court sentenced her to three years. She was imprisoned in the fourth ward.

There are currently eight to nine practitioners still imprisoned in the collective drill ward and another five in the fifth ward. One of them, sentenced harshly, was an assistant at the practice site. Five or six practitioners are in the sixth ward, and five are in the seventh ward, as well as five or six practitioners in the second and the third wards. Almost all were grossly abused by hard labour over long hours, usually during the night shift.

Note

1. "The 610 office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/10/27/188629.html