Exposing the Mistreatment of Practitioners Detained at the Heilongjiang Women's Prison

In April 2003 I was arrested and incarcerated in the Heilongjiang Women's Prison where I was held for four and a half years. At that time SARS was running rampant. The guards detained five of us practitioners in a "classroom," together with five criminals. During the day we were made to sit on benches for long periods, and at night we had to sleep on the desks. The guards also had criminals keeping close watch on us when we used the toilet. Wang Xiaoli, then captain, ordered us to recite the prison rules. When we refused, she had us stand still for several hours. Luu Hongfang was already in her 70s, yet she was not spared from the abuse.

In June 2003, Wang Jinfan was sent to a confinement cell. I went to the captain to request she be let out. Guard Tao Dandan slapped my face with a flyswatter and deputy captain Luu used her palm to slap me.

In mid-August 2003, I was made to either stand or squat for several days in a row because I refused to do hard labour. The persecutors included captain Zhao Xiling, guard Zhang and criminal Jiang Ying.

In late December 2003, more than 30 practitioners protested the persecution. Afterwards, the guards tortured us for several days. The first day they dragged us outside to suffer in the freezing cold. We were forbidden to wear hats and had to roll up our sleeves to bare our arms. The guards also cut our hair really short, so our ears were exposed.

We were not given any water to drink and we had to eat our lunch outside. At night the guards took us in and had us sit on tiny benches, without sleeping. Whoever was spotted dozing off would be hit with sticks. The second day we were each given only half a steamed bun for breakfast before we were taken outside. The guards ordered us to run laps until noon. After lunch we were made to run again. A group of criminals were ordered to surround us and beat any of us that stopped running.

Practitioners Zhang Li and Wang Yan were shocked with stun guns. Since I fell behind, guard Yu Bo knocked me down. A few criminals dragged me to a pile of snow where they lifted my coat and pushed stomach against the snow. They also held my hands and knocked them against icicles until they bled. The guards injured practitioners Wang Dan and Tang Hengfen's legs.

The third night captain Wang Hua ordered criminals to sew a patch of red cloth on the back of each practitioner's prison uniform with words saying "Section Two Criminal So-and-so." We struggled to strip the patch off. The fourth morning we refused to be taken outside. Three guards grabbed small benches to throw at us, breaking a few. Two criminal inmates carried me forcibly outside. Such gross abuse and mistreatment lasted for over one week. Practitioner Yu Xiulan got severe frostbite on her hands and was later put into a confinement cell.

On March 2nd, 2004 I was dragged to the office and forced to sit on a tiny bench. A few criminals kept me and other practitioners under surveillance and subjected them to the same mistreatment. Toilet visits had to be done at set times. We were forbidden to move around freely or speak with each other.

On March 8th, 2004, practitioner Xie Yaqin asked to use the toilet, but criminal Wang Cuiling slapped her on the face instead. We all stopped her from doing any more of it. Guard Sun Jian exclaimed, "Take off your prison uniform if you don't think you are a criminal!" All of us removed our prison uniform. In the afternoon, shortly past 1:00 p.m. captains Cui Hongmei and Xia Fengying led guards Zheng Yu and Sun Jian to us. They tied us up with ropes and dragged us back to our detention cells where they tied us to the ladders of the bunk beds.

A bit past 3:00 p.m. the following afternoon, criminals Han Hongwei and Xin Lirong dragged me from my detention cell on the sixth floor to a room on the fifth floor where they had me witness Yao Yuming being tortured. Yao had her hands cuffed behind her back to the bed guardrail. She couldn't stand, nor could she fully squat. She was in a very painful position. [She later died as a result of long-term torture.]

A while later, several criminals ordered Zhang Shufen to step on a small stool and cuffed her hands to the highest point of the top bunk of a bed. Then they kicked the stool away, leaving Zhang's feet dangling, unable to touch the ground.

They subjected me to the same torture as Zhang, only in a different room. That night, criminal Wang Yuanyuan grabbed hold of my hair and slapped my face and kicked my genital area. She didn't release me from the top bunk until around 8:00 p.m..

One day in May 2004, criminal Tang Hui knocked me down in the detention cell and stomped on me. I shouted, "Falun Gong is good!" Criminal Liu Xiaoguang then sealed my mouth with tape. The second night I refused to answer roll call. Criminal Shao Hongling pinched me. After the roll call, prison head Liu Zhiqiang had a talk with us. I asked him, "How are you going to deal with the criminal who pinched me?" He replied, "It's a problem [that can't be solved]. I am a man,and I can't examine where you have bruises. Keep in mind some criminals work for the government."

That night all the practitioners were tied up to the ladders of their bunk beds and made to stand in that posture for more than 12 hours. At noon the following day, six criminals including Liu Xiaoguang, Teng Fengying and Ms. Zhang handcuffed Song Qing and me and hung us up at the top bunk bed. Five minutes later they let us down and tied us up to the ladder and had us stand till seven in the evening.

On December 21st, 2004 guards Zheng Yu and Yu Hongbo forcefully strip-searched us, to examine whether we had Falun Gong articles.

Practitioner Gao Guizhen couldn't bear the humiliation. She knocked her head against a file cabinet. Fortunately she was stopped and didn't incur severe injury. I shouted, "Falun Gong is good" and got a kick from a criminal. Zheng Yu pretended she didn't see anything and dragged me to the hallway where she handcuffed me. She didn't remove the handcuffs until she finished strip-searching everyone.

During evening roll call, practitioner Zhang Liwen wanted to report the strip search to the prison political section officials. Criminals stopped her. Practitioner Yu Xiuying and I went ahead to stop the criminals, but were taken back. Guard Liu Xiaofang didn't bother to ask what happened and tied the two of us up to a bunk bed. After a day of torture I fainted while using the toilet. I was pale and was cold all over. I was carried to the bed where I stayed for four days.

In December 2004, practitioners Zhang Linwen, Zhang Jing, Zhang Xiaobo, Guan Suling and Zhang Liping were handcuffed and hung to the top bunks of their beds. I spoke with the guards, requesting them to stop the torture and allow us to remove our prison uniforms. I was taken back to my cell. In the afternoon, guards Liu Heng and Zhang Min arrived with four criminals including Sheng Qiaomei and Zhang Xiuyuan. They pushed me down, put the prison uniform on me and hung me up. They covered the door with a bed sheet.

On March 4th, 2005, I asked to write a letter to my family, but they refused to provide paper or pen. Practitioner Li Xiuying and I then went on a protest hunger strike. Two days later guard Zhang Min led criminal Li Li to force-feed us. Another criminal, Shang Xiaomei, twisted the feeding tube in my nostrils so hard that I bled profusely.

On April 20th, 2005, I started to do the Falun Gong meditation. Criminals Hou Liping, Wang Liying and Zhang Feng beat me for a whole morning, leaving bruises on my legs and feet.

In 2005, we refused to let criminals monitor us and took off our prison uniforms. For several months afterwards, the criminals put the uniforms on us every day.

On December 29th, 2006, the guards ordered that all practitioners be held in their detention cells without going out. Some cells even had their windows covered with newspapers. Practitioners were forbidden from seeing or talking to each other. Every cell had to take turns using the toilet. Two criminals were assigned to monitor each practitioner. Following a meal, the practitioner couldn't wash the bowl. Instead, the criminals did the cleaning. Morning and evening the criminals got water for practitioners to wash themselves. From six in the morning to eight at night, all the practitioners had to sit there still. After the eight o'clock roll call we went to bed where we must lie down instead of sitting up. Criminals worked shifts to monitor us. Each of them received a black notebook to record our every move and word. I had the chance to take a peek at criminal Lu Shanshan's notes. All the criminals had to report their notes to guards Yu Hongbo and Ming Tianying and had them sign the report.

On January 18th, 2007, right after lunch I started to do the meditation. Cell head Li Yanping saw me. She ordered criminals Wang Zhenxia and Lu Shanshan to beat me. After a while, Lu suddenly kicked my chest and threw me to the ground. She then hit my head hard, causing a big bump.

In February 2007, criminal Li verbally abused me. I ignored her. She became irritated and jabbed her knee into by back. Criminals Wang Zhenxia and Lu Shanshan helped her beat and curse me.

On February 28, 2007, while I washed my clothes, I suddenly had abnormal heart beat, and my lips turned purple. Guard Yu Hongbo told me to either take some medicine or go to the prison hospital. I replied that my condition was a result of long-term torture, not an illness. I refused to go to the hospital. Yu Hongbo then ordered me to write a statement clearing the prison of any responsibility should I be in any danger. I firmly refused and did not go to the hospital.

At present, many practitioners are still being tortured at the prison. I hope kind hearted people can extend their help to stop the persecution.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/4/21/199376.html