Masanjia Forced Labour Camp--Hell on Earth

Masanjia Forced Labour Camp is the provincial-level labour camp in Liaoning Province. The degree of its evilness is beyond description. The horrors in that camp are also beyond the imagination of anyone who has not personally experienced them.

In that labour camp, the rights of a detainee are non-existent, for detained Falun Gong practitioners and criminals alike. At the will of the guards, the inmate is deprived of sleep and use of the toilet; not allowed to brush his teeth, wash his face, talk to others, consult a doctor, or eat without permission; has no control over his personal belongings; and much more. Also, criminals can bribe the guards to get let off if they injure or kill another detainee. Lawlessness is the norm, and even the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) so-called laws are circumvented for a large enough bribe. Human rights are non-existent at Masanjia, and right and wrong are reversed.

Below is only a tiny sampling of what I witnessed at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.

1. Payment for Out-of-Area Prisoners

It is rumoured that detainees at the labour camp that are from other provinces were bought by the labour camp. The prices vary. For a detainee from Beijing, the labour camp pays 800 yuan¹; from Dalian City, 400 yuan; and between 200 to 300 yuan for detainees that come from other areas.

2. Extra-Heavy Hard Labour

What is the reason for buying detainees? These prisoners automatically become slave labourers. All the work these prisoners do is for the material benefit of the guards. The harder the guards drive these workers, the more money is in it for the guards.

Before August 11th, 2008, work began as soon as prisoners got up, sometimes as early as 4 or 5 a.m. The work quota was unimaginably high, regardless of the individual's health. The quota remained the same even if one was ill, disabled, elderly, a slow worker, or unskilled. The justification was, " If others can get it done, you can, too." Fast workers had to work until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. and the slower ones had to work around the clock. No pity for anyone.

In the autumn of 2007, inmates from the Number 6 Team harvested wheat during the day and had to work on handicraft tasks at night, resulting in three days of sleep deprivation. Anyone who did not complete the assigned task was shocked with electric batons or beaten by the "Four Defences." These are criminals that were given the task of monitoring other prisoners by bribing the guards. Their main responsibility was to watch practitioners and other detainees. Before the Beijing Olympics, prisoners from the No.1 and No.2 male section had to work very long hours, generally until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., and for four to five days at a time. Before the Olympics, prisoners from Section 5 had to work until 4 a.m.

Falun Gong practitioners are detained in Section 3. Between 2007 and September 2008, practitioners in the male section of the labour camp were assigned to perform hard labour. Inmates, other than practitioners, had their terms reduced through doing hard labour, but practitioners had their terms reduced only if they agreed to write the so-called Three Statements².

Mr. Xu Shanglong was beaten cruelly by the guards of Section 8. Mr. Sun Hongkai developed inflammation of the nerves because of a lack of certain vitamins. His foot became infected and was quite swollen. Then he had had high fever for several months. Despite all that, he was forced to do hard labour daily. Even the elderly were forced to work, with no leniency regarding the assigned quota.

Ma Yaozong, who is disabled and has to use crutches, had to harvest wheat. Mr. Li Changxi's leg was badly injured from a car accident and he was in excruciating pain, yet he had to harvest wheat and perform other kinds of hard labour. The guards did not provide medical treatment. Finally, due to an acute infection, he was taken to a hospital, as the guards did not want to accept responsibility for his health. Everyone had to work and only death could release one from hard labour .

3. Deprived of Freedom by a Legalised Criminal System

Prisoners were not given any freedom, which even included restroom visits. There were three teams in Section 2, the No. 5, 6, and 8 teams. All had to go to the toilet at the same time - no exceptions. Each person was given very little time. The "Four Defence" people shouted, "Be quick, be quick," which made it very hard on inmates. Everything else had to be done quickly, including work performed, eating, grooming, and so on.

Practitioners detained in Section 3, a section created expressly to detain Falun Gong practitioners, were treated more brutally than other prisoners. Toilet visits were severely restricted. Even the elderly were not exempt from that rule and were not allowed to use the toilet at night.

In Section 2, detainees were not allowed to speak to each other. Mr. Dong Xiang from Liaoning Province was cruelly beaten by Sun Yujun, one of the "Four Defence" members, because he uttered one sentence. Then he was taken to Wang Hanyu, the person in charge, who also beat him inhumanly. One could see a bloody fingerprint on his face. He was also forced to stand until midnight. Because of this incident, the rest of the practitioners had to sit on small stools for an extended period of time.

4. Cruel Torture

The guards and inmates in Section 3 demanded that every practitioner write the so-called Three Statements. They held "Exposing and Criticising Others Meetings" and "Recite the Camp Rules" events. There were many more of these events. Whoever refused or didn't co-operate was cruelly tortured.

When newly-arrived practitioners refused to write the Three Statements, guards and the "Four Defence Team" tried to intimidate them. If this did not work, they shocked practitioners with electric batons, tied them to a bed, or subjected them to many different types of cruel torture. The guards held them to the ground and then split their legs apart. Anyone who changed his mind after writing the Three Statements, or responded with answers not expected by the guards would be tortured again. The "test" in Section 3 was for the guards to see what was on a practitioners' mind, which then was used as an excuse for further torture.

During "study" sessions, the guards talked about the "death quota." If a practitioner refused to be "transformed³," he or she would be tortured to death. Anyone who ignored the guards, refused to recite the camp rules, watch the CCP television programmes, or learn or sing the CCP songs, would be tortured. No matter what the guards asked of the prisoners, if they did not do as directed, they were tortured.

