(Minghui.org) The last Falun Gong practitioner detained at the Qianjin Labor Camp, Ms. Zuo Xianfeng, walked out of the camp on August 29, 2013, after enduring two years of torment that left her severely damaged both physically and mentally. Although the Qianjin Labor Camp has closed its doors, the abuse and cruelty inflicted by the prison guards will not be forgotten, and those who have committed crimes against humanity will not escape justice.
Ms. Zuo, 33, was taken to the Qianjin Labor Camp in Harbin on November 19, 2012, where she was beaten, shocked with electric batons, hung up, locked in a small cell, and tied to an iron chair.
The inhumane tortures severely damaged her heart, from which she is still recovering.
Ms. Zuo is an honest and hardworking person. She was named “Outstanding Director and Teacher of the Year” by the city government. This exemplary teacher was repeatedly persecuted by the Chinese communist regime for her faith in Falun Gong.
Viciously Tortured by Female Guard Wang Min
Ms. Zuo nearly died in the Qianjin Labor Camp because of inhumane treatment.
Guard Wang Min ordered Ms. Zuo to stand for a long period of time starting on December 12, 2010. She stood from 6: 30 in the morning until after 8 o'clock at night for ten days straight. Her legs and feet swelled terribly.
Sometimes on snowy days, Wang would order Ms. Zuo to stand outside in the snow for a few hours. Wang watched from inside. The winter days in Harbin are very cold with temperatures of around negative 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wang called Ms. Zuo into her office on December 23, 2010. Then Wang proceeded to shock her hands with an electric baton until she fell to the ground. Wearing military boots, Wang then kicked her until her arms turned purple. Wang attempted to force Ms. Zuo to squat, but she could not bend her knees because they were swollen from the prolonged standing. She also had unbearable pain in her back from the beating. Wang slapped her face for not being able to squat.
Torture reenactment: Beating
About a year later when Wang was on duty on January 19, 2011, she forced Ms. Zuo to stand alone in the snow from 5 p.m. until after 8 p.m. Wang again watched her from inside. The Deputy chief of Management section, Yang Guohong, witnessed what was happening but didn't put a stop to Wang's misconduct.
One day, Wang, along with prison guards Liu Chang, Zhang Aihui, Xu Chunfeng, and Zhang Yanli, called Ms. Zuo to the third floor lounge where there were no surveillance cameras. They tied her hands from behind and she was hanged from the upper bunk. Wang stood on the upper bunk and kicked her arms. Her hands turned purple and swelled up. She was unable to use her hands afterwards, and she needed help making her bed along with many other daily tasks. Wang continued the torture by making her sit on a small plastic stool.
Torture reenactment: Hanging up
Guard Wu Jinhua ordered squad leader Cui Lianlian to prohibit the prisoners from using the bathroom early in the morning on March 26, 2013. The prisoners eventually could not wait any longer and left together to use the bathroom. Wang burst into the bathroom and grabbed Ms. Zuo's hair and dragged her outside. After being beaten, she was tied to an iron chair inside an 18-square-foot iron cage. Wang open the window and frigid air blew inside the room. With highs of around 30 degrees during the day and in the teens at night, March in Harbin is very cold. The window was kept open for over 24 hours and Ms. Zuo almost froze to death.
Torture reenactment: Iron Chair
Wang cuffed Ms. Zuo's hands to the top of the cage and left her body to hang. The handcuffs cut into her flesh, her hands swelled and she lost the feeling in her hands. The guards released Ms. Zuo after another 24 hours. They were afraid that she might lose her hands and they would be held responsible. Instead, they tied her to the back of the cage with a rope.
Night guards Gong Jian, Wang Yansuo and Wang Yongxin kicked the metal cage whenever they saw Ms. Zuo doze off. She was kept awake night and day. Her heart rate went up to 150 beats per minute and her blood pressure skyrocketed. After nine days and eight nights of torture, she curled up into the fetal position. She was shaking and near death.
