Ms. Zhang Shuying's Eyewitness Account of the Severe Persecution She Was Subjected to at the Harbin Women's Drug Rehabilitation and Forced Labour Camp

Name: Zhang Shuying
Gender: Female
Age: 47
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: June 22nd, 2010
Most Recent Place of Detention: Harbin Women's Drug Rehabilitation and Forced Labour Camp
City: Jiamusi
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Detention, forced labour, brainwashing, torture, force-feeding

Before practising Falun Gong, I had serious gynaecological problems and could not take care of myself. I was near a mental breakdown. After practising Falun Gong, all my illnesses disappeared.

As a result of the persecution of Falun Gong I was arrested eight times and put into a forced labor camp four times. I was shocked so severely with electric needles at the Dongcheng Detention Centre in Beijing that I became dysfunctional, lost my memory, and could not speak or take care of myself.

On June 22nd, 2010, I was detained at Jiadong Police Station in Jiamusi City because I appealed for the release of Ms. Ma Chunli, who was paralysed in the prison. At first I was imprisoned at the Heitong Detention Centre, and later sent to one year of forced labour at the Harbin Drug Rehabilitation and Forced Labour Camp.

The following describes some of what I endured in these two places:

Abuse at Jiadong Police Station

Ms. Ma Chunli’s son and other practitioners and I went to the Jiadong Police Station and petitioned for the release of Ms. Ma. Police head Feng Kaidong gave orders for us all to be arrested, including Ms. Zhao Guiying, Ms. Lu Zhiying, Ms. Sun Libin, myself, and others.

At around 10:00 p.m. the police took us to the detention centre. Several officers pulled, pushed, kicked, and beat me along the way from the second floor to the vehicle. At the Heitong Detention Centre, a guard carried me to the third floor and threw me on the floor of a monitoring room.

Hunger Strike in the Detention Centre

I went on a hunger strike to protest. On the third day of my hunger strike I was force-fed. Several people held me down and inserted a thick rubber tube into my nose, leading to my stomach, and affixed it with adhesive tape that was never removed. I felt as if I was going to suffocate. I was force-fed four times per day with cornmeal gruel.

After 50 days of detention I was sentenced to one year of forced labour at the Harbin Drug Rehabilitation Forced Labour Camp.

Persecution at Harbin Drug Rehabilitation Forced Labour Camp

I was detained in a separate room. Several guards and criminals held me down and cut my hair. Then, as they held me down on the floor, they removed all my clothes, and put a uniform on me.

Team head Niu Xiaoyun ordered me to stand. Because I had been on a hunger strike for a long time, I was too weak to stand, so I sat down. He removed the stool I was sitting on, and I fell down.

The guards and collaborators ¹ tried to use their twisted theories to brainwash me. I went on a hunger strike to protest, and I was force-fed. The force-feeding took place in a washroom and at a warehouse. The perpetrators held my head, pulled my hair, held my nose, and used a soybean flour mixed with salt to force-feed me.

We had to get up at 4:30 a.m. and could not go to sleep until 10:00 p.m. every day. The small stools had corrugated seats designed to make our buttocks hurt as if they had been stabbed with needles, and we were forced to sit for long periods of time.

We were forced to watch a brainwashing video. A female police officer mentioned that she was going to find a separate room for me to watch the video. I replied that I would go on another hunger strike if she did so. The officials discussed this for a while and had to give up.

Twelve practitioners were tortured with "hanging up" and "sitting on an iron chair" torture methods, for practising the exercises and spreading Falun Gong articles. One of them, Ms. Liu Shuling, died as a result of the torture. According to the witness, she was tied up on the iron chair and electrocuted.

Officials found some Falun Gong articles in Ms. Chen Min's possession this past July. Political head Liu Ming gave orders for the iron chair torture. Ms. Chen had a heart attack and fell down. Liu Ming forced her to lie on the floor for two weeks and her legs were stretched. She was also denied use of the toilet, and her term was extended another 20 days.

Ms. Wang Yanqiu had acute heart disease and all-over oedema.

Ms. Yu Xiaohua’s blood pressure reached as high as 240. Her tongue was hard, and she had difficulty speaking. It was life threatening. The guards ordered her family to bail her out for medical treatment, to shirk their responsibility.

The person held the longest after her release date passed was Ms. Liu Yanhua from Yichun. Her term was extended by six months. Ms. Zhao Chunyan's term was extended for more than four months. My extension was 50 days.

When the release dates of determined practitioners neared, the officials arranged with the local 610 Office (an organisation of special agents just for persecuting Falun Gong) to have us picked up. So, there may be further persecution. Ms. Ding Qian from Shandong was sent to another labour camp for one year after being released from this one. She is now in the Shandong Wangcun Forced Labour Camp. Ms. Liu Hui from Hegang was sent to a brainwashing centre after being picked up from here. I have refused to tell the persecutors where I am from. Finally, when my family came to ask about me, I was released.

My health deteriorated after multiple detentions and lengthy hunger strikes. My memory is bad, and I often become absentminded.

Note

1. "Collaborators" (former practitioners, brainwashed against Falun Gong, made to assist in brainwashing and torturing practitioners)

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2011/9/12/246532.html