(Clearwisdom.net) I am Zhao Liankai, a 62 year-old male Falun Gong practitioner, who lives in Qingyuan County of Liaoning Province. Because of my belief in Falun Gong, officials from my former workplace, the Qingyuan Chinese Medicine Hospital, sent me to a brainwashing center. I was also sent to a forced labor camp three times.
Persecution at the Workplace
After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Gong, the county health bureau ordered officials from my former workplace, the Qingyuan Chinese Medicine Hospital, to hold a brainwashing session. I was detained there for over two weeks and my coworkers were assigned to watch me at all times. People responsible for this were Chen Guisheng (head of the county health bureau) and Wang Jiaxin (head of the Qingyuan Chinese Medicine Hospital).
Sent to a Labor Camp Three Times
My first detention in a labor camp was at the Wujiabao Forced Labor Camp in Fushun City, from November 1999 to January 2002. Several guards participated in the mistreatment, including Jiang Yongfeng and Wu Wei. In order to "transform" me, they tortured me using various methods, including making me run, making me sit still on a stool for a long time, exposing me to the scorching sun, and forcing me to stand still for a long time. My term was extended by three months, I was sworn at, subjected to the torture "riding an airplane" (a painful torture in which one's hands are bent to the back and the body is lying on the floor), and sent to the Benxi Forced Labor Camp for a period of time. During one torture, in which many people were involved, I was hung from the upper level of a bunk with handcuffs, and some people behind me forcibly pulled my legs backwards.
The second time, I was detained in a labor camp for two years around the time of the Olympic Games. Officials first detained me at the Fushun Forced Labor Camp and then at the Yuelianggou Forced Labor Camp in Anshan City. To oppose the persecution, I held a hunger strike for more than 20 days before officials released me due to my life-threatening condition.
The third time it started at 3:00 a.m., early on the morning of May 28, 2008. Four agents from the Fushun Police Department, including Wang Shuangkui and Xiao Dai, opened an iron security door with a master key. They kicked open the main door, came into my home, put a black hood over my head, and took me in my underwear to Division 1 of the Fushun Police Department. Even today, my wife is still very frightened when someone knocks at the door. Officials detained me for five days, and had me tied to a chair. Since all I was wearing was my underwear, I was cold at night. Officials from the police station nonetheless turned on the air conditioner to make me freeze even more. They hit my ears, fingers, and eyes with small wooden sticks. They also poured two bottles of horseradish liquid into my nose.
At the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, Liu Yu, Luo Chungui, and I called out “Falun Dafa is good” on October 28, 2008. Guards Gao Hongsheng and Yu Jiang, along with some inmates, started to torture me. By using several electric batons at the same time, the guards shocked my face, neck, hands, and feet. I don't know how many electric batons they used or how long it lasted. But they didn't stop until all the power was run out. My face was severely swollen, and on my neck was blood mixed with fluid. Because of my swollen mouth, I was unable to eat. Guards first forced me to eat and after I refused, and began to force-feed me. My front teeth were loosened during this process.
Because I refused to yield, officials hung me up and handcuffed my hands to the upper level of a bunk. At the beginning, they allowed me to sleep several hours per day, but later hung me up for 48 hours consecutively, depriving me of sleep.
During my one and a half years at the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, I witnessed guards often beating and swearing at practitioners. Guard Qin Li once brutally beat me for half an hour, and one of my teeth became loose. I was also hung up by my handcuffed wrists, and handcuffed to an iron bed for more than two hours. Many practitioners were brutally tortured there. For example, the following practitioners suffered from the stretching torture method: Sun Yi, Li Laifang, Sun Shuchen, Lin Yongxu, Cai Chao, Li Hailong, Zhang Shuqing, and Cui Dejun. Yu Ming and Chen Yan from Shenyang City were also severely tortured.
The main food at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp was moldy cornbread. The purchase of daily necessities was highly restricted. Sometimes when the toilet paper was used up, practitioners were not allowed to purchase any. As a result, some practitioners had no choice but to urinate in their pants. In addition, some practitioners' hands were injured by the cold.
Ms. Xia Shukun from Fushun City Mistreated
Since the CCP began persecuting Falun Gong, Ms. Xia Shukun has been mistreated in many ways. Her husband and two-year-old child were also afflicted.
1. Arrested and home ransacked
After Ms. Xia's mother was arrested in the summer of 1999, police agents from the Qingyuan County Police Department came the next day and ransacked their home and confiscated their personal belongings. When Ms. Xia tried to stop them, the agents arrested and took her to the Qingyuan Police Department.
Officials from the 610 Office called Ms. Xia’s family that evening and requested 1000 yuan for her release. Her father said they would not pay the money since they had not violated any law. Officials sent Ms. Xia to the Dashagou Detention Center in Qingyuan County the next day and 15 days later to the Zhangdang Brainwashing Center in Fushun City. After that, officials kept her at the brainwashing center in Hongtoushan Town and the Dashagou Detention Center, for a total of about eight months.
2. Persecution during the Olympic Games
Agents from the Fushun Domestic Security Division and Qingyuan Police Department (including officer Zhao Qihua) arrested the following practitioners in Hongtoushan in the night of June 28, 2008: Sui Lisen, Zhang Huamei, Zhang Hongtao, Zhang Huamei’s mother (not a practitioner), Zhou Yuying, Xia Shukun, Zheng Qiang (Ms. Xia’s husband, not a practitioner), and Hua Yuju.
At that time, Ms. Xia, along with her husband and son were staying at her parents’ place. They were awakened by the loud noise of pounding at the door. They looked outside and noticed many plainclothes police agents, as well as three police vans, which were parked outside the building. Ms. Xia asked them what they came for, and one of them appeared to take out some paperwork. But when Ms. Xia tried to take it, two people suddenly came up to her, grabbed her by the arm, and forcibly pulled her out. By then, the police had forced opened the door and rushed in. The agents arrested Zhou Yuying, Xia Shukun, and Zheng Qiang. They also confiscated a DVD player. Ms. Xia’s two-year-old son cried for two hours before he got tired and went to sleep again.
The police tortured Ms. Xia for three days and nights at the Fushun Domestic Security Division. Guard Wang Qi shocked her with electric batons and deprived her of sleep. Whenever she wanted to close her eyes, guards rubbed horseradish on her eyelids. After detaining Ms. Xia for one month, officials sent her to the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp for a two-year term.
Because of these incidents, Ms. Xia’s son was terrified. He often walked door to door in the apartment complex looking for his mother. This two-year-old boy was traumatized by these incidents and it has been hard for him to recover.
