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To Practitioners Who Were Detained in Beijing's Forced Labor Camps: Please Write Down Your Experiences

September 25, 2004 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner from Beijing

(Clearwisdom.net) Many articles have been posted on Clearwisdom about the persecution. Regrettably, I have noticed for quite some time that very few articles are posted about the persecution in Beijng's forced labor camps. What does that mean? Is there less evil in Beijing's forced labor camps? I believe it's quite the opposite.

Many forced labor camps in other areas adopted brutal methods of physical torture. Nevertheless, the persecution in Beijing's forced labor camps is more sinister and ruthless. The spiritual persecution and manipulation in these labor camps are beyond imagination. For this reason, the persecutors have transferred some Falun Dafa practitioners who refused to be "transformed" in other forced labor camps to Beijing's Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp and Beijing's Women's Forced Labor Camp. Practitioners are being subjected to and indoctrinated by more vicious and venomous lies in these Beijing labor camps than anywhere else.

In fact, if a practitioner remains firm in his or her belief for a long time in one of Beijing's labor camps, they will also suffer physical punishment and brutal torture. These tortures are most often carried out in the training center's guard chamber or in various teams' unit headquarters, behind closed doors, or inside a room solely for the use of the "Intensive Brainwashing Team." In such hidden environments, the practitioners are subjected to torture, mostly during the night and closely monitored by collaborators (1). Consequently, there are no witnesses to the torture beyond the perpetrators and the victims themselves.

The persecution of practitioners in the labor camps of Beijing is more devious than in camps outside of Beijing. They are trying to destroy the practitioners' will and spirit from within. Physical tortures are only part of the persecution. To me, the fundamental goal of the persecution against Falun Dafa practitioners is to destroy their will and spirit. The perpetrators use physical torture to try to reach that goal, yet physical tortures can rarely change one's mind: people will often comply on the surface but disagree in their heart when they are subjected to physical torture. However, the spiritual persecution goes deeper into the psyche of the abused and is much more sadistic. It causes practitioners to unconsciously let down their guard and become less diligent in their cultivation. Think about it. What could be more evil than making Fa-rectification practitioners willingly give up doing the three things Teacher has asked them to do? That would mean the destruction of those practitioners and all the sentient beings involved.

Once I clarified the truth to an ordinary person, telling her about the brutal physical torture a practitioner was subjected to in the Dalian Forced Labor Camp. I described the cruel torture the practitioner had to suffer. I told her that bones in the practitioner's arm were fractured and that her body was covered with scars. The person I talked to immediately responded, "Those police officers from outside Beijing are not as cruel as the Beijing police. The others commit their crimes openly, while the police in Beijing are more devious. They use rubber batons to beat people, leaving no marks on the body. Then they wait for the practitioners' internal injuries to heal before releasing them, so no evidence of torture remains."

Many practitioners have not yet grasped the viciousness of the spiritual and mental torture. They should not concede that they have "broken" any law when their freedom is taken away and they are imprisoned for a long time. They should not accept those poisonous lies. They should not willingly obey those "rules" in labor camps and prisons. They should not consent to being treated as slave laborers. They should reject exploitation. No matter what form it takes, one fundamental fact remains: any persecution that a Falun Dafa practitioner has to suffer, including being sentenced to prison or a forced labor camp, is a miscarriage of justice. A birdcage made of golden wires does not change the fact that the bird is being denied its freedom. While ordinary prison inmates are allowed some activities inside the jail, Falun Gong practitioners in the labor camps are forced to say "report" even before they step out of their cells. Their basic human rights have been taken away.

Some practitioners detained in Beijing's forced labor camps have recorded the facts about the persecution they suffered. Yet, the information is general in nature, and basic data, such as the practitioners' names, the policemen's names, which team they belonged to, and where the persecution occurred, is missing. Those police guards committed crimes and atrocities without hesitation. Why are we now afraid to let people know their identities and their criminal acts? Behind the different excuses for not reporting the full facts we can find practitioners' fear. Their fear has protected the perpetrators and allowed them to continue their persecution of other practitioners.

The ones who should be afraid to let people know the truth about the persecution are actually the persecutors. For example, the practitioners in one group in a forced labor camp disclosed the persecution facts in great detail. As a result, the superior officers examined the police team more closely. One of the labor camp guards called a practitioner that used to be detained in that particular team and said fearfully, "Someone brought a lawsuit against us, saying we beat practitioner A. Do you know who filed the lawsuit?" The practitioner replied righteously and sternly, "I don't know who filed the charges against you, yet I also saw you beat practitioners. We will all be witnesses if the court hears the lawsuit. You have conducted yourself better than other guards in the team and I hope you won't participate in the torture again." Over and over again the police guard said, "Yes, yes."

Other practitioners are afraid that they won't be able to write a good article. Actually, articles disclosing the persecution do not need to be written by someone with good writing skills using fancy words. Recording the facts plainly is good enough. Plus, practitioners who submit the articles will help polish it and the capable editors of the Minghui website can ensure its quality. Yet without the precious facts, no one can "create" a persecution-disclosing article.

I feel that some articles on Minghui are simply great. I can tell that the practitioners who write the articles are very simple people and not used to expressing themselves, yet their persecution-disclosing articles carry a great deal of weight. I think the important thing is our heart, not the language skills.

At this time, when the persecution is still going on, I hope that all the practitioners who have been detained in Beijing's forced labor camps write down their experiences. They need to tell of their persecution in the labor camps and have these articles published. Beijing is the main battlefield, and the forced labor camps are dark dens of evil. Let us disclose the evil and eliminate it with greater resolve and more diligence. At the same time, we can provide practitioners both inside and outside of China with more basic and truthful information, so that we can fulfill our mission together.

Note:

1. Collaborators - Former Falun Gong practitioners who have gone astray as the result of torture and brainwashing.