(Clearwisdom.net) All of the male Falun Dafa practitioners who were unlawfully sent for forced labor in Xinjiang were imprisoned in the Changji Forced Labor Camp in Xinjiang. This article details some of the crimes of persecution committed against practitioners from 2000 to 2002 at the Changji Labor Camp. The practitioner who experienced and witnessed the persecution said, "The degree of evil inside the labor camp was far more severe than what I've recorded." Below is the practitioner's account.
In the first half of 2000, a female guard named Zhang Li forced practitioner Chai Yong (who was eventually tortured to death) to take off his clothes then used an electric baton to shock his body.
In July 2000, practitioner Cai Wenxu was detained in the labor camp and wrote a petition requesting to do Falun Gong exercises. He was consequently beaten by the former head of labor "re-education" and several guards with several electric batons and specially-designed high-voltage electric clubs that make it easy to shock one to death. They beat his body, his face, and his head for more than two hours. The torture was so cruel that even the other labor camp personnel could not bear to watch. However, Cai Wenxu did not give in.
On January 17, 2001, practitioners Chen Yujiang and Sun Bo were abducted and taken to the labor camp. Guards incited other guards and a criminal inmate into beating and scolding Sun Bo in the bathroom and hallway, and to pull Chen Yujiang to the basement and beat him with a wooden stick and knee him. During the beatings, guard Tian Hu heard them, yet not only did he make no attempt to stop them, but he also closed the door and told the guard and the inmate to be quieter so that they could continue the beating. Two guards came and beat the practitioners more violently. It took two months for Chen Yujiang's wounds to heal.
While under the pressure of the guards' brutal beatings, threats, and mind games, some practitioners could not withstand it and superficially (not from their hearts) agreed to give up their belief. When they realized that what they had done was wrong and renounced the declarations, the guards were infuriated and brutally beat and threatened each of the practitioners again.
On January 27, 2001, the practitioners who had previously gone astray while under pressure stepped forward for Falun Dafa again. Practitioners from Sichuan, who were doing the sitting mediation in the hallway, were beaten and humiliated by the guards and warden. When practitioner Xu Junnian came out to stop them, he was also brutally kicked and humiliated by the warden. Female guard Zhang Li shocked practitioner Yang Xinyong with an electric baton in the hallway in front of everyone early in the morning while he was doing the second Falun Gong exercise. Mr. Yang also suffered electric shock torture from labor camp section heads Zhang Yan and Gu Jianhai, and was then bound to a pipe with handcuffs. While practitioner Ge Lijun was sitting in meditation in the room, the section heads Zhang Yan and Gu Jianhai shocked him on the sensitive areas of his body. Then practitioner Liu Anhong decisively told the guards that his previous statements of renouncing Dafa were forced and completely invalid. Practitioners Ma Jujun, Chen Zongquan, Zhong Kai, Wang Lifeng, and Li Xianzheng also expressed in different ways their determination to return to the path of validating the Fa.
When Li Xianzheng began a hunger strike to protest the persecution, he was taken by the guards to the third floor to be shocked with an electric baton. Later he was handcuffed in the corner where it was very cold for over a day and he was not even given a blanket. Then practitioners Wang Hui, Cui Guilin, and Zhao Aijun also went on a hunger strike to support him. Their action shocked the entire forced labor camp, caused the guards to panic, and won the respect of many prisoners. In response, the guards assigned two prisoners to remain with each practitioner, disallowed practitioners to talk, put them under constant monitoring, increased their labor intensity, and intensified the persecution in all areas (mental abuse and deprivation of daily necessities, meals, sleep, etc.).
On June 3, 2001, during the flag raising ceremony, practitioner Chen Zongquan proclaimed loudly, "We want to do Falun Gong exercises and study the Fa," "I have been detained for more than two days," and other statements. The guards were startled and so frightened that they quickly took Chen Zongquan to the torture room. The guard Tian Hu (deputy team head) struck Chen Zongquan's neck with two electric batons. However, Chen Zongquan stood still. The guards locked him with handcuffs to a pipe in the corner for over three days to torture him, yet he did not give up his belief or submit to the evil.
