Ms. Ma Chunli Tortured at Harbin Women's Forced Labour Camp, Now Physically Disabled

Name: Ms. Ma Chunli
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Address: Jiamusi, Heilongjiang Province
Date of Most Recent Arrest: March 17th, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Harbin Women's Forced Labour Camp
City: Harbin
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Forced labour, torture

Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Ma Chunli was tortured at the Harbin Women's Forced Labour Camp to the point of being physically disabled. She showed symptoms of serious blood loss over an extended period. Ms. Ma's relatives visited her at the labour camp in September 2011, and found her to be both emaciated and pale. She needed to support herself with a makeshift cane in order to walk. One leg was severely atrophied and didn't reach the floor, and the other leg was also losing body mass and could barely touch the ground. Every step she took was painful.

At approximately 10:00 a.m. on March 17th, 2010, Sun Lei, along with two other officers from Jiadong Police Station, arrested Jiamusi Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Ma Chunli at her home. They took her to the Jiadong Police Station after confiscating her computer, Falun Gong books, materials which explained the facts about Falun Gong, and other personal property, which were subsequently used as “criminal evidence” for holding her at the Jiaomusi Detention Centre. After being persecuted at the detention centre for twenty one days, Ms. Ma was sentenced to two years of forced labour and taken to the Harbin Women's Forced Labour Camp. During that entire time, her family received no news of her whereabouts, nor any legal documents regarding her arrest or sentencing.

While Ms. Ma was being detained, her relatives, and friends accompanied by her only son, made long and arduous journeys to the labour camp to see her. During their visits, they found that her physical condition was becoming progressively worse. A police officer monitored their most recent visit, so she wasn't allowed to tell them about her actual situation, however her relatives pressured her to explain her current situation, so she said carefully, “I began involuntary spasms several days ago and often vomited blood. I'm suffering from tuberculosis.” Her relatives understood that she had been tortured to disability for upholding her belief in Falun Gong. They visited the forced labour camp officials and requested Ms. Ma's release for medical treatment.

Ms. Ma's relatives tried several times to find an official to state their case. They finally were able to speak to Liu Ming, a police officer from Group 3. Liu Ming denied the fact that Ms. Ma Chunli had vomited the blood and said, “We have doctors, so we can treat her illness, and therefore can't release her.”

Ms. Ma's relatives spoke with Zhao Jiakun, the official on duty, and made the same request. Her relatives said, “Ms. Ma started vomiting blood back in August. You've conducted physical examinations for inmates at the beginning of the year. Her illness is endangering her life, and is also affecting the health of other cellmates. She not only vomited blood, but can barely walk. Didn't you see her condition? She was healthy when she was brought here, but now you've tortured her into this terrible condition! Do you want her to be physically disabled?” Zhao Jiakun replied, “She did this to herself. Why didn't she participate in the labour activities? Why didn't she cooperate with us? Everyone else performed labour, but she just refused to join in and laid in bed all day.” Ms. Ma's family remained concerned and said, “She couldn't even talk. Why did you force her to do hard labour?” Zhao Jiakun said, “She couldn't be released because she didn't meet the required standards. We can release her only when she's unable to take care of herself.”

Ms. Ma's relatives said, “You're not allowing us to take her, even though she's already ill to such an extent. Why are you waiting? We've heard that someone died here recently.” The official guiltily replied, “Don't talk to me about such a thing.” He immediately turned away and left.

Ms. Ma's teenaged son Zhao Xin once accompanied his relatives to see his mother at the Jiadong Police Station, where officers Lu Jinglong and Liu Dehui turned on him, and gave him a fierce beating. Sun Lei took Zhao Xin into his office, locked the door and lectured him. Profanity was heard constantly from the inside office. Zhao Xin ran out of the police station in sheer panic. Since his mother was detained, Zhao Xin had no financial resources, and was forced to drop out of school. While his peers have their parents to rely on and look forward to attending college, Zhao Xin has to figure out how to survive on his own.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/9/27/247215.html