(Clearwisdom.net) Shanghai Women's Jail, also known as Songjiang Women's Jail, is located in Sijing Town, Songjiang District of Shanghai, and consists of two 5-floor buildings in the southeast direction. There are 5 brigades in it. The first brigade is in charge of logistics and is for the elderly and disabled detainees. The second brigade is for newcomers, all of whom have to be trained for 3 months and then are distributed to other brigades. The third and the fourth brigades are forced labor teams. There, the detainees have almost no chance to sleep, and it is where the guards boast, "The beds have nothing to do."

The fifth brigade is exclusively designated for detaining Falun Gong practitioners, where the conditions are worse than that of the criminals awaiting execution. All of the practitioners are detained on the fourth floor of the one building. The east side is the strict-disciplinary area, while the south side of the floor is the loose-disciplinary area; a partition separated the two sides. In each area there are 11 wards, each measuring approximately 18 square meters and each with 12 beds. All of the activities of Falun Gong practitioners are strictly limited to that floor.

The persons in charge of "managing" practitioners are: Hou Ruiqin, head of the brigade, Yan Shiping, deputy head, and team leaders Zhang Yongmei, Qiu Minying (both of them came from Tilanqiao Jail), Shu Lei and Chen Yaoyuan, and group leaders Chen Yao and Xu Ying. Their so-called "management" of Falun Gong practitioners consists of continuous abuse and torture.

Every detainee will experience "military training" according to the jail regulations. They are forced to line up and stand in military postures outdoors until they are exhausted. If they cannot do the training, they are forced to copy out the regulations deep into the night and are not allowed to go to bed. The newcomers will have to read materials and watch videotapes that slander Dafa, and are monitored by the criminals.

The cruel jail director also stirred up hatred to force the practitioners to be "reformed". Under such circumstances, the practitioner who is determined in practicing Dafa will be isolated in a ward with 4 to 5 criminals that are ordered to torture her. Every action of the practitioner, including turning over in bed or an expression in her eyes, would be under surveillance. If she is still steadfast, she will be locked up in confinement for further persecution.

The confinement is done with a small cage of less than 3 square meters and without airflow. In cold or hot weather, the detainee is not allowed to take a shower or drink water, even in extremely hot weather. They are only allowed a small amount of water to clean the body. In the loose-disciplinary area on the south side, the detainees have a limited number of bathroom breaks.

At the east strict-disciplinary area, the Falun Gong practitioners are forced to get up at 5:00 a.m. and are forced to sit quietly or stand until 11:30 p.m., as stipulated by the jail director. Actually, most of the vicious criminals try to extend the time for as long as possible so that the practitioners have little chance of sleeping. If the practitioners still refuse to be "reformed", they will be taken to the third or fourth brigade for forced labor.

In China, there are prison laws to protect detainees, but the employees at Shanghai Women's Jail never comply with them. They abuse and torture the detainees at will. The jail director profits greatly from the forced labor in spite of the fates of the detainees who cannot endure the overloaded work quota. One time, a prisoner told her mother during a visit, "Mom, I may not survive until my release. Please reserve a grave nearby for me!"

Below is an incomplete list of the Falun Gong practitioners detained in Shanghai Women's Jail:

Yang Jie, Li Feng, Yang Manyu, Shen Zuying, Qin Hongxian, Dai Zhiying, Li Weiling, Song Jinhua, Liu Xiangshu, Wu Xiaofeng, Yu Peiying, Liu Wenying, Gao Lindi, He Meiyun, Liu Jin, Lou Chengying, Jiang Linying, Xiong Ling, Zhang Qiusha, Bao Wenzhen, Yang Jin'e, Wang Zhiping, Li Limao, Li Shangfen, Xiang Jian, Gu Jihong, Fan Yong, Wang Xuefei, Practitioner Song.

Posting date: 8/10/2005
Original article date: 8/10/2005
Category: Eyewitness Accounts
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/7/24/106783.html

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