At the end of July 2001, the warden (as instigated by the guards) forced all practitioners to sing a song intended to slander Falun Dafa. All the practitioners refused to sing and pointed out that it was humiliating to them and to Falun Dafa. The practitioners' justice-imposing manner and courage to clarify the truth in front of everyone shocked the guards; they were speechless and had to let it go. During the intensive forced labor work there was one occasion when practitioners had to seam woolen sweaters for three days without rest. Practitioners quite often had to work overnight.
In early August of 2001, the guards instigated the head inmate to lead the collaborators or who seemed to have been "reformed" to sing slanderous songs against Dafa. A practitioner (in his 60's), who was abducted from Miquan, refused to sing. The head inmate slapped his face and it became bruised and swollen. The collaborators often made suggestions to the guards and head inmate to persecute steadfast practitioners. The suggestions included extending practitioners' work hours, increasing the labor intensity, cursing at and applying more pressure on the inmates designated to watch practitioners to get them to hate Dafa and curse at and beat practitioners, and forcing practitioners to accept the brainwashing. Even some head inmates felt that the collaborators were too evil.
Around this time, another round of persecution began. The guards used all means of torture to break the practitioners spiritually and physically. In hot weather the guards did not allow practitioners to drink water, and practitioners were forced to repeatedly count out loud, squat down, stand up, shout slogans, sing, etc.
Practitioners Ma Chao and Liu Anhong refused to wear the camp's uniform and went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. In response, guards Gu Jianhai, Tian Hu, and Ning Tao simultaneously beat Ma Chao with an electric baton while he was handcuffed and he wore only a t-shirt. In the afternoon these three men used the same torture method to persecute Liu Anhong, and at every mealtime they publicly humiliated Liu Anhong.
The forced labor camp frequently conducted brainwashing tactics on practitioners by forcing them to watch a (brainwashing) video. Practitioners Zhao Aijun, Chen Zongquan, Liu Zhengxue, and others refused to watch the video. Liu Zhengxue directly pointed out that this effort was conducted to deceive and poison people's minds. Upon hearing this, guard Wang became speechless. The practitioner's righteous behavior shocked the guards and made the other prisoners aware of the truth about Falun Gong, and they began to change their attitudes towards practitioners.
In September of 2001, the guards experimented with various cruel methods of torture to persecute practitioners. They did not allow the practitioners to use the toilet, forced them to jog as a punishment if they did not walk in order, and only gave five minutes time to the whole group of each cell for bathing and using the toilet. If anyone exceeded the five-minute limit he was severely scolded or beaten. The guards also forced the practitioners to make monetary donations, which practitioners strongly resisted. The guards consequently forced each group to pay 80 yuan in the name of improving meal quality (for one or two pieces of meat). The total collected was 1,000 yuan, all of which was pocketed by the guards. The guards also ate most of the meat off the bones before giving them to the practitioners.
On November 25, 2001, all of the practitioners requested that they be unconditionally released. They removed the camp uniforms and refused to do the forced labor, which shocked all of the guards, prisoners, and collaborators in the forced labor camp. All of the practitioners were then separated by the guards, monitored by several of the other prisoners, and forced to stay awake for three days straight. Then each of the practitioners was taken to the torture room where the guards used several high-voltage electric batons to shock them all over their bodies.
On April 8, 2002, practitioner Cai Wenxu, once again, wrote directly to the head of the forced labor camp and to the head of the division to clarify the truth and to ask for the release of the practitioners. After that none of the guards dared to torture him. After several days of his hunger strike, the guards started to force-feed him in order to torture him. However, because he maintained righteous thoughts, the guards promised not to force him to do any labor or wear the camp uniform, and let him stay in the room and finally he was released one month early. At that time fellow practitioners (including Zhong Kai, Guo Shuyan, Song Jizhuang, Cui Guilin, Xu Baoquan, Tang Boshi, Yang Xinyong and Wu Shengmin) took a stand against the persecution to validate the Fa. The guards consequently tortured each of them. Guards Gu Jianhai, Ning Tao, and Tian Hu used electric batons to shock these practitioners.
