Falun Gong Practitioners Tortured with Forced Administration of Drugs at Fanjiatai Prison

A major method of persecution utilised on Falun Gong practitioners at Fanjiatai Prison in Shayang County, Hubei Province is forced administration of drugs and other toxic substances. There are many types of drugs or other chemicals administered to practitioners, ranging from tinctures, jellies, powders, sprays (pesticides, sulphides), and biological pathogens added to medicines that damage internal organs. Such drugs or other chemicals have often led to illnesses including heart failure, kidney failure, and stroke. The drugs also damage the nervous system, the entire ‎digestive system, cause skin disease, and result in other severe health problems. The drugs have been known to come from the higher officials or prison hospital.

Prison officials often administered drugs to Falun Gong practitioners during occasions of large gatherings, when other detainees were absent from their cells. Sometimes they administered drugs to practitioners after midnight, when practitioners were sleeping. The drugs were brought in to the practitioners in cups, water bottles, salted vegetables, food, beds, or clothes.

All practitioners detained at Fanjiatai Prison, especially the steadfast ones who refuse to renounce Falun Gong, have been persecuted by forced administration of drugs.

Mr. Jiang Zhongyin, a practitioner from Hongan County, Hubei Province, was sent to Fanjiatai Prison in 2008. Because he was very firm in his belief, the guards brutally tortured him. Within one month, he was sent to the prison hospital. However, the “medical rescue” made his health condition worse and he passed away three months later.

Mr. Luo Xianbao, a practitioner from Macheng City, Hubei Province, was sent to Fanjiatai Prison in late 2008. He was in his 40s and very healthy. However, his health soon deteriorated and he suffered heart failure, high blood pressure, and a large quantity of phlegm. After being sent to the prison hospital, he became disabled. Mr. Luo was later released on medical parole.

Mr. Cheng Deyong, a practitioner in his 60s from Xianning City, Hubei Province, was very healthy and steadfast in his belief. Some of the inmates assigned to monitor and persecute him called out, “Let's make him mentally retarded!” After long-term administration of drug(s), Mr. Cheng was hospitalised.

There are many cases like this. Among the Falun Gong practitioners who have been sent to Fanjiatai Prison in the last two years, more than half of them demonstrated various illness symptoms or had to be hospitalised.

Since the persecution started in July 1999 until late 2010, at least six Falun Gong practitioners died as a result of torture at the Fanjiatai Prison, including Chen Qiji, Zheng Handong, Xing Guangjun, and Jiang Zhongyin. Many practitioners detained there were disabled, including Liao Yuanhua, Wu Mingan, Hu Yongjun, Li Guangnian, Luo Xianbao, Guo Chunsheng, and Li Changrong. Some practitioners at the prison were treated as psychiatric patients and forced to take psychotropic drugs, including Zhang Mingqi, Wang Yuchao, Guo Chunsheng, and Luan Jianjun. Many practitioners had to be hospitalised, including Zhu Dahua, Li Guohua, Li Zhengwen, Zhu Guangwa, Xiong Shaoxu, Fu Lulin, Li Changrong, Cheng Deyong, Zhang Jiuliang, and Liu Jianyong. A number of practitioners, although not hospitalised, experienced varying degrees of disability in their legs, including Xiong Jianping, Zhou Qing, Feng Feng, and Luan Jianjun. In addition, many practitioners were severely beaten, including Yang Yunhua, Feng Feng, Yu Guangde, Li Junyang, and Cheng Delin. All practitioners detained at the prison were tortured to various extents.

More than 40 Falun Gong practitioners are currently detained at Fanjiatai Prison.

Meanwhile, the guards are often rewarded for torturing Falun Gong practitioners. The bonus for “transforming” [forcibly renounce Falun Gong] one practitioner is 20,000 yuan¹. Guard Xiao Tianbo was promoted to division head for his role in the persecution and torture of practitioners. Guard Zu Jian was promoted to prison officer, and later to division head, for torturing practitioners. Prison doctor Zhang Ying was promoted to prison officer, for his role in the persecution.

Each practitioner was assigned to two inmates, who watched him or her day and night. The guards trained these inmates by having them watch DVDs that slander Falun Gong and stir up hatred. They also gave detention term reductions as an incentive for the inmates to actively participate in the persecution.

Under the instruction of political head Liu Muyang, the guards in Division 4 (Xiao Tianbo, Zu Jian, Zhang Ying, and others) arranged for inmates to administer drugs to practitioners. It may be the case that drug abuse is used to various extents at many or all detention centres, labour camps, brainwashing centres, and prisons where Falun Gong practitioners are detained.

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/2011/5/14/240684.html