August 6, 2003

The Beijing Women's Forced Labor Camp no longer is government subsidized. Its food quality has deteriorated drastically. The labor camp forces practitioners to perform heavy labor. Practitioners get up at 4 am daily and are compelled to plant vegetables in the south yard until breakfast. Sweatshop tactics continue as the task immediately following breakfast is knitting sweaters, which are then designated for export markets. This forced labor continues until late at night before practitioners are allowed to rest.

Presently, the labor camp received many practitioners who were brainwashed but chose to practice again. They are treated even more cruelly than before.

Practitioners detained in the labor camp suffer more intense torture than those jailed. Countless practitioners', who are so gentle and caring, without fault and of whom no incriminatory evidence can be found, are sent to the labor camp and are deprived of their freedom. This happens without due process. Police stations will grant the permit, after which practitioners are taken to a labor camp without delay. Although in theory one has appeal within 60 days after being detained in a labor camp, one cannot appeal if one is not given paper or pen by the labor camp police. But what good would it do? Even if you could complete and deliver the appeal letter, it will eventually be turned down. Practitioners are accorded no basic citizen rights that are guaranteed in the Chinese constitution.

For example, early this year, to show that practitioners were accorded citizen rights, the labor camp acted shamelessly, requiring all practitioners to send a standing order, prepared by the labor camp officials, to family members, asking them to vote for a people's representative. Although everyone was given the choice whether to send or not to send the letter, the practitioners had no choice in the matter. It was mandatory for all practitioners to send the letter. In China voting is no more than a show put on to fool people. People rarely vote, and practitioner's family members had no idea where to vote. Yet, the labor camp employs this meaningless sham to show their intent to respect citizen rights. Isn't this hypocritical? This so-called human rights action can in no way conceal the torture they have committed and how it affected practitioners' bodies and minds.

We appeal to all kind people worldwide to take note of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. We urge you to recognize the plight of those who are lingering in China's prison and labor camps, in particular, those being detained in women's labor camps.