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Cases of Sleep Deprivation Being Used as a Means of Persecuting Falun Gong (Part 2)

April 27, 2011 |  

(Clearwisdom.net)

Continued from Part 1: http://clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/26/124656.html

Deprived of Sleep in Prison

Tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained in prisons over the past eleven years. They have been mistreated physically and mentally. Almost every Falun Gong practitioner has gone through a period of strict supervision upon arrival at a penal institution. If a practitioner refused to be “transformed”, the prison authorities would use harsher methods. Sleep deprivation has been used often.

Here is but one example:

The following sections detail the situations at two particular prisons, by way of example of what is going on all across China in the persecution of Falun Gong.

Shijiazhuang No. 4 Prison

In Shijiazhuang No. 4 Prison, Falun Gong practitioners were often tortured by a method known as "Enduring Eagle," which was a form of prolonged sleep deprivation. The prison guards and the prisoners took turns monitoring practitioners to make sure they didn't fall asleep. They rub the practitioners' eyeballs with a dry towel if they fell asleep. Guards would turn benches upside down and force practitioners to sit on the legs of the benches with their legs crossed. The entire body weight would be on the bench legs and no movement was allowed. If the practitioner moved they were tortured. Food was initially provided, but rationed not long there after; and then practitioners were prohibited from eating, drinking or using the bathroom. Every day the practitioners were questioned, tortured and subjected to brainwashing with falsified news clips. According to the prisoners, people subjected to this torture technique would begin to discharge blood after 4 days, and experience mental collapse 5 days later. If the practitioner was transformed, the prison guards receive a bonus and the prisoners received a reduction in their prison term.

Here are some examples:

Prisons in Gansu Province

In October 2005, Wang Zhongmin, who took over the office of the director of the Gansu Province Prison Administrative Bureau, carried out a comprehensive and brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the prisons in the entire province. He also invited so-called "experts" of Falun Gong persecution techniques from Beijing to the prison so that they could teach the local prison guards how to better transform Falun Gong practitioners. One of the methods included sleep deprivation, which supposedly resulted in a high rate of "transformation." These so-called “experts” said that sleep deprivation was low risk and that normally people could not withstand this mistreatment for more than three days. Because the deprivation of sleep doesn't leave any sign of injury on a person's body, the prison authorities did not worry about the practitioners families seeking legal redress.

A "transformation" team headed by Shi Tianyou, the newly appointed deputy head of the prison, was set up in Lanzhou Prison. Most of the guards were drafted from other prison wards. They worked together along with the most vicious criminals, to torture practitioners. One small cell was specifically designated for detaining practitioners. Inside the cell was a television, which showed propaganda videos that slandered Falun Gong, and practitioners were forced to watch these programs.

Cruel Treatment used on the Eyes – Supplementary Means to Sleep Deprivation

The human eye is very sensitive. In order to make the practitioners suffer, the CCP put irritating substances such as hot pepper, mustard, hard liquor and mentholated balm into practitioners eyes. They might also shine bright lights into their eyes. In addition to all the cruelties listed above, practitioners are actually beaten on the eyes, targeting the eyeballs directly.

Here are some examples:

Re-enactment photo: No Shutting Eyes

Many times, the CCP concealed the truth of the torture methods used on practitioners. However, because of the shocking condition of their bodies, the methods employed were considered to have been severe.

Such cruel treatment to the eyes of Falun Gong practitioners' is common. More reports of such mistreatment can be found here http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/4/6/124252.html.

Other recent reports presented similar cases: