The Brutal Torture of Dafa Practitioners at Shuanghe Women's Labor Camp, Qiqihaer City, Heilongjiang Province

(Clearwisdom.net)

Presently in China, the prime purpose of "Re-education through the use of forced-labor training" as explained by the relevant legislation, is to step up the mental re-education of the convicted. At the same time, the offender is required to participate in a certain amount of physical labor, but would be paid an equivalent amount for the same type of work carried out by a non-convict, and so on. The legislation also states that the offender is not to be physically punished, abused, or interrogated with the use of torture, etc.

However, under the Chairmanship of Jiang Zemin, the Shuanghe Women's Labor Camp completely goes against what has been laid down by the legislation. The original innocent practitioners who were arrested and persecuted are now suffering from all kinds of torture. In order to meet the quota of the camp reform success rate, the commander would go to any lengths to make Dafa practitioners submit.

Jia Zhonghua and Guo Yan were two Falun Gong practitioners who were captured and assigned to the women's team at the camp. One day in August 2000, the labor camp conducted an "Exposure seminar." The seminar was nothing more than reading out loud articles extracted from the Central News, consisting of slander, lies and fabricated stories. Hence, both Jia and Guo refused to participate. Their refusal to participate angered the camp commander; therefore both Jia and Quo were handcuffed behind their backs in "small cells" for three days. For twenty-one days afterwards, they were given only two tiny amounts of gruel as their daily meals. They were not allowed to clean up or sleep. Following the long period of handcuffing, the skin came off from their wrists. Even now, their hands are still suffering from occasional pain and damaged nerves. When they completed the term of their sentence, they were detained and tortured for another three months.

One day in September 2000, Zhang Lijuan was seen practicing Falun Gong exercises in her cell. She was chained to a heating pipe by the team leader, Wang Mei, and was forced to spend the night in the squatting position. Afterwards, she was handcuffed from behind to a door handle for three more days and nights and deprived of sleep. When she completed her sentence, they extended it for another three months.

On October 10, 2001, one female practitioner was tortured in the "small cell." Since then, we have not heard of her present condition, as news of all the activities carried out in the chamber is cut off from the outside world. To ensure maximum security, the cell was guarded by a few convicts as well. This torture chamber is a living hell. Any form of torture could be applied in this cell, and many Dafa practitioners have died in this chamber.

Wang Mei, the officer in command of the first convict team at the camp, was well known for her brutal behavior. As an officer of "The People's Police Force," one would expect her to be a morally disciplined and a law-abiding person. However, her demon nature was manifested to the highest degree. She was abusive with her language and would resort to physical force on any of her team members. Her favorite remark was: "What's the big deal feeding a few more in the camp. Simply adding a few more cups of water into the cooking pot will solve the problem!" On October 10, 2001, she assigned labor duties to all practitioners reconstructing the Food Storage Cellar. To show her authority, she commanded that the practitioners were not permitted to help each other out. Every one must manage one's own full basket load. Among the practitioners illegally detained in the camp, some were elderly women in their sixties; some were only young girls recently out of school, while others had been office clerks. But, Wang Mei paid no attention to their background. She had no regard for the law but simply enjoyed seeing people suffer.

The first regulation for visiting families of Falun Gong practitioners before letting them in is that they have to read aloud a passage, which is written with slanderous words about Falun Gong and Teacher Li.

The second regulation requires that everything brought in by visitors for the practitioners have to be inspected. They will even slit open the inner linings of the cotton jackets. As for the materials they reject, they will then ask the visitors to buy them from the camp's own provision shop. The cost for a tube of toothpaste is 5 to 6 Yuan, more than twice the cost from a shop outside.

As for the visitors approved for entry, they can only meet the practitioners from a distance, accompanied by two guards. No verbal communication is allowed, although it is clearly written on the walls that visitors may talk to the detainees, etc. This restriction does not apply to non-Falun Gong detainees. The moment the two parties meet, the guards will then hurry the visitors along, saying, "You have seen her now, she is fine isn't she?" That is the extent of their visit. As for the practitioners who have been tortured, the camp will definitely not allow them to have visitors. Since there is no law governing their operation, they can make up any excuse in their favor. This is the present situation at Shuanghe Women's Labor Camp.