Cases of Abuse of Practitioners

Below are selected cases of abuse and torture of Falun Gong practitioners at Masanjia Forced Labour Camp.

1. Zhao Fei from Dalian City: In September 2007, he was detained in Section 8 of the No.2 camp for shouting "Falun Gong is wonderful!" He was brutally tortured. He was cruelly beaten by the "Four Defence" people. In response, he went on a protest hunger strike and was therefore tortured even more inhumanly. When Mr. Zhao was on a hunger strike, he was too weak to walk. Guards from Section 8 ordered the Four Defence team to make him go downstairs for meals. They dragged him, face down, to the cafeteria, from the fourth to the ground floor and then back the same way for more than ten days. His blood stained the stairs. On November 15th, 2007, he was taken to the hospital. No one knows what happened to him.

2. Li Laifang from Beijing: In 2008, he was detained in Section 6 of the No.2 camp. Because he shouted "Falun Gong is wonderful" in the cafeteria, he was beaten. Then he went on a hunger strike to resist the persecution and was put in solitary confinement for 15 days and tortured. Recently, he was transferred to Section 3 of the No.1 camp. His situation is unknown.

3. Cui Dejun from Liaoning Province: He and another prisoner broke out of the labour camp during the Beijing Olympics. Two days later, they were arrested. Mr. Cui was taken to Section 6, where they tied him to a bed for two months. Then he was taken to Section 3 in the No.1 camp for torture and brainwashing, including "Splitting the legs" and the "Big Hang Up."

4. Liu Yu, Luo Chunguo, 55, and Zhao Liankai, 60, from Wushun City: They shouted "Falun Gong is wonderful" immediately after arriving at the labour camp. They were shocked with electric batons, including on the mouth. Their mouths were so swollen that they could not eat.

5. Sun Yi: She suffered brainwashing and torture because she refused to be "transformed". She went on a three-month hunger strike. The torture methods she was subjected to included being stretched, being force-fed mustard oil, and having her mouth opened by force with a tool.

6. Cai Chaogang: When he first arrived in Section 3, guards, including Wang Yanmin, Su Jufeng, and Liu Jue, tortured Mr. Cai using various methods. Yu Jiang shocked his back with an electric baton until his skin peeled off. After that, guards Jin Shan, Su Jufeng, and Liu Jun split his legs. Then his hands were handcuffed and he suffered the death bed torture. Former practitioners that had been "transformed" were ordered to brainwash him. He couldn't move his arms for several days, his left thumb became numb, his legs were injured, and he could barely walk. The guards claimed that he faked being seriously injured.

7. Li Hailon, from Inner Mongolia: He was stretched for five hours, injuring his arms and legs, which didn't healed for quite some time. The guards claimed he faked being injured. They continued to torture him. They also made him squat and stand up repeatedly.

5. Personal Belongings Stolen

Some detainees had money in their prison accounts. The guards used that money for themselves. Guards confiscated prisoners' personal belongings and products, such as brooms and other cleaning tools, paid for by the prisoners.

The food was substandard. There was sand in the rice. The steamed rice cakes were not well cooked and tasted too sour or were too small.

At the end of 2007, detainees were loading wheat on trucks. Three trucks were to be loaded daily with about 10,000 kg of wheat. Prisoners were only given two meals a day. At the No.1 camp, even on Chinese New Year's, they received the same meal as usual. There were only more rotten leaves in the Bok Choy and potato soup. They did not receive enough food on the fifth day of the Chinese lunar calendar and had to buy food from the camp's grocery store.

The kitchen's unsanitary conditions are indescribable. The tap water in Section 2 had a strong foul odour. The water, even after being boiled, was very muddy. When rinsing mushrooms with the tap water, blue-green streaks were noted.

There were only cold water showers. Many detainees developed skin problems, some had eczema, some had sores, and some had lice.

Prisoners were seldom allowed to take a shower or wash their clothes. Time for any personal chores was limited and many people could not wash their clothes due to lack of time.

6. Fabricated Inspections

Before any official inspection team arrived, the camp would be secretly informed so that they could prepare for it. Everyone had to memorise the camp rules. Memorising the rules had to be done during the evening, as hard labour was the only agenda during the day. Two days before the inspection, sanitary conditions in the camp improved dramatically, but that did not include personal grooming. As long as everyone looked clean superficially, with short hair and clean uniforms, no one cared. The No.2 camp guards always did a perfect job of covering up the true conditions in the camp. They handed out white drapes, white bed sheets, basins, towels, etc, but did not allow anyone to touch them, because they would be stored again until the next inspection.

In this camp, healthy people become sick because of unsanitary conditions and brutal torture. Anyone who gets sick and becomes bedridden has to pay for his or her own medical expenses.

Escape attempts are common. Between August and December 2008, prisoners escaped on two separate occasions. Higher level CCP people heard about it. This worsened the situation for everyone else.

I'm calling on all people to pay attention to the inhuman treatment perpetrated in Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. Please help the people detained there, especially Falun Gong practitioners who are innocent and victims of the CCP's persecution and smear campaign.

Note

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

2. "Three Statements": Practitioners are coerced under brainwashing and torture to write "Repentance Statement," "Guarantee Statement" or 'Dissociation Statement" as proof that they have given up their belief. In the statement, the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practising Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.

3. "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.org/mh/articles/2009/10/27/211165.html