(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Fu Rufang, who used to work in Tongnan County Epidemic-prevention Clinic in Chongqing City, was detained in No. 4 Division, at Maojiashan Women's Forced Labor Camp in Chongqing City. She was often beaten by the prisoners assigned by guards to monitor her, and often she was covered with dark bruises all over her body.
1. Two Front Teeth Pried Out for Force-feeding
Because of gastritis, Fu Rufang didn't eat anything for two days and then ate a little rice congee. Nonetheless, the labor camp guard took the chance and arranged for drug offender prisoners to force feed her. They force-fed her for nearly two weeks with rice congee. Three times, during forced feedings, food got into her trachea, which almost killed her. Fu Rufang didn't cooperate during the force-feedings. The drug offenders purposely pried her two front bottom teeth out. At that time, they continued to force-feed her while her mouth was bleeding. Much of the blood and the congee spread over her face and dripped down to the ground. Prisoner Ding Feng threatened to pry out all of her teeth.
After force-feeding, they ordered Fu Rufang to wash the floor, but not her clothes that were covered with blood and congee. She was always covered with blood and food after each force-feeding but was not allowed to clean herself or wash her clothes. Every time she was ordered to change her clothes before the force-feeding and then change back. Since her own clothes were put away dirty and would be used the next time, it was hard to see what was the true color of her clothes. The clothes smelled bad and had to be thrown away after a while. Four pieces of clothing had been worn in such a way and had been thrown away. Fu's mouth and lips were injured by a wooden scoop and the fingers of the prisoners. Her mouth and lips were always covered with blood and her mouth and her face were swollen as well.
Moreover, when a prisoner had a finger scratched by Fu's teeth while prying open Fu's mouth, the head of the division Tan Qingyue berated Fu in front of the prisoner and blamed her for biting on purpose, which encouraged the prisoners to further persecute her. Fu's armpits had been pinched so badly that they were smashed and festered. Because her mouth was festered, she couldn't eat any salt for over a month. Fu Rufang was tortured until she was so thin that even the prisoners said she looked like a skeleton laying on the floor when she was sleeping, which scared them.
Fu Rufang needed someone to help her walk, or she needed to hold onto the wall to walk. In the summer, the bad environment in the small cell gave her prickly heat all over her body. She often had a high fever. However in such a poor conditions, she was still forced to do military drills. She couldn't stand straight and fell down several times. The prisoners said she was faking and kicked and boxed her to force her to stand. Later her feet and her lower legs were swollen so much they looked like an elephant's legs. Her whole body was swollen. Her fever was up to 39.5 degree C (103o F). She was often forced to squat down for a long time and was not allowed to go to sleep until midnight.
2. Brainwashing
Police in the labor camp conducted forced brainwashing of Falun Gong practitioners. Every Sunday the practitioners were required to write a report on their thoughts, and were not allowed to sleep until the report was approved. The practitioners were forced to read books or watch video programs that slandered Falun Gong, and were forced to write their comments. Once a month or every two months there was a so-called exposing and criticizing meeting.
Fu Rufang was forced to write a thought report every night. She was only given thirty minutes starting at 11:30 p.m. If it was not approved, she would be forced to redo it again, otherwise she would not be allowed to go to bed. She suffered such torture continuously until she finally wrote the three statements (repentance statement, guarantee statement, and "dissociation statement") and it was accepted and approved by the authorities. Then she was released from solitary confinement and sent to do forced labor.
3. Forced Labor
The practitioners were forced to do labor while they were supervised by the prisoners who were watching them. There was a work load quota for everyone except those monitoring prisoners. For a young person, the quota was to wrap 40 kg of candy per day. For those 45-50 years old, the quota was 3.75 kg per hour. For those 50-55, 3.25 kg per hour. For those between 55-60 years old, 3 kg per hour, and for those over 60, 2.75 kg per hour. The work day was about 10 hours long, and the quotas were not always the same. Guards could decrease the quota for someone whom they thought had good behavior or increase the quota if they didn't like someone. If the task was finished, the guards would assign more work. Those who couldn't finish their tasks were required to write self-criticizing statements and had their score deducted. Whenever there were any inspections by higher authorities, the candy and the related tools would be hidden and sometimes even the practitioners were sent away to avoid the inspectors. After the inspectors left, the work was resumed.
4. Guards were Afraid that the Persecution Would be Exposed
When the practitioners were being visited by their family members each month, guards were always around. The practitioners were not allowed to speak the truth or to cry. Occasionally when some practitioners said something or cried, they would be beaten, scolded or even punished afterwards. The practitioners' family members were not allowed to bring in any food. After the visit, guards would search the practitioner's body. If they found any food, the practitioner would be punished. If the practitioners' family brought clothes with a lining, the clothes would be soaked in water for a few weeks before being given to the practitioner.
