The Impossibility of "Group Suicide" in Wanjia Labor Camp: My Experience in Jail

Dafa practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net)

In March 2000, I was illegally detained in the Women's Prison of Beijing. At the time, the jail had three divisions. In each division there were 8 groups, and each of the groups consisted of 16 inmates. Among the inmates, there was a head and two supervisors in each group. The prison was well prepared for Falun Gong practitioners. They designated special personnel to watch us closely.

Practitioners' beds were set directly in front of the monitoring cameras, and guards of the prison watched us through the cameras 24 hours a day. The designated personnel slept right next to us, and was frequently watching us. They wrote reports about our words and actions to their supervisors every day. The heads and supervisors in the group also watched us closely, since the guards often questioned them about our situation. During the night, the inmates on duty sat right outside the doorway and frequently checked inside. There were monitors in the hallways, washing rooms, and bathrooms. Even while we were sleeping, lights were always kept on. No matter where we went and what we were doing, we were under their close surveillance. Later on we realized that this arrangement was made to follow the orders from the "610 office," in order to prevent us from studying Dafa, practicing, and spreading Dafa. Even if practitioners ran into each other, they were not allowed to talk. The designated personnel listened carefully to all of our conversations, regardless to whom we were talking. They immediately checked anything we wrote. When our family members visited us every month, there were at least two to three guards around, and sometimes our conversations were even recorded.

In October 2000, the prison tightened its control as a result of our beginning to practice the movements. The number of designated personnel was increased to four per practitioner: two during the day and two during the night. They took turns and watched us the whole night. The usage of washrooms and restrooms was scheduled for every group. If there was a Dafa practitioner in the washroom or restroom, I was not allowed to go there until she returned. This way, Dafa practitioners could not even see each other, let alone have conversations.

Whenever a new inmate came, her belongings were carefully searched: the quilts were taken apart, and the toilet paper was unrolled. There was a clearance check every week. When all the inmates had to leave, and all of their belongings searched. In order to prevent the inmates from committing suicide, all the following items were forbidden: metal wires from hangers, porcelain enamel food containers, stainless steel spoons, ropes and laces, and even aluminum toothpaste containers.

On January 1, 2001, because more Dafa practitioners were detained here, the control became even tighter. Guards monitored practitioners 24 hours a day. During the day, three designated personnel followed a practitioner; at night, two inmates took turns watching a practitioner. There was still no chance of having conversations between Dafa practitioners.

I believe that in Wanjia Labor Camp, the control and persecution are even worse. Under such control, it was impossible for Dafa practitioners to commit "suicide" as a "group." I believe that any clear-minded person would be able to see the truth.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2001/7/12/13219.html

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