Tortured for Rejecting Extra Slave Labor at Tumujin Forced Labor Camp

Over 20 Falun Gong practitioners are illegally detained in the Male Group of Tumuji Forced Labor Camp in Jalaid Banner, Xing'an League, Inner Mongolia.

In February 2009, practitioners refused to do extra forced labor in the carpet workshop and demanded that they be allowed to call home. Many of them had spoken to the squadron leaders and the group captains, but nothing was done. Then six practitioners--Mr. Ma Zhanqing, Mr. Li Jianqing, Mr. Ma You, Mr. Lin Wenhui, Mr. Song Zhiyu, and Mr. Wu Nanjie-- stop doing the extra hour labor. Mr. Song spoke to Political Instructor Wang Liwei and Secretary Chen Qiang several times about this matter. They neither replied about the labor issue and nor allowed practitioners to make phone calls home.

On the morning of February 27, Squadron Leader Huang Zhigang took Mr. Song, who was working in the carpet workshop, to Chen Qiang's office. They threatened and beat him. Mr. Song resisted. Chen Qiang handcuffed him behind his back and then to the heating pipe in the northeastern corner of the hall on the fourth floor. They didn't let him go down for lunch. When practitioners downstairs didn't see him for the whole afternoon, they asked the squadron leader about him. He said he didn't know what had happened, but practitioners learned of Mr. Song's situation from another source. Before the afternoon work started, nine practitioners--Mr. Wang Zhanqing, Mr. Li Jianqing, Mr. Wu Nanjie, Mr. Ma You, Mr. Lin Wenhui, Mr. Li Liandong, Mr. Sun Zhiqing, Mr. Xin Yongxiao, and Mr. Zheng Jun--asked to see Mr. Song. The squadron leaders in the office were Bi Guorong, Huang Zhigang, and Wu. The practitioners wanted to know why Mr. Song was handcuffed to the heating pipe. They were not given a reasonable reply, so they refused to work in the afternoon. The guards then took out electric batons and rubber clubs and beat the practitioners. Later, Political Instructor Wang Liwei also beat them. The practitioners then were returned to the hall, but the squadron leaders ran after them, beating them with electronic batons.

They put the six practitioners in solitary confinement, two in each compartment. Chen Qiang entered the solitary compartments and ordered the practitioners to take off their clothes but their underwear. There is still snow in February in Tumuji. Two practitioners were handcuffed with one handcuff. Though the heat was turned on later on, it was sometimes cold and sometimes warm. No bedding or quilts were provided.

Three days later, Chen Qiang called practitioner Mr. Wang Zhanqing to the office on the fourth floor. Chen Qiang told Mr. Wang that he would need to work extra hours at night. He refused. Chen Qiang then handcuffed him behind his back and to the heating pipe on the fourth floor. Squadron Leader Yang oversaw him. For four days Mr. Wang was handcuffed to the heating pipe on the fourth floor during the day and sent back to the solitary compartment at night. His wrists became very swollen and painful. He couldn't move his arm as it would cause heart-wrenching pain in his wrist. At night he was unable to sleep because of the pain, but he didn't give in.

On the fifth day, Yang took practitioner Mr, Li Jianqing to the fourth floor. He handcuffed him behind his back for a whole day. The next day he hung Mr. Li up by handcuffing him to the bar above the door. After a whole day, Mr. Li's arms became very swollen. On the third day, he was hung up for half a day. Later, Mr. Wang Zhanqing was handcuffed and hung up for half an hour and Mr. Wu Nanjie for over an hour.

Many inmates saw how practitioners were tortured. In the solitary compartments, practitioners were not allowed to lie down. While the squadron leaders were on duty, they forced practitioners to stand facing the wall. If the practitioners didn't obey or walked around, Squadron Leader Bi Guorong would shock them with electronic batons.

Practitioners were locked in solitary confinement for as long as 14 days, the shortest time for over 10 days. They developed various ailments after they were beaten. Mr. Ma You suffered from high blood pressure and dizziness, and his wrists were covered with bruises that didn't heal. His wrists were very painful. Mr. Wang Zhanqing suffered from high blood pressure and dizziness as well. Mr. Li Jianqing was hit on the face with rubber clubs. The lump on his face didn't go down, and he suffered from headaches. Sometimes it was so painful that he woke up at night. Mr. Li Liandong was hit on his back with rubber clubs and his spine was very painful. The vertebrae then started to protrude. He spoke to the squadron leader several times about it but he didn't get a reply. Mr. Xin Yongxiao had his arms beaten and he had difficulty moving them for quite some time. Mr. Sun Zhiqing's arms were also beaten with rubber clubs and became numb. The forced labor camp didn't reprimand the officers who beat practitioners and refused to provide medical treatment. It wasn't until mid July that two procurators came to investigate these incidents.

In July, because what had happened was exposed to outside, two procurators Lv Jingping and Li from Baoanzhao District went to Tumuji Forced Labor Camp to investigate the incident. They met Mr. Wang Zhanqing, Mr. Li Jianqing, Mr. Ma You, Mr. Lin Wenhui, Mr. Song Zhiyu, and Mr. Wu Nanjie, who had all been beaten and put in solitary confinement. They also talked with the witnesses who saw that practitioners had been handcuffed behind their backs and hung up. However, the procurators didn't record in detail how practitioners were injured. They were only concerned with who wrote the anonymous letter to the superior level, how the incident was exposed, and who revealed it. Eventually the investigation is ended up with nothing definite.

Personnel involved:

Wang Liwei, political instructor of the Male Group
Police ID Number: 1519069
Phone numbers: 86-13948896724 (Cell), 86-482-6710417

Huang Zigang, leader of the 2nd Squadron
Police ID Number: 1519096
Phone Numbers: 1519096 86-13948287582 (Cell), 86-482-6710474

Chen Qiang, secretary, in charge of force practitioners to write the "three statements".
Police ID Number: 1519074
Phone number: 86-13948627104 (Cell)

Bi Guorong, squadron leader
Phone numbers: 86-13948187769 (Cell), 86-4826710325