The Persecution of Practitioners in the No. 10 Ward of Liaoning Province Women's Prison

In the No.10 Ward of Liaoning Province Women's Prison, the detainees are forced to do manual labour producing items for the clothing industry. The inmates are enticed by term reductions and other rewards to abuse Falun Gong practitioners.

Persecution Cases

A. Ms. Wei Yuhong

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Wei Yuhong is detained in the No. 3 Team of the No.10 Ward. Once when she was not allowed to drink water and she protested, several inmates, led by Wang Jingyan, beat her. They sealed her mouth shut with tape and beat her until she was covered with bruises.

During her detention, Ms. Wei was confined in a small cell for one week because she refused to be searched by ward head Dai Jing at the end of the work day. There was no window in the cell and no sunlight. It was so cold that she was unable to sleep. She was given only steamed cornbread to eat.

On another occasion, she suffered a beating just because she spoke to another practitioner while in the toilet. She currently remains in prison.

B. Ms. Chen Shang

Ms. Chen Shang is detained in the No.3 Team. She has been confined in a small cell. She's had a recurring skin disease during her detention, which made her skin peel a lot. For over six months, she was not allowed to see her family. She is still in prison.

C. Ms. Ma Liyan

Ms. Ma Liyan was detained in the No.3 Team. The guards instigated the inmates to beat and verbally abuse her. Because she drew pictures about Falun Gong, she was placed in solitary confinement in a small cell for about a month.

D. Ms. Lou Caihua

Ms. Lou Caihua is detained in the No.3 Team. Instigated by the guard Zhang Yanru, head inmate Chen Fengyun and other inmates beat her viciously until she was covered with bruises. Chen Fengyun shoved dirty socks into her mouth.

Guard Zhang Yanru took 600 yuan¹ given to Ms. Lou by her husband and used it for her own ends. Ms. Lou is still in the prison.

E. Ms. Wang Cunyan

Ms. Wang Cunyan is detained in the No. 2 Team. Once she was beaten to the ground by Dai Jing, the head of the ward. Two other guards immediately dragged her into an office to prevent others from seeing what was going on. She has high blood pressure, up to 240 at times. Her condition is critical. However, she is still forced to do the manual labour. She remains in detention.

F. Ms. Li Dianqin

Ms. Li Dianqin was detained in the No. 5 Team. She was forced to stand straight for long periods of time. She was held in the solitary detention cell before she was released.

G. Ms. Ma Yuxin

Ms. Ma Yuxin was detained in the No. 3 Team. Because she refused to be brainwashed, she was tortured by inmate Liu Xiaoyan and was forced to stand for 48 hours nonstop and not sleep. At that time she had high blood pressure of up to 190.

In the No. 10 Ward, the guards do not allow the practitioners to call their families or speak to others, especially to other practitioners. The inmates are organized to monitor practitioners, with two inmates monitoring one practitioner. They follow the practitioners 24 hours a day and everywhere they go, including when they eat, sleep, and go to the toilet.

Persecution in the No.10 Ward

A. Beaten or Electrically Shocked When Unreasonable Quotas Are Not Met

The inmates and practitioners in the No. 3 Team were forced to make clothes. They were divided into two groups, one to prepare the fabric, the other to operate the sewing machines. Everyone was assigned an unreasonable workload. For example, the one operating the sewing machine had to work 620 minutes per day. If she was unable to, she was verbally abused and punished, such as being shocked with an electric baton, kicked, or slapped. They had to work at least two hours on Sunday. Those who prepared the cloth had to do it for several people quickly; otherwise they would be yelled at or beaten.

Sometimes there was extra work besides manufacturing clothes. This was done in the prison cells after working long hours in the workshop. Once the inmates were assigned to embroider crosses. For more than 10 days, they had to work overnight while they still had to finish the daytime work.

B. Forced Labour with Long Work Hours

Every day the inmates in the No.10 Ward started to line up at 6:40 a.m. for the workshop. They would finish, at the earliest, at 7:00 pm. They sometimes worked overtime, until 9:00 p.m. They once worked overtime every day for more than a month. Everyone was so exhausted when they returned to their cells that some had difficulty climbing the stairs. Some were not allowed to eat dinner or go to the toilet if they didn't finish the daily quota.

C. Taking Advantage of the Inmates

Every newcomer was required to purchase a white bed cover priced at 40 yuan and were required to buy one again every six months. The bedding left from a previous inmate was confiscated and sold again to newcomers for 240 yuan per set. A plastic box was sold for 70 yuan, which was required in the cell as well as in the workshop. A handbag was required under the bed to carry clothes and daily things, and this was sold for 100 yuan. A lunch box cost 40 yuan.

A newcomer was not allowed to buy other things on their own. If her family member brought some food for her during a visit, the food could be taken away for no reason.

D. Poor Working and Living Conditions

The workshop in the prison was built with metal. In the winter, it was warm on the south side and cold on the north side. The inmates working at the south side had to open the window to cool down. The inmates on the north side were frozen even with two pairs of thick cotton trousers, and they needed to go to the toilet more often. The guards often refused inmates' requests to go to the toilet, which was unbearable for the inmates, especially the older women. In the summer, the whole workshop was hot, like a steam bath, and it was hard to breathe. Heat stroke was not uncommon.

Everyday, only 15 minutes was allowed for washing, including showering, brushing teeth, or washing clothes. It was not enough time, especially during the summertime when one was soaked with sweat after work. The water used for showers was from a well and was unbearably cold.

Newcomers would become noticeably older looking in less than six months. Many inmates got sick. Those who were allowed to go out for medical treatment were often diagnosed with late stage cancer, and some were never seen again. Some inmates were unable to endure it and experienced a mental breakdown.

In 2011, the No. 10 Ward was merged with the No. 8 Ward. The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners here is still going on.

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://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/3/30/238247.html