I am an ordinary Falun Dafa practitioner. In the past, I was plagued by diseases. I had been taking medicine for over several dozen years since I was a child. The more medicines I took, the worse my symptoms became. In 1995, I was lucky to begin cultivation in Falun Dafa. I was pleased to notice that shortly after I started cultivation, all my symptoms improved. I spent more time studying Dafa, practicing Falun Gong exercises, and cultivating my xinxing (mind nature). I understand that Falun Dafa is the great law (Dafa) of the universe and nothing can change a Dafa practitioner's determination in cultivation.
Let me briefly describe the persecution that I have experienced. On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin [Chinese President] and his followers used their power to start slandering Falun Gong and brutally persecuting Falun Gong practitioners. On July 24, 1999, the local police illegally arrested me, and 4-5 policemen interrogated me. Because I did not give in, they sent me, together with another practitioner, to the district police station. There, they handcuffed us to the bedside for 48 hours without giving us any food or allowing us to go to the toilet. Since it was during the hot summer, I got a lot of mosquito bites, which turned into big blisters. I was released only after my family took me out on bail. This was the first time that my human rights were violated.
The second time happened on September 26, 1999. In the evening, the local police came to my home and took away my identification card, claiming that they were afraid that I would go to Beijing to appeal. They also told me that the local police chief wanted me to report to the police station. When I got there, they let three policemen watch me and did not let me go home. They asked me if I would continue my practice in Falun Gong. I asked them how I could give up such a good cultivation practice. They told me that they would put me in custody if I continued my practice. Finally, they charged me with "interference of public order" and forcibly sent me to a detention center where 500-600 practitioners were detained already. We Falun Dafa practitioners are all good people abiding by the law. They illegally detained us just because we practiced Falun Gong. We had done nothing wrong. On the evening of September 29, 1999, all Dafa practitioners started a hunger strike to demand the release of all detained Dafa practitioners. On October 6, most of our Dafa practitioners were found not guilty and released . This was the second time that my human rights were infringed.
The third time occurred on the evening of October 16, 1999, when I was having dinner at my home. The police came and told me that the local police chief ordered me to report to the police station. They told me that I would be able to come back home in a moment. After I got there, they brought me to a small room and started to interrogate me. They detained me for 15 days just because I am determined in cultivating Dafa.
The fourth time happened on November 1, 1999. On this day, they extended the term of my detention for another 15 days under the excuse that I was not cooperative. They detained us together with criminal inmates and purposely caused difficulties for us. We were fed with non-refined corn flour and water-like soups. We had to eat, urinate, and defecate in the same room. Those inmates could beat and scold us at will. The guards turned a blind eye to all the abuses.
The fifth time was at 7:00 am on February 19, 2000, when the police smashed and kicked in the door of my home. I woke up in shock. After they got into the room, they warned me that I should behave myself well and stay at home and not go anywhere. They did not present any search warrant. They looked around in the rooms and in the end they took away four audiotape players and four copies of Zhuan Falun.
The sixth time was on February 21, 2000. Because the police interfered with my normal life, illegally detained me four times and on one occasion (the fifth time) falsely accused me, repeatedly searched my home and confiscated my belongings, forced my working unit to stop paying me (although I still worked), left me with no income for living, and did not allow me to practice Falun Gong, I went to the State Appealing Office in Beijing to tell them my experience and reveal the truth about Falun Gong. I was taken away right after I got to the office. I was handcuffed and brought back to the local police station. I was detained for another 15 days and the crime they charged me was "going to Beijing to make troubles." Going to appeal is a basic human right granted to the citizens by the Chinese Constitution. I protested the detention through a hunger strike.
The seventh time was in March 2000. I was sentenced to one year of forced labor in a labor camp. The sufferings in the labor camp were beyond description. Since the labor camp did not allow us to practice Falun Gong, all the symptoms of my previous diseases appeared again. Over thirty people closely watched me. I was not allowed to talk or walk around. I had to get their permission for everything. The breakfast lasted only for two minutes and it included only a small piece of steamed bun and a half bowel of gruel. Although the given food was not enough, they took away my chopsticks before I could even finish my breakfast. Anyone who was slow in stopping to eat after two minutes would be beaten and abused no matter who you were, young or old. The labor camp was even crueler toward Falun Gong practitioners. Every practitioner who just arrived there would be beaten up. After the beating, the practitioner was ordered to write a report and a "guarantee" letter. Everyone who refused to cooperate would be tortured everyday with all sorts of means. We appealed many times and were all directly turned down. The practitioners there were deprived of all their human rights. The guards let the inmates watch Dafa practitioners. No one was allowed to study Dafa, practice the exercises, possess a pen, have contact with the outside, or meet their family members. Under the connivance of the labor camp head, the inmates watched, abused, beat, and humiliated the Dafa practitioners everyday. The inmates could search our personal belongings and our bodies at any time. The guards said, "It is not me who deprive you of your human rights. You do not have human rights at all. Jiang Zemin has taken away all your human rights." What was even worse happened on June 26, 2000. On that day, the evil persons violently beat up the practitioners. Two inmates watched one practitioner. If the practitioner did not write the repentance letter, the two inmates would beat up the practitioner without caring whether he or she would live or die. The practitioner was not allowed to sleep for several days. It was at that time that I was seriously wounded. I could not take care of myself and I could not go to the toilet by myself. At that time, I requested the labor camp to allow me to get out on bail for treatment. Seeing that I was indeed in a serious condition, they released me on the condition that my family and the work unit must guarantee that I would not go to Beijing to appeal again. I was hospitalized for one month. Because my work unit did not pay me, I could not afford the treatment, and my family had to borrow money to cover all the expenses. Even now I still own a debt of over 6000 Yuan. [about US$710, average monthly wage in China is about $60]
The eighth time was in 2001. They set up a "transformation" class for practitioners. The street administrative office head and police ordered me to go to the police station. They let four policemen watch me. I was not given any food. They took us here because they were afraid that we would go to Beijing to appeal. I was held in the "transformation" class for 7 days. They tried to brainwash us everyday with those evil stuff. My freedom was strictly limited. The police kept watching me even when I needed to go to the toilet. We resisted those bad things with Dafa and refused to listen to their fabricated lies. We simply slept there. I was interrogated three times in those seven days. Every time, I told them that I was determined to cultivate in Falun Dafa to the end and would never break away from Falun Dafa.
The ninth time was also in 2001. Because I firmly cultivated in Falun Dafa and did not break away from Teacher, I was detained again for 15 days. They did not allow me to study Dafa and practice Falun Gong there. I made no consideration whether I would live or die this time. When I was released, the guards told me that I should hurry up and go home to practice.
What was mentioned above was all my personal experience. I want to bring this to the attention of the United Nations Human Right Organizations and countries or individuals who are concerned with human rights in China. I like to go to testify in person. I hope that your efforts could help to stop and prevent further persecution of Falun Gong by Jiang Zemin and his accomplices.
Yu Ying (pseudonym), a citizen from Mainland China
