December 26, 2003

At the beginning of 2003, the Fanjiatai Jail of Shayang City, Hubei Province was reported by the jail newspaper Shayang Xinsheng to have "The highest transformation rate in the province" [meaning forcing Falun Dafa practitioners to renounce their belief in Falun Dafa's principle of Truth, Compassion, Tolerance]. Behind the misleading title of "transformation rate" lay acts of bloody violence and shameless deception.

Since 2000, Falun Gong practitioners have been unceasingly persecuted in the Fanjiatai Jail. Among them, over 80% of the practitioners are covered with scars on their bodies. Some have had both eyes go nearly blind, some have cuts and bruises all over the body, some practitioners' internal organs have been seriously injured, others had their skin burned with cigarette butts, serious damage done to their legs, or incurred head wounds, etc.. While applying physical torture, the guards also use all kinds of deceit to mislead practitioners, such as telling them statements that "the transformation rate [of Falun Dafa practitioners] is 100% nationwide," "Falun Dafa is no longer welcome overseas," "So-and-so is writing the Repentance Statement,"* etc. It is exactly how the criminals who were forced to monitor practitioners described it saying, "We lie once every three sentences; the team leaders lie three times in one sentence."

An atmosphere of terror was deliberatively created in the fourth ward of this jail, and sayings such as "Only the road towards death is left for those not transformed" were spread in the cells. Such a terrifying atmosphere, mixed with all kinds of deceit that confused right and wrong, continually increased the pressure on practitioners. However, this could not shake the practitioners' firm belief. Many practitioners who had written renunciations of their belief against their will, wrote solemn declarations one after another to annul the "transformation" and continued to practice Falun Gong. So the criminal guards had to resort to deception. The approximate percentage of practitioners who have the courage to directly say "Falun Dafa is good, Falun Gong practitioners are innocent" is over sixty percent; that of practitioners who tactfully clarify the truth and persuade people to be compassionate is thirty percent; and the percentage of those who were forced to give up the practice under high pressure, i.e. the "transformed," is less than ten percent.

However, the transformation rate was claimed by the newspaper to be ninety to ninety-five percent. In fact, such fabricated news is part of the propaganda campaign against Falun Gong that has been plotted from the highest authorities down to bottom. It is a tool that the Jiang regime uses to deceive the world. Every time the officials from the province came to audit the "transformation rate," the police team leaders, fearful of being severely punished should it be discovered they did not meet their quote for "transforming" practitioners, would almost beg the practitioners to lie, saying to them "After passing this test by deceiving the officials, you are free to do whatever you want."

With the increase of more practitioners' clarifying the truth of the persecution to the public, the fabricated "transformation rate" will eventually be discovered to not exist.

Xiong Junwei is from Yingcheng City of Hubei Province, and a graduate of Tongji Medical University in Shanghai. In 2002, after being released from the forced labor camp, he was again abducted by police. In 2003, he suffered inhuman treatment many times after being sent to jail.

The criminals talk about Xiong Junwei's kindness and talent from time to time -- he kindly helped all kinds of criminals get rid of their bad habits, and helped the dean of the hospital handle medical accidents. Xiong Junwei is a kind person, and Falun Dafa is a righteous practice. Every criminal knows this. Headed by Xiao Tianbo, Xiong Zuyong and Duang Yu, the guards took Xiong's kind persuasion and rejection of brainwashing as an excuse to wantonly pressure him. Xiong Junwei held a five day hunger strike to protest, and was sent to the brick and tile factory of the jail afterwards, where he suffered endless physical torture.

Because he expressed his truthful opinions, practitioner Yan Sanming was detained in isolation. The guards spread a rumor that Yan Sanming had been suspected to have contracted SARS. Yan was not permitted to be detained in a regular cell until after he held a five day hunger strike. Moreover, the guards disregarded medical standards when dealing with contagious diseases and forced him to share his cell with a criminal who was diagnosed with a serious case of hepatitis.

The following are terms frequently used by the guards in Fanjiatai Jail. This is also a testimony to the persecution they imposed on Falun Gong, and are recorded here:

Pan, jail political head: (hitting the table with his fist, causing the tea cup to jump) "If you want to practice, go home. Don't think that your graduation from universities or having received doctorates will qualify you to report or expose anything to me. This is jail."

Wang, division chief: "Some of you are predestined to bring your granite-solid heads to see God."

Xiao Tianbo: (to Falun Gong practitioners) "Whether you are transformed or not has nothing to do with me." (To the criminal prisoners instructed by the guards to monitor and persecute Falun Gong practitioners) "If the practitioners you are responsible for monitoring cannot be transformed, how can I reduce your terms?"

Xiong Zuyong: "For you, we have plenty of methods. There are many felons here who kill people without blinking an eye. The authoritarianism of the Party is made of iron."

Duan Yu: "If you don't write the repentance statement, I can't prevent the anger and actions of the prisoners who are monitoring you." (Note: an indirect way to hint to criminal inmates to rough up practitioners.)

Yang Rui: "On the path of transformation, whoever lags behind will be beaten."
He Ping: "I will beat you, and I dare to take the responsibility."
Shen Jianjun: "Where can you go if you are not transformed? Even if you are transferred to the small team, you still have to be transformed."

* "Repentance Statement" - In this statement the practitioner is forced to admit remorse for practicing Falun Gong, promise to give up Falun Gong, and never again associate with other practitioners or go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong.