Persecution Carried Out at Zibo Women's Labour Camp in Shandong Province

In 2008, during the Beijing Olympics, I was arrested by Xiang Hongping and officials from the Wendeng Domestic Security Division and detained for six months. I was subsequently sentenced to two years of forced labour. During a physical examination, I was diagnosed with hepatitis B and high blood pressure. Nevertheless I was still sent to Zibo Women's Forced Labour Camp. During my detention, I was brutally persecuted. I also witnessed many Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted unscrupulously and tortured for refusing to give up the practice. Below is a brief narration of what I saw and went through in the forced labour camp.

1. Food laced with drugs given to practitioners

In 2009, I happened to see a female drug addict inmate bring a bowl of food into the prison warden's office. Zhao Wenhui, head prison warden, took a packet of drugs from his drawer and passed it to the inmate, who mixed it into the bowl of food. This was given to a practitioner who refused to give up the practice. After that, I saw the same prisoner going into the office to get the drugs on several occasions and lacing the practitioner's food with it. Several other practitioners and I found ways to warn the steadfast practitioner, who was unaware that the food given to her had drugs in it.

2. Practitioners were handcuffed, abused, and beaten

The prison wardens used drug addicts, prostitutes, and other prisoners to monitor, abuse, and beat practitioners.

A young female practitioner was handcuffed and hung up, beaten, stripped naked, and not given any food for refusing to give up the practice. In order to reach the quota of forcing all detained practitioners to give up their belief, the prison wardens spared no effort in torturing the practitioners with despicable methods.

A practitioner was tortured by Jiang Liwen and Sun Dandan, two female drug addicts, until her whole body was covered with wounds. They beat her day and night, hitting her in the chest and back. This practitioner was locked up every day in a solitary cell. She was forced to stay within an area as wide as a floor tile. She was beaten if she stepped out of this boundary. She was also not allowed to sleep. In winter, she was made to wear thin clothing and was drenched with cold water while the doors and windows were open. She could not go to the toilet and was given a small piece of a bun to eat, which was first thrown into a filthy spot before it was given to her. She was spat on and punished by being forced to stand for one whole day. The drug addicts kicked her while wearing high heeled shoes. Her legs were swollen, and she was in such bad condition that she could not even lift up anything as a result of the abuse.

Another practitioner was hung up in the bathroom by her handcuffs and not given any food or water. She was more than 50 years old. Song Min, a prison warden, instructed convicts to spare no effort in beating her since she was still fit and healthy.

Just before the Chinese New Year in 2009, a newly arrived practitioner was beaten by Wang Zhi, a female drug addict. Her face became swollen from the beatings. In the end, she was brutally beaten to death by Wang Zhi. Officers Zhong Ning and Wang Jun were summoned during the night to handle the matter. That night, I saw officer Liu Guiling printing documents to deceive the family members of the murdered practitioner. A few days later, Wang Zhi was released.

3. Forced labour

Prisoners were often forced to work overtime. When higher ranking officials came to inspect the labour camps, the prison wardens would make the prisoners sit in an orderly fashion reading books. Living conditions would also improve during this period. When the inspection was over, the prisoners were forced to make up for the break they had during the inspection. Once, an official from the province came to conduct an examination. The prison wardens chose a few prisoners beforehand and ordered them to say that they only worked six hours a day. However, in reality, the prisoners worked more than 18 hours a day.

4. Forced to sing songs glorifying the Chinese Communist regime while persecution secretly continues

In 2009, prison warden Sun Zhenhong began using a cruel method to torture practitioners. Those who had to go to the toilet had to first report to the officer and sing songs glorifying the regime. If they refused, they were not allowed to use the toilet. A practitioner who was fit and healthy when she first came to the labour camp went home unable to walk as a result of the persecution. Jiang Liwen, a female drug addict, shoved a crochet needle into her ear and left it in there for several days. When it was removed, a piece of flesh came out with it. This practitioner became crippled from the torture and could only walk using a small wooden stool as a makeshift crutch. The prison warden even said that if she died, it would be handled like a natural death.

There are many secrets in this labour camp. Once, a few of us were sent to clean up the classrooms in another building. We saw many individual rooms in the building with metal beds and surveillance equipment. We heard that there was an underground cell and that the prisoners detained in it had to relieve themselves in the cell. There was no light in the cell. Steadfast practitioners were locked up in these cells and tortured. Once, I saw several prison wardens dragging a barefoot practitioner across the ground while her hands and feet were tied up.

The persecution accounts I have written are just the tip of the iceberg.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/1/5/234549.html