(Clearwisdom.net) Since July 20, 1999, Falun Gong practitioners in Shuangkou Labor Camp in Tianjin have suffered relentless, inhumane torture. Labor camp officials have adopted various cruel means to force Dafa practitioners to write so-called "statements of repentance."

Zhou Xiangyang, a Dafa practitioner, was beaten by prison police with an electric baton until his body was bruised all over. Practitioner Zhu Gang was beaten by other prisoners with an electric baton until close to death. The police chief slapped Tang Jian for one hour and 40 minutes until Jian's face was swollen and deformed. Afterwards, the police chief could not lift his hands and had to take several days of sick leave.

Practitioners were deprived of sleep. They were also forced to sit upright and hold a piece of paper between their legs with no movement and no dozing. Those who slipped were hit and kicked. They were forced to sit in that position for as long as 23 hours without a bathroom break.

Practitioners were also forced to work for extended periods of hard labor. Practitioner Liang Feng, a small, thin person, was forced to collect soybeans and carry full sacks. While other prisoners were allowed to sleep after a full day of labor, Dafa practitioners were forced to stay awake and clean a designated area with a cloth the size of a quarter. They often were forced to work until daybreak.

On hot summer days, practitioners were forced to do a "walk in slow motion" by holding one leg up for 30 minutes until ordered to change positions and lift the other. They were forced to do this for a whole day. To protest, practitioners went on a hunger strike. Prison guards spit into the containers that were used for forced feeding. The liquid food was sucked out from practitioners' stomachs and repeatedly used for re-feeding. The liquid was also loaded with large quantities of salt.

Practitioner Li Guangyuan in the third brigade was beaten until his ribs were broken. Li Wenqi in the fifth brigade was beaten so severely that he could not care for himself and was transferred to the third brigade. Guards accused him of pretending and beat him daily with electric batons until he was close to death. Then he was released so the authorities could no longer be held responsible for his condition.

Under the pressure of this extreme persecution, Dafa practitioners remained determined, became clearer than ever, and realized that they could not accept the persecution passively. They refused to participate in any form of the persecution: they refused to do the so-called "homework," forced hard labor, or to "walk in slow motion." Zhou Xiangyang, Huang Min, Han Ying, and Li Liang were among the most steadfast; they were also the most feared by prison guards and were transferred to Ji County Labor Camp.

About one hundred practitioners remain in Shuangkou Labor Camp. There are also many practitioners detained in Banqiao, Jianshu, and Dashuzhuang labor camps.

Even under the horrific conditions of the Shuangkou Labor Camp, practitioners continue to spread the Fa and clarify the facts of the persecution to police with compassion. Some prison official group leaders have started to read the Dafa books. Some police even protected practitioners when they did the Dafa exercises. Some prisoners started to practice Falun Gong, and one prisoner was caught reading Dafa articles. When he was asked to hand in the article, he refused in front of many people and swallowed the paper. He was savagely beaten with an electric baton. The guards asked him if he still wanted to practice. He said that he would even if he were beaten to death. Finally, the guards relented and told him "You can practice Falun Gong again after you are out of prison."