By Guo Renai, a Falun Dafa practitioner in Heilongjiang Province, China

(Clearwisdom.net)

In 2002, the Huanan Bureau of Forestry "610 Office" (1) authorities forced me into the Wanjia Labor Camp. The personnel at the Wanjia Labor Camp refused to take me in and I was returned to my hometown. Soon after, the "610 Office" authorities tried again to send me to the Jiamusi Labor Camp, yet I was again rejected by the labor camp after I failed a physical examination. Upon returning, I went on a hunger strike for a long time to protest the persecution against me until I was sent to hospital. In the hospital, the staff handcuffed and shackled me and I was tied to a board with six ropes. They taped my mouth shut and administered an IV while I was still tied to the bed. The authorities levied a large fine and pressured my husband to divorce me or be subjected to persecution as well. In addition, my child was removed from my home because I practice Falun Gong.

Later the "610 Office" authorities deceived me by saying, "It is only 4 months before you will be released. You won't be sent to the labor camp again. Why don't you eat something? This way you will have better health and your family will feel better upon seeing you on your return." I believed them and started eating. I regained my health rapidly and could walk again. I did not know they were lying to me. After I regained my health the authorities transferred me to the Jiamusi Labor Camp by bribing someone there to take me.

On October 28, 2002, I was escorted to the Jiamusi Labor Camp by Han Shuhua, head of the Huanan Bureau of Forestry; and guard Cui Yanwu. Cui bragged to me en route that they bribed someone in order to get me accepted at Jiamusi.

I explained the facts about the persecution of Falun Dafa to everyone I came into contact with after arriving at the Jiamusi Labor Camp. Later, I lost my memory and became numb due to the mental trauma of prolonged detention (on top of an earlier detention), as well as being subjected to psychological and physical torture. I learned that I had been detained on the 2^nd floor, the 1^st floor, and the East Hallway. Even though my father, son and relatives at Jiamusi all visited me, I had no recollection of their visits.

I heard from fellow practitioners that while I was disoriented, I pointed to a guard and said, "You are the senior officer here. I am innocent and I did not commit any crimes. You should release me and send me home." When others tried to feed me, I would always ask them to taste it first afraid the food was laced with poison. I even told other practitioners, "Let's go home together." I rolled off the bed after I said it. The inmates then took me to the bed with rails on the other side. That bed was used to torture practitioners by a torture the guards called "back cuff over the shoulder" and is excruciatingly painful.

"Back cuffing over the shoulder" is a form of torture. The Guard would pull one arm over my shoulder, and my other arm from the lower back through the rail, and then the guard would cuff both hands together forcefully. I ended up sitting on the cold concrete floor and the guard would pull both hands very tight.

I passed out and did not remember how long before I regained consciousness after I was force-fed with a solution that contained a high quantity of salt. I could see that the back of my hand was taped with gauze, an indication that I received some kind of IV injection. I felt nauseous and rubbed my abdomen hard, vomiting out more than half a pot of the salt compound they force-fed me.

Later, fellow practitioners gave me plenty of water to drink. I was already like a walking skeleton and I could not cross my legs. It was very painful because the bones of one leg would be pressed against the bones of the other leg. After I started taking in food, I could walk with others helping me. However, I was subjected to a new round of forced brainwashing.

I often could hear screams of pain when others were tortured with the "Back cuff over the shoulder." I could see their painful facial expressions afterwards, especially when they could not stand the torture anymore and signed the "Five Repentant Statements." (2) I could see their sorrowful expressions and the tears in their eyes. I had seen the witnessed the "Back cuff over the shoulder" torture against fellow practitioner Li Ping. Her eyes were blood red, her face swollen, and she was sweating from the extreme pain. Huang Xiaolei, a 21 year old student from the University of Heilongjiang, was tortured in the same way. She lost all feeling in her arms and legs due to nerve damage. She could no longer walk or raise her arms. There was another practitioner Chong who was tortured until she could no longer move her arms. Another small practitioner was tortured until she became mentally disoriented from being traumatized by the torture.

During the period of time when I lost my memory and senses after prolonged detention and torture, the guards continued to torture me with increasing brutality. The Huanan "610 office" authorities refused to release me since I could not be forced to renounce my belief. Instead, they tried to increase my sentence. Since I was partially disabled and others had to help me to walk, the police could not receive any bonus if I was released in this condition and still had not renounced my belief. That was the reason they tortured me even harder; to try to achieve their goal and obtain their reward.

Once, I could not sit steadily on a chair after two other inmates helped me to go to the cafeteria. I fell onto the concrete floor. The guard did not allow others to help me to get up. Only after everyone finished eating did they allow some inmates to pull me up. Under the order of the guards, several inmates even dragged me along a road paved with gravel with the dust trailing behind me.

I lost my shoes and coat near the factory's gate. No one showed any concern. I lay on the concrete ground with cold wind blowing. My sweater was blown open and my stomach exposed showing the scabies infection that I contracted in the poor Labor Camp conditions. It was really cold.

Facing possible reprisal by beating and cursing, practitioner Li Xiurong ignored her own safety and helped me to get back to the factory with tears rolling down her face. The factory was a place where they forced practitioners to perform slave labor. Because I could not even sit straight, other practitioners found a cardboard box and made a makeshift bed. They took off their coats and used them as blankets for me. Because the labor camp was very damp and the conditions were extremely harsh, my body was covered with scabies and there was not much uninfected skin left. It felt like my bones were rubbing against bones. I had to endure minute by minute of suffering from pain and itching from the scabies.

Each day others had to help me walk. Once the guard supervisor ordered me to walk by myself. I fell to the cold ground as soon as I tried to take the first step. Fellow practitioners tried to help me to get up, but the guards shouted at them, "No one is allowed to help her. Let her crawl back if she cannot walk!" I thought to myself, I would never crawl even if I were frozen or starved to death.

One day, around 6 am in the morning at the end of February, the guard ordered several inmates to forcefully drag me to the foot of a wall. I could not sit upright; so several fellow practitioners helped me until everyone else was done with the morning exercise drills. Later on, from time to time the guards would order others to drag me near the wall. I could not stand without leaning against the wall even if someone was holding me. My teeth chattered in the freezing wind. After the morning exercise drill, a guard would lecture everyone, and then everyone would go to work at the factory. At 7:05 am breakfast was served at the cafeteria. This was followed by more morning work, lunch, and then afternoon work. Even after dinner there was work to be done. We were allowed to go back only after 8pm. Yet, our day was not over. We were then forced to sit on small stools and watch films defaming Falun Dafa. Sometimes we would not get to rest until well past 11 pm. I never sat there and watched their films, and that was why they kept torturing me day and night.

While I had a lapse in my memory, my relatives who lived in Jiamusi City tried hard to find connections to get me released. I never allowed my family to spend money on my behalf. I told them Dafa practitioners did not do anything wrong or against the law. I would not renounce my belief. It was no use regardless how much money they paid to officials. My relatives went to ask the police, "If we cannot pay you, would you provide medical treatment?" They replied, "No money, no treatment. If she dies then her body would be immediately cremated without notification of kin." The labor camp tortured me severely, yet they asked my relatives to provide money to get treatment for me.

1. "610 Office" an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.
2. "Five Repentant Statements." practitioners are forced to sign a series of statements that 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 etc.