Elderly Practitioners Tortured at Henan Province Women's Prison

There are approximately 200 Falun Gong practitioners detained at Henan Province Women's Prison (also known as the Xinxiang Women's Prison). In 2005, it was recognized as a "model" ministerial-level prison because of the way the guards there viciously tortured practitioners.

Practitioners are mainly held at the No. 9 Ward (formally the No. 11 Ward) and the No. 11 Ward (formally the No. 5 Ward), with the majority of them being elderly women, the oldest being over 70 years old. The guards force them to string pearls together, the smallest pearl being the size of a grain of rice and the largest one being the size of a soybean. Because the holes in the pearls are so tiny, the women have to wear high-powered reading glasses when stringing them together. After bending over a work table for long periods of time, many practitioners could not endure it and started to experience symptoms of high blood pressure, with some even becoming bedridden.

The guards strictly limit the practitioner's use of the toilet and even require them to apply for a permit whenever they need to use it! Guards also force the women to watch fabricated TV programmes slandering Falun Gong. Practitioners are physically tortured, verbally abused, isolated in tiny cells, deprived of sleep, and are not allowed to bathe. They are also forced to take part in lengthy brainwashing sessions and are not permitted to talk to each other.

The guards often order several inmates to "help educate" the practitioners by monitoring them while they are sleeping, eating, and even when they use the toilet. Occasionally when there is an outdoor activity, the practitioners are forced to practise other forms of qigong. Even when the practitioner's terms have expired, the guards often extend them for arbitrary reasons or no reasons at all. The designation, 610 Office¹, never appears on any official prison release forms.

Ms. Li Miaoneng was beaten by guards at the Yanshi Detention Centre. As a result, she developed symptoms of a stroke and high blood pressure. Because she was unable to take care of herself, two people have to look after her every day. When her family comes to visit her, several people are needed to carry her to the visiting area. The prison classifies her as "severely disabled" yet they refuse to release her on medical parole, citing numerous excuses.

Among the young practitioners incarcerated at Henan Province Women's Prison, Ms. Liu Ningning, 17, was sentenced to eight years in prison, five years ago. She used to be a happy and spirited girl with a twinkle of joy in her eyes. Now that twinkle is gone.

Ms. Yang Xiuling has been isolated in a small cell for over a year now because she did not give up her belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She is forced to clean the restroom facility at the No. 4 Division.

Ms. Zhang Chunhua has been imprisoned for five years. Although she suffered extended periods of sleep deprivation and was subjected to long days and long nights of gruelling forced labour, her mighty faith never wavered.

Ms. Zhao Xilian, in her forties, is now a white-haired lady as a result of being tortured and mistreated. Guard Li Xia (female) not only bribed criminal inmates to monitor the practitioners, but she also ordered them to help "transform²" the practitioners.

Guards involved in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners:
Li Xia, group leader of the No. 11 Ward, Li Ronghua, group leader of the No. 9 Ward, and guards Yuan Wenjuan and Teng Hai'ou

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.

2. "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://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2009/6/24/203333.html