Cases of Sleep Deprivation Being Used as a Means of Persecuting Falun Gong (Part 2)

Continued from Part 1: http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/26/124656.html

Deprived of Sleep in Prison

Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in prisons over the past eleven years. They have been mistreated physically and mentally. Almost every Falun Gong practitioner has gone through a period of strict supervision upon arrival at a penal institution. If a practitioner refused to be “transformed” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong], the prison authorities would use harsher methods. Sleep deprivation has been used often.

Here is but one example:

Ms. Liu Deqing, in her 60s, a doctor at the Hailun Health Hospital, Heilongjiang, was persecuted in the Heilongjiang Women's Prison. She recalled, “The guards did not let me sleep for more than ten days. If I tried to sleep, they would use a toothpick and stab me, or beat me with a stick or brush, and they grabbed my hair and smash me up against a wall. I was also kicked and refused use the toilet. If I urinated on the floor, I had to use a cloth to wipe it up.”

The following sections detail the situations at two particular prisons, by way of example of what is going on all across China in the persecution of Falun Gong.

Shijiazhuang No. 4 Prison

In Shijiazhuang No. 4 Prison, Falun Gong practitioners were often tortured by a method known as "Enduring Eagle," which was a form of prolonged sleep deprivation. The prison guards and the prisoners took turns monitoring practitioners to make sure they didn't fall asleep. They rub the practitioners' eyeballs with a dry towel if they fell asleep. Guards would turn benches upside down and force practitioners to sit on the legs of the benches with their legs crossed. The entire body weight would be on the bench legs and no movement was allowed. If the practitioner moved they were tortured. Food was initially provided, but rationed not long there after; and then practitioners were prohibited from eating, drinking or using the bathroom. Every day the practitioners were questioned, tortured and subjected to brainwashing with falsified news clips. According to the prisoners, people subjected to this torture technique would begin to discharge blood after 4 days, and experience mental collapse 5 days later. If the practitioner was transformed, the prison guards receive a bonus and the prisoners received a reduction in their prison term.

Here are some examples:

Mr. Ke Xingguo, an employee at the Ministry of Agriculture, was held in Shijiazhuang No. 4 Prison. The prison authority placed him in a ward with strict supervision where he was hanged, deprived of sleep and beaten for nearly 50 days. He was later forced to do hard labor in shackles.

In March of 2003, Mr. Guo Zhengqing was tortured using the “Enduring Eagle.” He was not allowed to sleep for eight consecutive days and nights. Together with other prisoners, the Third Team political head, Liu Rufeng, brutally tortured Mr. Guo for three nights. Mr. Guo lost consciousness numerous times, and his face and limbs were deformed by the eighth day. Mr. Guo became disabled because of the brutal torture, and his right leg was numb all of the time.

Mr. Liu Huimin was locked in a stage studio and was tortured using the "Enduring Eagle" in March 2003. He was also severely beaten. Mr. Liu was forbidden to use the toilet, eat or drink, and denied warm clothes in winter. He had to wash his soiled pants and wear them wet. He was also forced to sit on the legs of a bench and was kept awake. The prison guards used a dry towel to rub his eyeballs if he became sleepy. Prison guard Zhang Zhonglin, and other inmates brutally tortured him. Mr. Liu's ribs were broken; he almost died from a heavy punch to his testicles, and he lost his memory.

Prisons in Gansu Province

In October 2005, Wang Zhongmin, who took over the office of the director of the Gansu Province Prison Administrative Bureau, carried out a comprehensive and brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the prisons in the entire province. He also invited so-called "experts" of Falun Gong persecution techniques from Beijing to the prison so that they could teach the local prison guards how to better transform Falun Gong practitioners. One of the methods included sleep deprivation, which supposedly resulted in a high rate of "transformation." These so-called “experts” said that sleep deprivation was low risk and that normally people could not withstand this mistreatment for more than three days. Because the deprivation of sleep doesn't leave any sign of injury on a person's body, the prison authorities did not worry about the practitioners families seeking legal redress.

