Ms. Liu Jinlian, 71, Sent to Forced Labour Camp Twice

Ms. Liu Jinlian, 71 years old, is retired from the Sixth Chemical Factory in Harbin City. Since childhood she had suffered many illnesses. She underwent two major eye surgeries but still could not see clearly. Due to sinus problems, she had to undergo surgery. She also suffered from osteo-proliferation throughout her body, had problems with her cervical vertebra and heart, as well as hypertension. There was a point where she could not take care of herself. After she started to practise Falun Gong, however, all her ailments disappeared, and she became healthy.

Ms. Liu went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong in October 1999. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) police arrested her shortly after she arrived and detained her at the Harbin City Office in Beijing. Soon after, two officers from the Xinle Police Station of the Daowai District Police Department in Harbin City moved her from Beijing to the Second Detention Centre in Harbin City. She was detained for 16 days, and 1050 yuan¹ was extorted from her by officers from Xinle Police Station under the guise of transportation expenses between Beijing and Harbin.

After she was released from the detention centre, an officers known as "Big Chen" from the Xinle Police Station frequently went to her home to harass her. When she questioned him, he said that the director of the residential committee reported that she had again gone to Beijing.

In 2001, someone reported Ms. Liu to the police while she was handing out Falun Gong materials in Wanbao Village, Wanbao Town, the Daowai District in Harbin City. The police from Wanbao Town arrested her and took her to the Harbin Second Detention Centre. Officers from the Xinle Police Station also ransacked her home. After being held in the detention centre for three months, she was sent to Wanjia Forced Labour Camp for one year.

While Ms. Liu was imprisoned in Wanjia Forced Labour Camp, she got progressively weaker. She had scabies all over her body. Eight years later, her body still has scars from the scabies.

In Wanjia Labour Camp, she was forced to watch TV programmes that slandered Falun Gong. Then the "Reformed²" or "Transformed" practitioners who had turned against Falun Gong tried to force her to write a Guarantee Statement to renounce Falun Gong. She refused. The guards then made her sit on a tiny bench for a long time, which caused her buttocks to develop raw sores. She was not allowed to go outside and had to stay in the dank, humid prison without a break. Guards, "reformed" practitioners, and prisoners also tormented her psychologically. All this further weakened her, and her whole body, face, and even her eyelids were covered in scabies. The Wanjia Forced Labour Camp authorities also made her sort toothpicks every day from dawn to dusk.

Ms. Liu was eventually released. Officers from Xinle Police Station took her ID card away and never returned it. When she asked for it back, the police officer who was in charge of household registry said, "Our words do not count for anything. We cannot do that."

People from the Xinle Police Station frequently went to Ms. Liu's home to harass her and take away Dafa-related materials. In the beginning of 2003, officer Zhang Shiyan from the Xinle Police Station in the Daowai District broke into her home. He saw her Falun Gong books and said, "I thought we had already confiscated all your Falun Gong books. Why do you still have books?" Zhang Shiyan then called several police officers to arrest Ms. Liu again and take her to the Harbin Second Detention Centre. The police detained her with the Strict Control Team, which was for prisoners facing the death penalty.

In the Strict Control Team, Ms. Liu was made to "hold the chicken wing" every night. Prisoners are forced to lay down to sleep on their sides, holding the feet of another prisoner, who must to do the same thing. They have no room to even turn over and have trouble breathing in such cramped conditions.

After being detained with the Strict Control Team for a few days, Ms. Liu was sent to Wanjia Forced Labour Camp for one year of forced labour. After giving her a physical exam, the labour camp refused to accept her due to her poor health. Officers from Xinle Police Station then bribed the Wanjia camp officials, who then accepted her. Once there, she was subjected to forced labour and psychological torture. She was also brutally beaten by guard Yao Fuchang. In April 2003, Ms. Liu did not answer roll call loudly enough. Yao Fuchang slapped her face repeatedly and threatened, "If you do not sound off correctly again, I will torture you to death." Afterwards, Yao Fuchang forced her to squat on the ground for long periods of time.

On February 17th, 2009, the police in Harbin City escalated the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners as the city prepared to host the Harbin 24th Winter Universiade. Ms. Liu Jinlian and other practitioners were again arrested and had things confiscated from them by the Xinle Police Station. Ms. Liu was detained at the Harbin Second Detention Centre. Police officers An Hong and Gao Yilin extorted 3000 yuan from Ms. Liu's family and released her on March 21st.

Officers from the Xinle Police Station then frequently went to Ms. Liu's home to harass her and brought her son to the police station to threaten him and to force him to monitor her. The police even followed her daughter-in-law (not a practitioner) to work.

Xinle Police Station of the Daowai District in Harbin City: 86-451-82540501

Note

1. "Yuan" is the Chinese currency; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.

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/2009/8/8/206125.html