(Minghui.org) Because Ms. Wang Fengyun refused to give up her faith in Falun Gong, she and her family were subjected to harassment, extortion, arrests, home ransacking, imprisonment, and torture.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.

A resident of Changchun City, Jilin Province, Ms. Wang served one year in a labor camp and three years in prison between 1999 and 2005. Her home was ransacked twice and she was subjected to various torture methods while in custody. In 1999, her then-18-year-old daughter was given two years for her shared faith and tortured in the labor camp.

Ms. Wang’s family was constantly harassed and extorted by the local police department, police station, township government and other local agencies. They endured immense suffering and mental distress as a result of the persecution.

Below are some details of their persecution experience.

Mother’s Torture in Prison

Ms. Wang Fengyun, a 65-year-old store owner, was taken to forced labor camp for one year in 1999 and sentenced to four years in Heizuizi Women’s Prison in 2002. The police didn’t only confiscate her Falun Gong books and materials during her arrest but also filled two truckload of products from her store, leaving nothing behind.

In the Heizuizi Prison, Ms. Wang was locked in a small cell. She was handcuffed and her feet were chained to a ring on the ground. The toilet was underneath her. She had to sleep right next to the toilet at night with one hand cuffed to the floor ring. The cell was extremely cold in the winter.

After being tortured in the cell for a few days, she was tied to a bed in a spread-eagle position. Over ten days of the tying torture caused the muscles and tendons in her arms to become very stiff. Yet the guards put her through more torture, including forcing and bending her arms backward.

Once, Ms. Wang was caught by an inmate assigned to monitor her passing Falun Gong teachings to other practitioners. The guards hung her up and interrogated her. On the third day, they tied Ms. Wang’s limbs to the four corners of the bed and left her body suspended in the air. She was tortured this way for an entire night.

Torture illustration: Tied up and suspended over a bed

After going through the stretching torture for 15 days, the skin on Ms. Wang’s ankles and wrists peeled off. Her hands and feet were extremely swollen. For many days afterwards, she could not wear shoes.

Despite the freezing temperature outside in the winter, the guards opened the door and windows to freeze her. The extremely cold air caused her body to twitch from time to time. To prevent others from seeing them torturing her during the day, the guards usually waited until it was dark, and then they closed the curtains and tortured her.

When Ms. Wang went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution, the guards used chopsticks and toothbrushes to open her mouth and force-fed her. She was only given two spoonful of food each meal, and no water was given to her at all in order to prevent urination and defecation.

The guards also brainwashed Ms. Wang every day. She was deprived of sleep at night. As soon as she closed her eyes, the inmates kicked her to keep her awake.

Teenage Daughter’s Two-Year Labor Camp Term

In 1999, Ms. Wang’s then-18-year-old daughter, Ms. Wang Xiaoqiu, was illegally detained twice and given two years of forced labor. While in the Changchun Women’s Labor Camp between 1999 and 2000, the teen was forced to sit on a bench for a long time. She was deprived of sleep and brainwashed every day. She was forced to work in a workshop without heating all day and night, making crafts like Japanese decorations and handmade fans for export. The guards did not allow her family to visit her.