The Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners at Yunnan Province First Prison (Part 2)

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Aug. 19, 2022 | By a Minghui correspondent in Yunnan Province, China

(Minghui.org) The Yunnan Province First Prison is known to be a prison for major male criminal offenders, many of whom are on death row, and foreign prisoners. Since the Chinese communist regime initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, at least 160 Falun Gong practitioners have been imprisoned in Yunnan Prison.

Most practitioners are held in the First Ward, also known as a training ward. It has been confirmed that 28 practitioners were held there. Practitioners who remained steadfast in their belief were placed under strict management and subjected to the horror of a brutal persecution. At least four practitioners have been persecuted to death, while a disabled veteran lost his eyesight as a result of the torture.

(Continued from Part 1.)

Torture Cases

Practitioners who refused to be “transformed” in the First Ward would be subjected to physical and mental torture, forbidden from talking to anyone, monitored by inmates, and prohibited from calling or seeing their family.

Senior University Lecturer, First Practitioner Tortured

Mr. Fei Xuelong, a senior university lecturer from Yuxi City, Yunnan Province, was taken to the First Ward of Yunnan Province First Prison in 2004. It was a cold day when he arrived. He was barefoot, and was not allowed to wear shoes or socks. The guard instructed the inmates to search Mr. Fei, after which they threw his clothes into the boiler room to be burned.

Mr. Fei was the first practitioner who was imprisoned in the First Ward. He was taken to the strict management team, which was on the sixth floor, and not allowed to go downstairs, or be in contact other inmates.

As Mr. Fei refused to be “transformed” or write guarantee statements renouncing Falun Gong, the deputy chief of the ward, Wang Kun, incited inmates to torture him.

Mr. Fei was beaten, forced to kneel on bricks for over 10 hours, and forced to hold a bucket of water on his head. Sometimes, the inmates drew a circle on the floor, forced him to stand inside the circle, and prohibited him from stepping out of the circle. He was forced to hold one foot above the ground. He was also handcuffed and forced to squat without moving, or else he would be beaten by inmates. He was given very little food to eat.

Half a year before his term was up, in an attempt to “transform” him and be rewarded, Wang and other inmates handcuffed Mr. Fei and hung him up with only his toes touching the ground. The hanging torture lasted for over 10 hours every day. He was also was deprived of sleep afterwards.

Torture illustration: Hung up

Mr. Fei was subjected to the hanging torture for more than 180 days, until the day his term was up. By the time he was released, his hair had turned gray.

Prohibited from Writing Letters, Hung Up for 86 Days

Mr. Hou Fayong from Sichuan Province was arrested by the police in Chuxiong City, Yunnan Province in January 2005, and given a three-year sentence. He was taken to the Yunnan Province First Prison somewhere around May or June 2005.

On February 20, 2007, Mr. Hou asked that the guards give all prisoners a respite from doing unpaid labor, given that it was Chinese New Year. He also asked to write Chinese New Year greetings to his family. The guards refused, and placed him under strict management. A guard handcuffed and shackled Mr. Hou. He was also pinned to the ground and beaten.

The inmates didn’t allow him to sit down and forced him to squat all day long. He was given very little food to eat, so he went on a hunger strike in protest.

With 86 days of continued abuse, his weight went from 83 to 67 kilograms, and his physical and mental health deteriorated.

Torture illustration: Handcuffed to the ground

Former Military Officer Subjected to Brutal Torture

Mr. Zhou Zhiming, a former non-commissioned officer and member of the ground crew at a military airport in Tianjin, was sentenced to three years for distributing Falun Gong materials. He was taken to Yunnan Province First Prison around April or May 2008.

Mr. Zhou was assigned to the Logistics Ward where inmates have to make paper bags and tea boxes. He refused to do the forced labor, and maintained that he did not commit any crime by practicing Falun Gong. The guards instigated the inmates to humiliate and beat him.

The inmates dragged him by the handcuffs to the strict management team. The handcuffs cut into his skin and caused bleeding. During the over 60 days he was held there, he was hung up and beaten for a long time. He was give very little food. After he was released from strict management, he was transferred to the Seventh Ward, where he was held until his term was up.

Torture re-enactment: Handcuffed to the ground

Front Teeth Knocked Out, Handcuffed for Nearly Two Years

Mr. Li Zhen was a worker at a metallurgy company in Yunnan Province. His older brother, Mr. Li Quan, a former deputy mayor, was sentenced to seven years for practicing Falun Gong, and was fired from his job. His older sister, Ms. Li Xian, a teacher at Lincang Normal School, was also sentenced to a seven-year prison term for practicing Falun Gong.

Torture re-enactment: Mouth taped shut

In January 2005, Mr. Li was sentenced to a six-year prison term. He was taken to the entrance of the First Ward on a tractor around May or June 2008. He was tied up, with his upper body naked. Injuries could be seen on his body. His mouth was also taped shut.

The guards instructed the strict management team to handcuff and shackle Mr. Li. He shouted, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” every day in protest. In retaliation, the guards beat him, and also taped his mouth shut.

The inmates at the strict management team kicked and punched Mr. Li’s head, chest, and back. His face was swollen from being kicked, and two front teeth were knocked out.

The inmates once handcuffed Mr. Li to two metal rails and put a heavy shackle on his feet. He was not allowed to sit down, but had to squat. He was given very little food to eat.

