Witness Recalls Scene in Chaoyanggou Forced Labour Camp: Walls Stained with Blood

The Changchun Chaoyanggou Forced Labour Camp is the headquarters where male Falun Gong practitioners in Jilin Province are held. Currently, the camp has detained over seven hundred male Falun Gong practitioners along with over three hundred criminal prisoners. Right after I first entered the camp, I was appointed by the prison guard to be a "clamper." That is, one of two criminal prisoners who "clamp" onto one Falun Gong practitioner without leaving his side, monitoring his daily life whether he was dressing, eating, sleeping or walking.

We did not allow practitioners to talk to or interact with one another. Even a small mistake would result in a clamper being cursed and beaten by the monitor or person on duty. Using the prison guard's words, "There is no need to give any explanation." The forced labour camp claimed to exercise civilized management, in fact it was obedience reinforced by violence. In the camp, the prisoner on duty or monitor had secured their positions with money by bribing the prison guards with meals, cigarettes and miscellaneous expenses. However, all of these expenses could be recouped from prisoners under their charge.

When I first got into the camp, like other prisoners, I didn't have much of an understanding about Falun Gong; I didn't know what was happening. After a period of interaction, I understood that Falun Gong practitioners were good people with kind hearts. Especially notable was their kind way of handling situations and people, their free and easy spirit of not seeking fame and wealth, and patiently and painstakingly telling us of Falun Gong in private. All of this made me admire them from the bottom of my heart. I also memorized many poems from the book Hong Yin [poems written by Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi], and felt light, comfortable, at peace with myself, and joyous in my heart.

At the end of March, the Secretary of the Provincial Standing Committee made a visit. The atmosphere suddenly became very tense. He left the words "Within three months, Falun Gong's 'transformation rate' must reach 95% -- use any methods and at all costs punish the remaining 5%." It was said that Luo Gan personally stayed in Changchun to monitor the situation and reprimanded anyone who did not do a satisfactory job. On the evening of April 4, the fourth division prison guard Wang, infamous for his propensity for violence, and prison guard Zhao, who was known to have many connections in the underworld, suddenly began to assault Li Jianguo and seven other newly detained Falun Gong practitioners. They took turns using electric batons and police clubs to brutally beat them. Afterwards, these two police even gave each other a high five to celebrate their "successful operation." They had an even more vicious torture method called "ten thousand arrows pierce the heart." They jabbed toothpicks under the practitioners' fingernails and toenails.

On April 5, it was Qingming Day. [The day on which the Chinese pay their respects to deceased family members at their tombs] The sky was gloomy and dark with a light drizzle. In the evening, the wind howled and clouds of dust flew up. The supervisors, the prison guards and prisoners in every team began a concerted effort to torture the steadfast Falun Gong practitioners. Electric batons, police clubs, iron sticks, police ropes, triangular belts, axe handles, punches and kicks rained down on the practitioners. The heart-wrenching cries of pain from practitioners went on for a long time.

Sun Qunying of the third team (who has since then been transferred to the fourth division) had his clothes stripped off by the prisoners and was whipped with a triangular belt until there were wounds all over his body. More than a dozen people surrounded and beat one practitioner. The captains and prison guards of the First and Second team were the most vicious. They used all sorts of brutal methods to torture the practitioners, staining the walls with the practitioners' blood. The entire forced labour camp was placed under a shroud of terror. My heart shivered while I witnessed this inhuman, bloodcurdling bloody scene. I was at a loss and didn't know what to do. I didn't understand why Falun Gong practitioners were tortured to such an extent just because they practised some exercises and clarified the truth about their persecution.

Many with an iron will never gave in. They would not submit even until death. Their will was strong like steel, standing between heaven and earth, solid and indestructible. Their stories can move one to tears. On the morning of April 6, during breakfast, many Falun Gong practitioners had to be physically supported by the prisoners. There were a few Falun Gong practitioners with serious injuries in Division No.1 that couldn't come out of their cells.

Two criminal prisoners supported Wang Tianming, whose head was wrapped with gauze. He was curled up, and he had completely lost the capability to walk and sit. Li Ou's leg was fractured from the beatings. Li Weiming's back was broken due to the beating. It was only because they persisted in their belief that they received such brutal persecution. It's little wonder that one prison guard once said, "Yes, we are scoundrels, if we are not scoundrels, we can't do this job." How shameless was this admittance! Prisoner Xu Hui in Division No.1 was released one year early because he brutally beat Falun Gong practitioners.

On April 9, the whole camp held a meeting to mobilize an attack on Falun Gong. The director of the camp, Wang Yanwei was determined to bring down Falun Gong. They used Division No.4 as a role model for the persecution. We were forced to study how they conducted the physical and mental attacks.

Now, the second round movement of persecuting Falun Gong has begun in the forced labour camp. I don't know what kind of tribulation these innocent people will suffer. After beating and torturing them, the guards will then try to exploit them for monetary gains.

As a Chinese citizen with a conscience and a Changchun city resident who knows the truth about Falun Gong, I can't bear to see so many innocent citizens who have been tortured. I cannot be unmoved and not do anything. I really want to tell the truth to others and say a fair word for them. I hope those people with righteousness can stop the evil conduct of these hatchet men in time and redeem the huge damage done to these innocent, kind, and good people. Finally, I hope all people both in Mainland China and overseas will pay close attention to them and give them support and help, so they can be out of danger as soon as possible.