Exposing the Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners by Handan City Labor Camp in Hebei Province (I)

(Clearwisdom.net)

The Provincial Judiciary Department and Labor Education Bureau have ordered that 70% of practitioners must be "transformed." To satisfy by this sinister demand, Zheng Guixiu, Party Secretary and Chief of Handan City Labor Camp of Hebei Province, convened a meeting to pass the following regulations:

1. Every official of the labor camp and brigade supervisor must "transform" at least 1 to 2 practitioners.
2. Whoever achieves the quota will get a bonus of 100 Yuan. Those who fall short of the quota will be subject to criticism via governmental memorandums disciplinary action.
3. Every Falun Gong practitioner will be monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by 2 or 3 labor camp prisoners to make sure that no practitioners practice the exercises, read Falun Gong materials, or interact with each other.

In an April 2001 staff meeting for all brigades, the Camp Director seriously criticized Wu Feng, supervisor of Brigade No.1, because his transformation rate was low. He then demanded that the other brigades be even stricter in their transformation endeavors.

Wu Feng, angry after being singled out during the meeting, ordered a "one night transformation" policy be enacted. He forced practitioners in his custody to shout slogans defaming Falun Dafa and Teacher. They beat any practitioner who refused. However, after several interactions with the prisoners monitoring them, the behavior of the Falun Gong practitioners soon gained their respect and trust. Some prisoners spoke up for the practitioners, resisted the evil, and refused to beat practitioners despite the fact that they too would be punished.

The monitor of one of the reform classes said, "Has anyone ever seen a Falun Gong practitioner curse another person, get into a fight, or avoid his duties? No. Their behavior is testimony that Falun Gong practitioners are good people. The fact that they have become such good people merely by living their lives according to the teachings of Falun Gong indicates that Falun Gong is a good cultivation system. Why do you beat them? You want me to torture them? I will not do it. Whoever beats these good people will be committing a tremendous sin." The brigade's supervisor stood there with blushing cheeks, not knowing how to respond to what he had just heard. Still determined to achieve his quota, the supervisor dismissed this monitor and transferred him to another brigade.

There are also inmates who viciously beat practitioners. They use electric batons to shock, hard rubber sticks to beat, wood sticks to strike, benches to hit, leather belts to whip, and shoes to smack the practitioners. Many practitioners' entire bodies are covered with bruises.

Unfortunately, a few practitioners succumbed to the attachment of comfort under this tremendous duress and wrote "letters of remorse" against their conscience. Brigade Supervisor Wu Feng was later praised by the camp officials after reporting on his "good job" at a meeting. Thus, another round of brutal persecution began, but there was one guard who was a man of conscience and refused to take part in the brutality against the practitioners.

Later, led by Supervisor Yu Qingge and Assistant Supervisor Xue Peijun, the "Rujiao" Brigade, an orientation brigade to help assimilate new inmates, began to follow the example set by Brigade No. 1 for torturing practitioners. This resulted in practitioners suffering severe beatings. Practitioner Li Pingchang suffered gruesome injuries due to the beatings, and he had to be sent to a hospital for more than a month. Afterwards, Li was sent back to the camp to be tortured again. The supervisor of Brigade No. 2, Zhao Ruchun, mimicked the actions of Wu Feng and asked staff members Liu Peilu (31) and Du Guotao (23) to brutally beat many of the practitioners in his custody.

The "Xingzhi" Brigade also physically and mentally tortured practitioners, but the practitioners continued to clarify the truth to the staff. Many of camp officials did not know how to respond. The political instructor said, "If I cannot transform them, I will quit my job." The instructor would reason with practitioners, but the practitioners would clarify truth to him according to modern scientific theories and Falun Gong teachings. Finally, the instructor had to nod in agreement, and this instructor really did not come to work for a few days. After he returned, he dispersed all the practitioners in his brigade to other brigades without explanation.

Brigade No. 5 began to viciously beat practitioners on April 18 and tried to force them to write "letters of remorse." If a practitioner renounced his "letter of remorse," he would be severely beaten up immediately.

Supervisor Jiang Xiqing of Brigade No. 4 appointed Shen Yingjun as the person in charge of "transforming" practitioners and attacking Dafa, Teacher and practitioners. Guard Pei Shengli got drunk one time and found some thugs to beat the practitioners. Practitioner Wang Jingshen was beaten until he fell unconscious and suffered a broken rib. He later found blood in his urine and feces, and he was unable to eat, drink, or walk. He started to show signs of improvement after more than one month. They forced practitioners to stand in a "military posture," hold a position with two legs bent or kneel on wooden sticks all night long. They would curse and hit practitioners with sticks, benches, and shoes, breaking some sticks and benches in the process.
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/1/21/23547.html

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