Those practitioners who were detained in solitary confinement were not allowed visitors. Sometimes the guards invited the practitioner's family to visit but when they arrived, they were not allowed to visit unless they paid off the guards. That money was used to further persecute practitioners.
Guards did not allow practitioners to write letters clarifying the truth or telling the news of sickness. Such letters were intercepted.
Practitioners are not allowed to talk when working. If one spoke a sentence, one would be punished by being forced to do more than 100 squats or stand straight for two hours. If unable to squat, one would be punished and forced to do more hard labor. Those over 60 years old could be punished by being made to hand copy Order No. 23 (8 pages long) 20 times, 50 times or even 100 times within the given time. If not, more work would be assigned. Practitioners could be punished for any reason such as giving a wrong answer during name count, handwriting style or an unqualified thought report and so on.
5. Being Treated Badly Even When Sick
Guards never reduced the workload even when practitioners were sick. Practitioner Wang Aihua had an eye problem and was unable to make clothes. She was transferred to candy wrapping and was punished by being made to work one extra hour every day. She often suffered pains from a proliferation on her neck and lumbar vertebrae, and had no strength even to hold candy. Guards ordered her to clean restrooms.
Practitioner Zhang Xieyun became ill. She lost her voice and one of her legs was unable to support her weight, therefore she could not walk normally. Guards sent her to Daping Military Hospital to see the doctor at her own expense. She spent over 1000 yuan on a medical exam and was told that she faked her sickness. Guards scolded her when she was still in the hospital and punished her when she came back. Only after queries from other practitioners was her punishment lifted.
Practitioner Fu Rufang became ill in April 2006. When she saw that Zhang Xieyun had been rebuked for faking a illness and was punished, she didn't tell anyone about her own sickness. Later when she was found ill, she was asked to write a self-criticism. At that time, the skin on her lower abdomen looked purple and green and there were two hard tumors there. She was very thin and only weighed approximately 88 lbs. She was sent to the labor camp hospital first and later Daping Military Hospital for medical treatment. There was little improvement after spending more than 2000 yuan in medical fees. She was not told what problem she had. She often had pain in her lower abdomen and distension, and also discomfort in her heart. Afterwards water often ran out of her anus and she had the symptoms of shock whenever becoming tired. On April 29, when she had a medical exam in Daping Military Hospital, she heard the doctor telling the guards that her tumors might have a malignant pathological change and she needed to have CT scan. However this was not done because it would cost more than 1000 yuan. Guards Dai Wenjuan and Chen Yonglian talked to Fu Rufang and considered releasing her for medical reasons. However they changed the decision later. Team head Zuo Qianjin said to Fu Rufang, "Don't think about going home as long as you can still walk. Going home is to resist being 'transformed.' You should suffer since you have practiced Falun Gong..."
6. Guards Make Practitioners' Living Conditions Difficult
The time for restroom breaks was fixed - at 9:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. If one wanted to use the restroom at other than the routine time, one would be punished by being forced to clean public places for two or three days. Only those who were sick or over 60 were excepted. No one was allowed to use the restroom during meal time. Only five minutes was allowed in the restroom for those who were 20-30 years old. In the morning, only five minutes was allowed to wash the face with half a basin of water and use the restroom. At night, there was a 10 minute time limit with one basin of water. Twice a week, one would be allowed to have one bucket of water to wash one's body and wash clothes within 15 minutes. If it took even one minute longer, the practitioners would be punished. Young people would be punished by being made to clean public places, and older people would be punished by being made to hand copy Order No. 23. The water faucets in the restroom were often tied up and no one was allowed to turn them on, lest it be considered stealing. Most of the time one would not be able to wash in the restroom, and went directly back to work wrapping candy without washing their hands.
When making paper boxes, one would have their hands covered with paste. When it was time to gather for a meal, there was no time to wash the hands, and one had to directly take a steamed bun with their hands to eat. They were allowed only ten minutes or less to eat. Twelve, sixteen or even 18 people ate together with only half a basin of vegetables and about the same amount of rice or steamed buns. There was often just stewed Chinese cabbage without any cooking oil in it. Often the cabbage had not not been cleaned and sometimes rotten leaves were seen. On Wednesday and Saturday there would be some meat with the vegetables. Most of the meat was fatty and tough with hairs and was hard to eat. Guards claimed that the food was so good that meat was left after each meal. Some potatoes were rotten but were served anyway.
Fu Rufang was released in November 2006. She was extremely weak after suffering so much in the labor camp. She was supposed to be released earlier, however when her family came to get her, the labor camp refused to release her and claimed she was not "transformed" well. The labor camp demanded that her work unit continue supervising her closely after she was released.