In August of 2002, after line up when they were to mark their timesheets, practitioners Wu Shengmin and Nu Ernan did not mark theirs. They were pulled into a torture cell by guards Gu Jianhai and Tian Hu. The guards first closed the door and shut the curtains and then they handcuffed both of the practitioners. The guards ordered Wu Shengmin to squat down, but he did not cooperate with them. The guards beat him with two electric batons. They beat Nu Erlan with two electric batons, shocking him all over his body. After getting no response from him, they switched to a longer and thicker electric baton to beat him.
At the end of August of 2002, practitioners Yang Xinyong refused to sing a labor camp song so guard Xie Tao tackled him and struck his neck (this guard previously had boxing training). He cursed Yang and struck his back with one fist and kicked him in the lower back. Yang immediately fell to the floor and the bowl in his hand dropped to the floor. Xie Tao dragged him to an office and shocked his hands with an electric baton.
In early September 2002, another round of brutal persecution started. The labor camp brought in guards from the north railway station of Wulumuqi. Whenever practitioners refused to work, wear the labor camp uniform, or eat the labor camp food, the guards dragged them to the torture chamber one by one. Practitioners were first threatened by the labor camp guards, and then they were tortured by the guards from the north railway station. Practitioners Sung Jizhuang, Cui Guilin, Xu Baoquan, Tang Weizhong, Guo Shuyan, Zhong Kai, Chen Yujiang and an unknown practitioner were brutally tortured by the guards with electric batons.
The guards also intensified their persecution of the practitioners who did not refuse to work, and the guards forced them to watch videos that slandered Dafa. Practitioner Chen Yujiang exposed (in front of everyone at the camp) that the guards beat people with electric batons and the lies in the videos. Other practitioners also refused to watch the videos. Shortly after this the guards quietly gave up.
One day in September 2002, practitioners Wang Hui and Sun Bo refused to sing a labor camp song before a meal. A female guard (her last name was Wang) ordered the two practitioners not to leave, however, Wang Hui did not listen and continued to walk away. The guard shouted and ordered another inmate to grab Wang Hui, and then the two of them took Wang Hui to the office and beat him.
In October 2002, the guards began to torture practitioner Zhao Aijun. They force-fed him everyday. They inserted a soft tube into his stomach through his nose. This was very painful, and it continued for more than 20 days. However, he remained steadfast and they eventually left him alone.
In December 2002, guards had everyone provide answers on a so-called examination. Practitioner Yang Xinyong refused to participate and the guards from the discipline department grabbed him by the collar and pulled him out of his seat. They punished him by making him remain standing still for a long time and they threatened to extend his term ten additional days.
On December 25, 2002, practitioner Sun Bo began a hunger strike to protest the illegal labor camp sentencing and maltreatment. Guards Zhang Yan and Tian Hu from the discipline department dragged Sun Bo into the torture chamber. They handcuffed him, pushed him to the floor, sat on his back, and pressed his head down. Then they shocked him with several electric batons for nearly half an hour. Around January 20, 2003, practitioner Nu Ernan took a stand against the persecution and several guards tortured him with electric batons.
The Xinjiang's Chanji Forced Labor Camp extended practitioners' terms without any justification. Liu Yulin's term was extended four more months because he protested the illegal labor camp sentence and the maltreatment. Zhao Aijun's term was extended four additional months because he protested the illegal ban on Dafa and requested a free environment to practice. Ma Jujun's term was extended four additional months when he tried to speak out against the beating of Dafa practitioners. Chen Zongquan's term was extended three additional months because he refused to give up his belief and continued to practice Dafa. Li Zhengxian's term was extended three additional months for protesting the illegal labor camp sentence and demanding the right to practice. Shihezi was sent to a brainwashing class after being detained for 13 days. Zhong Kai protested the labor camp sentence and refused to wear the labor camp uniform; his term was extended four months. Another practitioner (name unknown) started a hunger strike to protest the vicious persecution in the labor camp, and his term was extended four additional months. There have been so many practitioners who were not released at the end of their labor camp terms that it was impossible to compile a complete list.
Because practitioners showed strong resistance against the systematic persecution in the Changji Forced Labor Camp, they were later dispatched to various labor camps.