Guard Wang Min, in her 40's, is a tall woman of 5 feet 10 inches, and used to be an athlete. She has a very strong built. Detainees often heard her foul and abusive language whenever she was on duty. Many of the detainees started to have heart problems and high blood pressure because of this harsh environment.
Wang is well known for the cruel way she inflicted the physical torture. She once beat a sixty-year-old Falun Gong practitioner until the elderly woman's face was black and blue. The elderly woman limped away after the beating. A thirty year-old-woman became mentally unstable after Wang held her by the collar and repeatedly threw her against a metal gate. Ms. Zuo suffered a similar fate.
Tortured and Tormented by Guards Liu Chang, Zhang Aihui and Cong Zhixiu
The deputy group leader, Liu Chang, took Ms. Zuo to the third floor office that had no surveillance equipment on the morning of June 29, 2010. She was told to recite the prison slogans, but she refused. Liu then shocked her arms with an electric baton and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Instructor Zhang Aihui took over at 8:30 a.m. and she made Ms. Zuo squat. The position for squatting required the feet to be close together with both hands folded behind the back with the head erect. The feet would soon go numb and the feet and legs would swell. She fainted several times while squatting. She was also refused use of the restroom.
After a day of squatting, Ms. Zuo's body started to twitch. Guard Cong Zhixiu kicked her and said: “You look like a mangy dog, not like a teacher. If you die you will be nothing but a dead piece of meat.”
Ms. Zuo was locked alone in the “discipline room” and denied contact with other prisoners. She was made to stand in the office until all of the other prisoners went to sleep, only then could she sleep.
Team leader Wu Baoyun said to Wang Min: “You are not even hurting her. Recharge the electric baton fully, then shock her hard and let her stand until midnight.” To this Wang replied: “She will feel the pain later.” Ms. Zuo's heart trembled because she had already endured extreme torture. She wondered what could possibly come later?
Liu Chang and Cong Zhixiu often verbally abuse the prisoners. They would curse at them and threaten them with extending their prison terms if they talked to Ms. Zuo. Cong said to the new employees who had college degrees: “You must be blind to want to work here. You don't need a college degree to work here. You don't even need to be educated.”
Attempts to Appeal to Labor Camp Director Met with Further Abuse
Ms. Zuo tried to report the guards' abuse to camp director, Ye Yun. She asked to talk to Ye on visitation day. The team leader covered her mouth and she was taken aside. Ye saw what happened and quickly left. The team leader said: “In here, you only get to see the team leader and the guards. There is only one visitation day per month. You will never be allowed to see your family if you behave like this. You might even have your prison term extended.”
Ms. Zuo also wanted to meet with the government inspection team. The day the Heilongjiang Justice Department came for an inspection, she was locked in a bathroom and two guards kept watch from outside. Three team leaders shouted: “Zuo Xianfeng behave! Or we will tape your mouth shut.” Ms. Zuo lost hope. She thought, “I cannot see my family, I cannot report to the officials and no one would know if I were to die in here.”
Ms. Zuo's term was extended for more than 50 days because she went on a hunger strike.
Director Ye Yun did not investigate Ms. Zuo's case. Instead Ms. Zuo was locked in a small cell and tied to a metal chair 24 hours a day for seven days. After she was released from the small cell, the labor camp added another nine days to her term.
The Qianjin Labor Camp was formerly called the Wanjia Labor Camp. At least 13 Falun Gong practitioners died from the abuse they received while detained there. Countless practitioners suffered from injuries, disabilities and psychological trauma they obtained while held at the Wanjia Labor Camp.
Summary of Key Persecution Facts:
Name:
Zuo Xianfeng (左先凤)
Gender:
Female
Age:
33
Address:
Sandaogang township, Yilan county, Heilongjiang
Occupation
: English teacher at Sandaogang Middle School of Yilan County
Date of Most Recent Arrest:
November 4, 2012
Most Recent Place of Detention:
Qianjin Labor Camp in Harbin
City:
Harbin
Province:
Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered
: Electric shock, sleep deprivation, forced labor, brainwashing, illegal sentencing, beatings, hung up, imprisonment, solitary confinement, torture, physical restraint, interrogation, detention, denial of restroom use
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