After being released from strict management, Mr. Li was transferred to the Fourth Ward, where he was handcuffed for nearly two years. Eventually, the handcuffs became rusted and could not be opened.

Traffic Police Beaten by Five Guards

Mr. Wang Yun was a traffic police officer in Kunming City. He was placed under strict management after he was taken to the Yunnan Province First Prison in 2006. The guards handcuffed him to two sides of a bed for three days.

Afterward, he was taken to the Tenth Ward, where he started collecting evidence of the prison forcing inmates to do illegal unpaid labor. After the guard found out, he ordered Mr. Wang to hand over the materials, but he refused. The guard then instructed 5 inmates to pin him to the ground and search him. They beat him for more than 10 minutes. His nose, mouth, and face bled, and his body was bruised. He was then placed in solitary confinement for a week.

Torture illustration: Beatings

Deputy Factory Manager Placed in Solitary Confinement Until Released from Prison

Mr. Mao Danxin, in his 40s, was a deputy factory manager in Kunming City. He was sentenced to a four-year prison term close to year end 2012. He was placed in solitary confinement for four months. He was shackled and handcuffed, and also was forced to stand continuously for 15 days.

Mr. Mao was verbally abused, beaten, deprived of food and exposed to cold temperatures. The guards also refused to let him do his laundry, take showers, and they restricted his access to the restroom.

He was forced to sit on a small stool for nearly four days without moving. This ended only after he became ill and could not digest any food. He was still held in solitary confinement until he was released from prison.

Torture illustration: Forced to sit on the floor

Mr. Mao’s prior sentenced lasted for one-and-a-half years in 2004.

Pepper Sprayed and Locked in Solitary Confinement Until in Critical Condition

Mr. Li Wenbo was arrested for a second time in 2020, and sentenced to a five-year prison term. Because he shouted “Falun Dafa is good” to protest being persecuted, he was sprayed with pepper spray and locked in solitary confinement for 2 months. After his health deteriorated, Mr. Li was taken to the hospital. The guards told the inmates that Mr. Li was on the verge of death. He is now detained in the Eleventh Ward.

The first time Mr. Li was taken to the prison was in 2014. After he shouted “Falun Dafa is good,” he was hung from the window grill with his mouth taped shut. His mouth bled when the tape was removed. He was also hung from the basketball hoop when other inmates were exercising in the field. They continued this torture for almost 8 months. Mr. Li suffered gastric bleeding as a result.

Farmer Forced to Do Hard Labor and Tortured

Mr. Li Taoyou, in his 50s, was a farmer in Kunming City. He was arrested on May 22, 2008 after being reported for giving out Falun Gong informational materials, and was later sentenced to a three-year prison term. He was placed under strict management in the First Ward upon arriving at Yunnan Province First Prison. He was forced to squat for three days, and later forced to pick beans daily for three months. He had to pick two to three large bags a day. Sometimes, he picked as many as eight to nine bags.

One day, he was washing his feet when a Burmese inmate accused him of doing the Falun Gong exercises, and slapped his face. Afterward, he was transferred to the Second Ward, and later to the Fifth Ward.

Forbidden from Sleeping for Nine Days

Mr. Lei Yunbo, in his 40s, is from Wuhan City, Hubei Province. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. He previously served a 3-year term in Wuhan.

In early 2009, Mr. Lei was placed under strict management for talking to inmates about Falun Gong, and later was taken to the First Ward. As he remained steadfast in his belief, he was handcuffed and shackled while under strict management. He was also deprived of sleep for nine days.

Torture illustration: Handcuffed and shackled

Middle School Teacher Arrested and Tortured

Mr. Yan Guisheng, a 38-year-old middle school teacher from Kunming City, was imprisoned in the Second Ward in Yunnan Province First Prison in 2007. He was shackled and placed under strict management for half a month for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.

In June 2007, Mr. Yan was taken to the First Ward for brainwashing.

Retired Worker Pepper-sprayed Several Times

Mr. Zhang Liang, a 65-year-old retired worker, was given two forced labor camp terms for a total of 10 years.

In August 2, 2012, Mr. Zhang was taken to the Third Ward in Yunnan Province First Prison. Because he shouted “Falun Dafa is good,” his hands were cuffed behind his back, then to the edge of the bed, or to the window grill. The guards also attached six metal balls that each weighed about one kilogram to his shackles.

Torture illustration: Handcuffed between two bunk beds

Mr. Zhang was taken to the Tenth Ward on August 26, 2015. As he repeatedly shouted “Falun Dafa is good,” he was beaten, shackled, and handcuffed to a ring on the floor.

Mr. Zhang shouted “Falun Dafa is good” in September 2017, in the presence of the deputy head of the prison. After that, he was placed under strict management. He was forced to run around the field for as many as 20 times each time. His face was also pepper sprayed five times.

Locked in Solitary Confinement Three Times in Two Months

Mr. Qiu An, 48, from Kunming City, Yunnan Province, was arrested on May 12, 2020, for telling a customer about Falun Gong while working in his electronics store.

He was sentenced to three years and transferred to Yunnan Province First Prison in 2021. He was held in solitary confinement three times within two months. When he refused to watch videos that slandered Falun Gong, the guards pepper sprayed him.

(To be continued.)

Crimes Committed Against Falun Gong Practitioners by the No. 1 Prison in Yunnan Province

The Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners in Yunnan Prison

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Category: Overview of persecution