A "transformation" team headed by Shi Tianyou, the newly appointed deputy head of the prison, was set up in Lanzhou Prison. Most of the guards were drafted from other prison wards. They worked together along with the most vicious criminals, to torture practitioners. One small cell was specifically designated for detaining practitioners. Inside the cell was a television, which showed propaganda videos that slandered Falun Gong, and practitioners were forced to watch these programmes.

Cruel Treatment used on the Eyes – Supplementary Means to Sleep Deprivation

The human eye is very sensitive. In order to make the practitioners suffer, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) put irritating substances such as hot pepper, mustard, hard liquor and mentholated balm into practitioners eyes. They might also shine bright lights into their eyes. In addition to all the cruelties listed above, practitioners are actually beaten on the eyes, targeting the eyeballs directly.

Here are some examples:

Mr. Guo Xiaojun is a lecturer employed by the Computer Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University. In January 2010, officers from the Baoshan District Police Department arrested him without reason, detained him in solitary confinement at the Baoshan District Detention Centre, and tortured him with prolonged sleep deprivation. They shined bright spotlights into his eyes which caused him to have blurred vision. Mr. Guo experienced “temporary blindness” at least once a month. On January 18th, 2011, Shanghai Tilanqiao Prison was pressured into taking Mr. Guo to the Nanhui Prison hospital for an eye exam. The optometrist identified Mr. Guo's eye problem as a retinal artery spasm. This disease is caused by over stimulation to the eye. If not treated immediately, it could lead to permanent blindness.

Ms. Yang Xianfeng, from the Shashi District of Jingzhou City, Hubei Province, was detained at the Yingguan Village of Zhongshan Park for nine days. During that time, the police didn't allow Ms. Yang to sleep and would keep her awake by shining bright lights into her eyes. The police doused her eyes and mouth with red-pepper water. They also stuffed a lit cigarette up her nose, which caused Ms. Yang to lose consciousness.

Ms. Zhu Yinfang is from Chengdu city, Sichuan Province. She was transferred to the Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp on April 25th, 2003. Guard Pan Rong told the prisoners, "Don't allow her to close her eyes! I'll punish you if she does." Prisoner Liu Ping brought mentholated balm which Chen Liyan dropped it into Ms. Zhu's eyes. Ms. Zhu was in so much pain she could not open her eyes. The prisoners cruelly beat her. Prisoner Chen Liyan stepped on Ms. Zhu and hit her very hard with the legs of a stool.

Ms. Tan Shaowei, from Puhui Village, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, was arrested and taken to the Hongshan Addiction Treatment Centre in July 2002. She was forced to drink dirty water, stabbed with a needle, and forced to consume spicy water. In order to prevent her from shutting her eyes, the guards put mustard around her eyes, nose, and mouth and reapplied the mustard every once in a while. It made her eyes tear, her nose run, and her mouth salivate. They then collected all of the secretions and forced her to swallow them.

Hongshan Brainwashing Centre of Huangpu District in Guangzhou, also used this physical punishment. Ms. Fan Meixia recounted her experience in 2002. In order to prevent her from shutting her eyes, the guards “would often force me to lie on the floor face up and then they would drip hot pepper juice, hard liquor, or hot mustard into my nostrils and eyes.”

Mustard is particularly irritating to the body. The guards would often use it in large quantities to torture practitioners. Ms. Wang Minli from Jilin City was illegally arrested on March 15th, 2007, and detained at the Yueshan Road Police Dog Base. The police savagely beat and tortured her. They poured a bottle of spicy mustard oil into her eyes, causing her to become blind in one eye. They also broke one of her legs when beating her with wooden sticks.

Ms. Zhang Guiqin from Qiqihar City, Heilongjiang Province, was taken to the Tiefeng Criminal Police Team in April 2001. The police poured soapy water into her eyes.

