(Minghui.org) Ms. Wang Yuqin, a Falun Gong practitioner from Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2003. During her prison term at the age of 30, she was handcuffed from behind, held in isolation, handcuffed and hung up, and tortured by other means.

Below is her personal account of how she suffered in Heilongjiang Women's Prison from September 2003 to March 2006.

Prison Admitted Me When My Pulse was Extremely Slow

I was arrested by police from the Taobei Police Station, Qitaihe City on March 20, 2003, and later detained in local No. 1 Detention Center, where I went on a hunger strike to protest against the persecution. When I was taken to the Heilongjiang Women's Prison on September 12, 2003, I had been on a hunger strike for ten days.

I was very weak. They hauled me up to the fourth floor of the prison building for a physical examination. My blood pressure fell precipitously, and my pulse was extremely slow. Even so, prison officials ignored the rule of not admitting persons with serious health problems and threw me in jail.

Later some informants told me that officials from both the police department and prison were bribed to do this. More than ten Falun Gong practitioners were taken to the prison with me on the same day.

Forced to Run in Circles

We were first put through what they called “physical training.” Guards instigated prisoners to force us to run in circles in the early morning until we couldn't run any more.

As we ran, we saw practitioners in section 8 surrounded by a group of inmates running inside the circle of practitioners. The criminal inmates carried water bottles and electric batons. Whenever they saw a practitioner slow down, they would hit her in the head and curse at her.

Denied Family Visits for Not Labeling Myself a Prisoner

Jail guards tried to “transform” us in different ways. For example, they denied family visits and would not allow calls or letters to be mailed.

My family worried when they lost contact with me. They had no idea where I was, or if I was even alive or dead. They contacted prison officials, but couldn't get any real news. This worried my mother, who was in her seventies.

Jail guards and prisoners forced me to recite the way I was supposed to report to the officials. I was commanded to call myself a prisoner. I refused.

They denied my family visits for doing this. My family was not able to see me for three months.

Detained in Strictly-Managed Section for Not Doing Manual Labor

In December 2003, I was transferred to Section 1, the tightly-controlled section in prison, because I refused to do the forced labor. I was forced to sit up straight and not move, along with several other practitioners.

Tortured for Not Wearing Prisoner Uniform

No detainee was allowed to take off the prisoner uniform. Several times practitioners suffered severe torture for removing their prisoner uniform, and were handcuffed and hung up. I was one of them.

Torture Demonstration: Handcuffed and Hung up

In March 2004, a group of prisoners handcuffed me to a lower bed frame. I had no choice but to sit on the cement floor for more than one hour. Guards instigated prisoners to curse at and threaten me, and forced me to put on the prisoner uniform.

I was then detained in a room that was 30 square feet, with more than 30 other practitioners. We were forced to sit side by side for more than seven months. One practitioner, Ms. Guan Shuling, was denied restroom privileges and was forced to relieve herself in the room.

On April 3, 2005, one prisoner shouted at me. “You have to obey us since you are wearing this prisoner uniform. You have to endure and follow the prison rules.”

When I heard this, I took off the uniform and said, “I will no longer wear it.” Six prisoners swarmed me. Some threatened and cursed at me, while one went to report me to the guards. One prisoner picked up a stool and threw it at me.

In the following few days, guards and eight prisoners forced the uniform on me by immobilizing my limbs. They then dragged me out for roll call.

Two practitioners saw this and shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” Several prisoners pushed them to the cement ground. Several prisoners covered my mouth so that I couldn't speak. I was then dragged away to another room.

On the evening of April 7, 2014, five prisoners again tried to force the uniform on me. As they tried to lift me up and I struggled, a criminal inmate hit me in the left eye. I shouted at them, “You are breaking the law!”

They covered my mouth immediately and choked me.

On April 8, 2005, guards and several prisoners isolated me in the cooking section. They continued to force the prison uniform on me. They handcuffed me, and then attached one hand to the upper bed frame and the other hand the bunk bed's ladder.I couldn't sit, stand, or squat.

Group Torture

In September 2004, jail guards detained more than 30 practitioners on the fifth and sixth floor of the prison and tortured us.

I was being held on the sixth floor. One prisoner, Tang Hongwei, forced us to sit on a small stool, would not allow us to close our eyes, and used speakers to make noises so that we couldn't sit quietly.

At night when we were taken back to the cell, prisoners in the cells continued monitoring us and stopped us from doing Falun Gong exercises.

One inmate named Li Xiaohong went to the upper bunk of my bed and tied my wool pants around my neck. Meanwhile, another inmate started kicking me through the mattress.

Sitting for extended periods on a small stool took its toll. My buttocks developed big sores filled with pus. Some practitioners had difficulty walking afterwards. Guards Wang Shan and Li Zhenying said, “Why do we make you sit on small stools? Just so that you won't be able to walk.”

Each practitioner was closely monitored by five criminal inmates. We were forced to sit there motionless all day.

Not Allowed to Talk Openly During Family Visit

On April 10, 2005, my sister came to visit me. I was starting to tell her what I had suffered in prison, but guard He Jing stopped me. She said, “You will be denied family visits if you continue saying those things.”

Then I told my sister, “If I don't say I am well, you might not be able to see me again. I did not break the law and would never be against the law.”

My sister was aware of my suffering, but she had no idea about what had exactly happened to me. She cried and said, “My beloved baby sister, what has happened to you?” The guard immediately pushed her out of the meeting room.

I was then taken back to the cell and handcuffed. They continued torturing me and forced me to wear a prisoner uniform.

Beaten for Refusing to Have Photo Taken and Blood Tested

At the end of 2004, guards took photos of practitioners at the prison. Some practitioners, including me, refused to comply. Guards then dragged us from our cells to take the photos.

Five prisoners climbed up to the upper bunk of my bed, grabbed my hair, and held me down, pulling and grabbing at my hair and clothing. The prison authorities also forced us to have blood taken against our will.

Witnessing Other Practitioners Tortured

A Practitioner Pricked Hundreds of Times

When I was detained in Section 1 of the prison in early 2004, a practitioner detained next to us in Section 8 was bound with rope by a prisoner with a deferred death sentence. The prisoner pricked the practitioner hundreds of times with needles, attempting to force her to give up Falun Gong.

Thrown Around Violently for Refusing to Squat and Answering Roll Call

Later I heard about what practitioners detained on the 5^th floor had suffered. Those who refused to respond to roll call were subjected to violence.

Prisoners threw them around repeatedly. One practitioner, Ms. Zhang Linwen, fell down and hit the back of her head on the cement floor. She lost consciousness.

Her face turned ashen and she looked bad. After she regained consciousness, Captain Xia had her stand in her office and verbally abused her until midnight.

Forced to Sit on a Wet Floor for Not Responding to Roll Call

When I was isolated and detained in the cooking section, two practitioners (Ms. Li Hongxia and Ms. Song Qing) were kicked by prisoners because they refused to respond to roll call. Prisoners poured water on the cement floor and forced them to sit on it.