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The Hidden Cruelty Behind the Façade of Beijing's Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp

October 22, 2002 |   By Dafa practitioners in China

(Clearwisdom.net) In just over a year, Beijing's Tuanhe forced labor camp changed from a place overgrown with weeds into a "garden". Its muddy roads are now paved and its one story structure was replaced by multi-story buildings. But a showy fa ade cannot hide the atrocities committed against Falun Gong practitioners there.

A map of the Tuanhe forced labor camp.

The purple line on the map represents roads. The first floor of a four-story building at the southwest corner is the location of the fifth brigade where Falun Gong practitioners are jailed. The other three floors are for the seventh brigade (for drug addicts), the fourth brigade and the sixth brigade. The north side of this building is where determined Dafa practitioners have been abused by the so-called "intensive training brigade". The gate of the camp is at the center of the south side and the visitor's room is northeast of the gate. There is a basketball court about 77 meters north of the gate. To the north of the basketball court are bathrooms, a dining hall, and a library (from left to right). To the north of the bathrooms and the dining hall is the "west building," another place where Dafa practitioners are abused. To the northeast side of the library is a three-story building where the first, second and the third brigades are located.

Since April 2001, policemen have been using deceitful methods to treat newly detained Dafa practitioners to brainwash them using so called "helpful education." They forced Dafa practitioners to watch videos made to slander Dafa, and listen to lies fabricated to defame Dafa. Personal attacks and threats are the daily routine. Usually practitioners are not allowed to go to bed until midnight.

After a period of time, if Dafa practitioners still do not yield, policemen force Dafa practitioners to stay up until 2 or 3 o'clock at night. Later they use various methods including violence. Of course, violence is not administered openly. One would be isolated, or sent to the "intensive training brigade," or the "general education brigade."

The methods used in the Tuanhe forced labor camp to hide the atrocities include:

1. Torturing each Dafa practitioners individually and separately.

2. Dafa practitioners were tortured at the "intensive training brigade" and the "west building." These two places are off limits to any visitors.

A. The "intensive training brigade" has an iron door. Outsiders are not allowed to enter; even policemen are not allowed to enter without permission. It's not open to visitors. Inside, people detained are shut in steel cages. Some of the cages are very small. One can only lie down inside, even sitting up is not possible. Many people are lying in such cages for 24 hours a day and are being watched by criminals. Talking among each other is prohibited. Bathroom times are scheduled. The food is of the worst quality. Hitting and punching happen frequently over there, especially to Dafa practitioners. Many were shocked by electric batons. According to one Dafa practitioner who was released from there, a Dafa practitioner called Wu Xiangwan recited Dafa articles while being forced to watch propaganda videos that slandered Dafa. He was then sent to the "intensive training brigade" where he was shocked with electric batons and almost died from it. Dafa practitioner Gong Chengxi has been locked up in those steel cages many times for a total of at least 9 months, which has caused him to lose a lot of weight. His term was extended for anther ten months and he is still detained in the camp.

Policemen Liu Jinbiao is a major hatchet man in the "intensive training brigade." He once tied Dafa practitioner Wu Jun (a guided-missile expert) on a bed for a few months and watched him 24 hours a day. The abuse pushed Wu Jun to the verge of a mental collapse, and he couldn't even walk by himself. They also force-fed Wu Jun while he was tied to a bed. Wu Jun's term was extended twice. He was taken from Tuanhe but was not released. His current location is unknown. Dafa practitioner Wang Yanfang suffered pains beyond description in the camp. One of his feet frequently loses all feeling because of injuries he received from the torture. He is now isolated from other Dafa practitioners and his location is also unknown.

B. The "west building" is where most of the so-called "helpful education" happened. Whenever visitors come, policemen detain the determined Dafa practitioners over there to prevent the atrocities from being revealed. Of course this building is not open to the outside either. Last winter, some determined Dafa practitioners were detained there. There is no bed and no heat, just one wooden plate and a flimsy cotton quilt was supplied. Wei Rutan, Gong Chengxi and others who were detained there for a few months looked very thin.

3. Isolating determined Dafa practitioners.

Afraid that their torture would be revealed to other Dafa practitioners, the police scattered determined Dafa practitioners among the brigades that did not have any Dafa practitioners.

4. Dafa practitioners were monitored 24 hours a day. Any talk that they think not appropriate will be reported to police or stopped instantly. Determined Dafa practitioners were isolated from other people by two monitors in order to prevent other people from knowing how the policemen have tortured Dafa practitioners.

5. All people are under surveillance 24 hours a day by monitoring devices including while eating, sleeping, and using the bathroom. The purpose is to prevent people from talking with the determined Dafa practitioners and revealing the policemen's cruel behavior.

6. Spreading rumors to defame Dafa practitioners.

Yang Shuqiang's eardrum was ruptured by the beating he received from police. The policemen gave Yang's family 700 Yuan as compensation. But, the policemen said they gave the 700 Yuan because they saw the poverty of Yang's family, and spread a rumor saying that Yang does not care about his family. The policemen have never mentioned that Yang's ruptured eardrum was caused by being ruthlessly beaten by the police.

7. Torturing Dafa practitioners by overloaded hard labor.

Policemen forced Dafa practitioners to plant grass under the hot sun, in the rain, or load cement bags, build roads, etc. for over a dozen hours every day to physically exhaust them.

A list of Dafa practitioners tortured recently in the camp include:

Fang Yinwen, Wang Yanfang, Wei Rutan, Li Yuejin, Liu Chen, Zhu Zhiliang, Gong Chenxi, Li Chunyuan, Yu Ming, Li Xupeng, Zai Cenghao, Zhang Xiangyu, Lu Weidong, Liu Xiao, Yang Shuqiang and others.

October 7, 2002