Shandong Provincial First Women's Forced Labour Camp Exploiting and Abusing Falun Gong Practitioners

Since the Chinese Communist Party began the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, countless Falun Gong practitioners have been arrested and taken to detention centres, brainwashing centres, forced labour camps, or prisons. When they refuse to be "transformed," [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] they are often deprived of sleep, assaulted, forced to stand, made to stand in a confined space, and so on. As a result, many of them suffer swollen feet and lightheadedness due to prolonged standing, and they still have to do forced labour around the clock without drinking water or access to a toilet. What they hear is: "Work quickly!"

The following are personal accounts of practitioners who have been persecuted in the Shandong Provincial First Women's Forced Labour Camp (also known as the Jinan Jiangshuiquan First Women's Forced Labour Camp).

The camp gives practitioners excessive workloads. One practitioner, Ms. Li Guijun, suffered from swollen legs and feet, and couldn't even put on slippers. After being sent to a hospital for treatment, her condition did not improve. When she returned to the camp, the lesion still oozed daily. She suffered for nearly six months before she was released for medical treatment.

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Yang Qingai had a fever of 39-40 degrees Celsius and was still forced to work overtime.

If extra labour duties can't be completed, prison guards report it to the labour bureau. When a notice is passed down, many innocent people are sent to a labour camp to do heavy physical work. In order to complete the work and get praise from their superiors, they are forced to work with only three to four hours of sleep, regardless of the scorching heat in summer or frigid cold in winter. There is no leisure time for those imprisoned in the labour camp, despite the fact that labour camps claim they allow "rest days."

On snowy days, truckloads of people were sent to the camp. When the number of inmates exceeded the capacity of the camp, new arrivals had to live in the toilets and offices. When there was an inspection from higher authorities, some inmates were locked up in the washroom along with their belongings. During winter months, the toilet wasn't heated and it was as cold as an icehouse. Prisoners' hands and feet often cracked and swelled from the cold, even if they wore thick coats. When their wounds opened, the exposed muscles oozed pus. No one could bear to see it. But the guards didn't have the slightest pity on them and only cursed loudly: "You are so useless; you can't even do a good job. There are piles of work waiting. If you don't finish, you won't be allowed to sleep tonight!" When there was an inspection by the authorities, the guards would allow them to go to bed at 10 p.m. but would get them up at 4 a.m. to work quietly. The inmates weren't allowed to fold their bedding, just in case there was an unexpected inspection so they could quickly go to bed and pretend they were sleeping. As soon as the inspectors left, they were all sent back to work immediately.

Among those involved in carrying out these oppressive tactics, the fourth brigade captain Wang Kun is the worst in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. When one practitioner was persecuted to the point that she could no longer see and she asked for more suitable work, Wang Kun said ferociously: "Even if you are blind, you still have to work."

During the bitterly cold months, practitioners unwilling to give up their faith were forced to sleep on the cold wooden floor without a blanket or quilt. The guards not only forced heavy workloads on them but also tortured them physically and mentally. More shockingly, they poisoned their minds with drugs. Prison guard Wang Suzhen added some unknown drug in the food given to Ms. Wu Cheng and she developed a mental disorder. She became paralysed soon after she was released from the camp.

These unspeakable acts of torture, under the system of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), are common occurrences for these prison guards.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2010/7/14/226976.html