May 14, 2003

I am a thirty-one-year-old Falun Gong practitioner. Since I started cultivation in 1996, I have seen many benefits. In February 2001, I went to Beijing to peacefully appeal for Dafa. Because the Appeals Office was controlled by the police, I went to Tiananmen Square instead and shouted to the people, "Falun Dafa Is Great! Falun Dafa is Righteous!" A few policemen rushed over, knocked me down and took me to the Tiananmen Police Station. That evening, I was transferred to the Xihongmen Police Station, where the police searched me and recorded an interrogation. I refused to cooperate with them, so they kicked me, beat me, stripped off my coat, handcuffed me to a tree, and forbade me to sleep. I protested against the illegal detention with a hunger strike, accepting no food or water. After five days of plots and tricks, they sent me to a detention center in another district. My Provincial Office to Beijing sent me back to my hometown. After being detained for fifteen days and fined 1500 Yuan RMB [500 Yuan is the average monthly income for an urban worker in China.], I was finally released.

The next time I went to Beijing to validate the Fa I was abducted at Qianmen. My company and local police took me back, detained me for another fifteen days and sentenced me to one year of forced labor. I was illegally detained at the Yinmahe Forced Labor Camp of Jiutai, where I was subjected to both physical and mental tortures, including relentless forced brainwashing in March, 2002. The camp conducted a frenzied persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. Miserable cries from practitioners and the sound of electric shocks were heard throughout the camp all day long. The camp's Director Meng, Management Section Chief, Zheng Hailing, Education Team Instructor Gao Ke, Logistics Section Chief Lin, secretary Zhao Jiusheng, Police Team Leader Zhao Fengshan, Guo Yiping and Tang Bo were all malicious and used cruel methods to torture practitioners. The policemen shocked practitioners' sensitive parts like lips, face, neck and legs with several electric batons for extended periods. They burned us with cigarettes, whipped us with leather belts and applied salt water to our wounds. Practitioner Zheng Fengxiang's blood was all over the torture room. Policemen pierced through practitioner Huang Yaodong's armpit to his lung, using a sharp tube. Their torture methods were extremely cruel. The policemen in the Education Team directed inmates to torture Dafa practitioners. One practitioner sent to the Education Team died the same afternoon. The camp sealed off this news, stopped all visitations and wouldn't answer the phone.

After that death, the policemen changed their methods. We steadfast practitioners who refused to submit were strictly controlled by personal cangues [Note: cangue, the name of an instrument of torture, is now used to indicate the person who was designated to supervise the behavior of practitioners.]. We were forbidden to talk or move freely. Every meal was two pieces of poor quality steamed sponge bread. Except for the mealtime, we had to sit on a board and watch Dafa-slandering "educational videos" starting at 4:00 A.M., with forced brainwashing instead of a mid-day break. Eventually the policemen realized that this wouldn't work, and divided us into several groups for alignment drill in the burning sun. On returning from the training, we had to sit on a cold floor to receive forced brainwashing. Because of our righteous thoughts and actions, not only was this plot unsuccessful, but many practitioners who had previously been forced to submit wrote solemn declarations and rejoined the stream of guarding the Fa. The policemen illegally extended our term by ten days for every month. Practitioner Luo Xing, Zhang Wenbin, Wen Yingjia and Xu Yanjun refused to sign the papers that prolonged their terms, and were confined in a solitary compartment with three more months added to their terms. Policemen did not release practitioners who did not give up the practice, even when their terms were completed, and arbitrarily added time instead. They would direct inmates to fabricate evidence to justify additional terms. Practitioner Liu Jingrong was reduced to skin and bones. He had severe dropsy and wasn't released until he was near death. When his life hung by a thread, with half of his lung festering, and only 15% functional, Practitioner Wang Hongtian was finally sent to a hospital. He died the second day he was home.

Director of the Clinic, Wang, was very malicious to Falun Dafa practitioners. For the force-feeding of practitioners Pan Gang and Zhao Xishun, Wang instructed inmates to pry out their front teeth. Practitioner Bai was extremely weak after more than twenty days of hunger strike, but Wang beat him until his face was badly deformed and his vision was blurry. He also soaked a mop with phlegm from the spittoon and forced it into Bai He's mouth.

Director of the Dining Hall, Yang, told practitioners' visiting families to curse Dafa and Teacher or they wouldn't be allowed to visit. He made a rule that each visiting family member had to buy thirty Yuan worth of dishes but wouldn't let them leave any fruit, personal items, hats, shoes or underwear for the practitioners. They had to deposit money to the camp for practitioners to buy these items from there. Almost everything in the camp stores is poor quality or past its expiration date, but priced at several times the market value . Practitioners' families suffered heavy economic burdens. Some people came a long way from Yanji and Dalian to see their detained family members, but left in tears when refused because the practitioners hadn't been "reformed".

After I had served my full term plus an additional two months and more, I was released with dignity, but my local police station kept harassing me after I returned home. The money extorted from me since my appeal in Beijing adds up to more than 15000 Yuan. Because I was sent to a forced labor camp, my elderly parents were mentally and physically devastated and suffered diseases. My wife had to take care of our infant child while running a small business to make a living. She has experienced a lot of hardship. My family and I have suffered tremendous misery because of this evil persecution.

Posting date: 6/21/2003
Original article date: 6/20/2003
Category: Eye Witness Accounts
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/6/11/52044.html

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