Mr. Xu Dawei, from Qingyuan County, Fushun City, Liaoning Province, died at the young age of 34. Mr. Xu was persecuted for eight years in prison. One of the tortures he suffered in the Lingyuan Prison was the "extreme stretching method." The limbs would be stretched in four different directions for 24 hours a day. He was also denied the use of a restroom. Mr. Xu was in tears and soaked with sweat from the extreme pain he endured. The sweat would get into his eyes and burn. Usually, a person was unable bear this mistreatment for more than three days, but Mr. Xu 's limbs were stretched for seven days the first time and then many times thereafter.

Ms. Hou Lihua, 40, from Mudanjiang City, Heilongjiang Province, was taken to the Aimin District Police Department in November 2001. The police tortured her around the clock for five days and did not allow her to sleep. If Ms. Hou closed her eyes, they would pull her eye lids apart, and curse her.

Ms. Li Xiuzhen, from Anqiu City, Shandong Province, was detained in the Jinan Women's Prison in 2002. Ms. Li was deprived of sleep for 28 days. When she could no longer keep her eyes open, the prison guards stuck scotch tape around her eye sockets and then pulled them up and down. Sometimes, they even used a piece of broom stick to prop open her eyelids.

In the Weifang Forced Labour Camp in Shandong Province, torture methods such as flicking the eyeballs with the fingers and hitting the eyeball with a damp towel were used to deprive Falun Gong practitioners' of sleep. These techniques were taught amongst the staff.

Mr. Wang Guiming, from Tonghua City, Jilin Province, was detained at the Jilin Prison in 2002. An inmate nicknamed "Gorilla" in the 4th Ward is very malicious. He taught inmate Lu Sizhu, various torture methods. One method was hitting the victim's eyeball by flicking it with the thumb and middle finger, after which the victim would experience great pain and blurred vision. The inmates used this on Mr. Wang.

Ms. Yang Jusheng was an employee of the Shuangfeng County Food Company in Hunan Province. She was detained in the Baimalong Forced Labour Camp in 2004. Ms. Yang was deprived of sleep for 13 days, and was not allowed to close her eyes. She closed her eyes once because she was could not keep them open any longer, and guard Yuan Jia ordered one of the drug addict prisoners to hit her eyes more than one hundred times.

Many times, the CCP concealed the truth of the torture methods used on practitioners. However, because of the shocking condition of their bodies, the methods employed were considered to have been severe.

Mr. Wang Jinzhong from Shenyang City died as a result of persecution on June 13th, 2004. After his death, Mr. Wang's body was found naked except for underwear. His eyes were open, and his eye sockets were black and blue, sunken, and the eye itself putrid. His mouth was open, the cheekbones protruding, and his cheeks were black and decayed.

Such cruel treatment to the eyes of Falun Gong practitioners' is common. More reports of such mistreatment can be found here http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/6/124252.html.

Other recent reports presented similar cases:

In the report “The Crimes of Chen Lixin – an Officer from Baoshan Town Police Station of Fengcheng City” (http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/3/23/237991.html ), the author says, “Chen Lixin hit the practitioner's face and eyes in the face of the practitioner's father. The father said, 'I've never seen a person that malicious in my life.'”

In another March 23rd report “Jinzhong Guards Ordered Prisoners to Brutally Beat Mr. Wang Zhigang, Resulting in Blindness” (http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/10/124328.html), the author says, “This once healthy man became blind in his right eye and the sight in his left eye became blurry after brutal beatings by prisoners.” “Once, when sewing cushions, prisoners Yu Tao and Zhang Xiaojun brutally hit Mr. Wang in the face. Mr. Wang's eyes were injured. Another time, because Mr.Wang protested when taken to a small room behind the Third Ward workshop, they brutally hit his face again, resulting in further injury to his eyes.” “Everyone who met Mr. Wang said that he was sincere, kind, tolerant, and happy to help others. During the time of national flooding in August 1998, he gave almost all his income to the victims. He paid for all kinds services and donated 15,000 yuan¹. The Taiyuan Evening News reported on his donation at that time. In return, Mr. Wang Zhigang, an outstanding young man, has suffered brutal beatings, making him blind and causing him physical and mental harm.”

Note

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

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2011/4/14/238998.html