Elderly Ms. Yue Changzhi Recounts the Torture and Abuse She Experienced in the Beijing Women's Prison

The Clearwisdom report about Qinghua University graduate Ms. Liu Zhimei who was persecuted to insanity in prison (see http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2010/2/18/114775.html), has many people shocked by the cruelty of the Chinese police. How could these guards be so vicious toward a young, female college student? The experience of another Falun Gong practitioner, an older woman from Beijing, further illustrates how these low means are utilised.

Ms. Yue Changzhi, 70, was an electric apparatus engineer employed by the China Aerospace Ministry. She twice appealed for justice for Falun Gong, and was arrested and detained multiple times. After being forced to leave home to avoid being arrested again, the police put Ms. Yue on a nationwide wanted list. Later, the State Security Ministry arrested her younger daughter in Beijing, tortured her, and finally arrested Ms. Yue Changzhi at her younger daughter's home. They sentenced her to four years in the Beijing Women's Prison. Due to the many tortures she endured, Ms. Yue's life was frequently in danger. Her spine was fractured in two places and because she received no treatment or rest, her spine was seriously bent, and her lower back twisted severely.

Ms. Yue firmly believes that the guards put drugs in her meals. She told a journalist that she has always been a very clear-headed woman, no matter how difficult her life was. For example, when her husband was in the hospital due to being tortured during the Cultural Revolution, her 11-year-old son told her his head ached, then died within minutes. She was able to keep a calm mind to handle the situation. But when she was in prison, she became foggy-headed, and her whole body ached.

Ms. Yue related, "I began cultivating Falun Gong in June of 1996. In July 2003, Domestic Security officers arrested me and sentenced me to four years in prison. On March 11th, 2004, I was taken to the Tenth Ward of the Beijing Women's Prison, where there were nearly 50 practitioners. The guards assigned prisoners to torture the practitioners. They stomped on me and pinched my body, causing bruises. My spine had two fractures. They forced me to stand overnight, deprived me of sleep, beat me, and cursed at me.

"I persisted for one month, but later felt I could not bear it physically any longer, and announced that I accepted the brainwashing, against my will. Another month later, at the beginning of July 2004, I declared my intention to resume cultivation. I endured huge suffering over the next four months. Although I went through a lot, my mind was clear, and my determination never moved.

"By the end of 2004, I suddenly had a foggy head. My body was in extreme pain, but I never imagined the guards would have put drugs in my meals! Three section chiefs tortured me in person. They interrogated me 24 hours a day, pulling me to stand at each cell, forced inmates to criticise me, beat me, cursed me, and tore my clothes. In wintertime, they did not allow me to wear warm clothes, or warm shoes, and forced me to stand in military style; otherwise they would force the whole prison - over one hundred prisoners - to stand for a long time. They did this to make me accept the brainwashing,

"Around December 2004, the guards instructed the prisoners to abuse me in the cell while shouting slogans. The content of these slogans were meant to force me to give up Falun Gong, and to check and see if I still was in a clear mind. I found my situation not normal; I could not control myself. My heart told me these slogans were wrong; however I could not stop my mouth from repeating them.

"They forced me to stand all day long, for many days. My unclear mental condition became worse at night, to the degree that I felt strangeness around me, and was unclear where I was. I was in the Tenth Ward on the fourth floor all the time, but I felt I was in a basement. I could not find my way to the toilet after being there tenth months. The most serious thing was that I had severe pain all over my body. It was like every cell was in pain; I could not bear to stand, and felt that life was worse than death.

"About 2 a.m., the 'nice' Warden came. I wanted to squat down due to my extreme pain. She would not allow me, but sternly ordered me to write a statement to dissociate with Falun Gong. I did not want to do that, and said to myself in my heart, no way! But my hand didn't follow my mind. Another guard came and ordered me to write, 'Do not want eternal life!' I said in my heart, 'How can one not want eternal life?' But this voice in my heart was too weak compared with the force controlling my hand. I was writing like a puppet.

"They did not let me rest for 30 hours. They did not even allow me to sit, squat, hold onto something, or lean on anything. I had to write while standing, and they forced me to write the same statement repeatedly. After 36 hours, they let me rest a little bit. I immediately regained a clear mind, and realised I did a shameful thing when my mind was unclear! I was so regretful, I did not want to live any more. This kind of psychological/spiritual persecution is damaging beyond description.

Later, I read a Clearwisdom article titled 'Labour Camp Guards Admit They Put Drugs in Falun Gong Practitioners' Meals, (http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/12/11/191392.html). It made me recall when I was in the prison, and I had exactly the same symptoms. I firmly believe I was drugged."

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2010/2/17/218338.html