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Overcoming Tribulations During Imprisonment

April 27, 2018 |   By Sifang, a Falun Dafa practitioner in Jiangsu Province, China

(Minghui.org) I was imprisoned in Nantong Women's Prison in Jiangsu Province for my belief in Falun Dafa from May 2011 to July 2014. The prison guards tortured me physically and mentally as they tried to force me to give up my belief. With my faith in having Master Li's (the founder of Falun Dafa) protection, I overcame the tribulations one after another.

Enduring Brainwashing and Torture

At Nantong Women's Prison, the guards kept putting pressure on me. They took turns to intimidate and insult me from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 midnight every day. They forced me to watch videos that slandered, defamed and insulted Master Li and Dafa, including the fabricated "Tiananmen Self-Immolation."

They demanded that I write down my experiences and write critical comments that accorded with their requirements. Otherwise, they would abuse, intimidate and insult me. They would force me to stand for long periods and even beat me.

A guard named Wei Guangsu told me, “We have many people, but you are all alone. We are young, but you are old. We are healthy, but you are sick (At that time, I had been tortured for so long that my body presented some illnesses). We can deal with you like this every day.”

Another guard named Chen Jing, who is now the deputy instructor of the Prison Administration Department at Nantong Women's Prison held a thick paper tube and hit my face 20 to 30 times. When I stopped paying attention, she pressed my left collarbone with all her force and yelled, “You will have no evidence to show that I beat you.”

No matter how ferocious they were to me, I insisted on reciting the Fa in bed at night, as I could calm down and then I could memorize it. The inmates who monitored me did not know that I was studying, as they thought that I was sleeping. I knew in my heart that the only thing that mattered was staying diligent and to keep strengthening my righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors behind the prison guards.

The prison allowed visits from family members once a month. My daughters, sisters and brothers were all very busy. They basically came once every four or five months.

At that time, the guards fiercely exerted pressure on me and they beat me. They attempted to force me to give up my belief and to sign guarantee statements saying I would not practice Falun Dafa. I firmly held onto my belief in Master and Dafa.

One day I was told that my family had come to visit. It was not yet the scheduled visitation date. I thought that it was a good time to expose the wrongdoing of the prison guards.

Both my younger and elder sister had come to visit me. I talked to them from behind the glass barrier through the telephone. The phone was monitored. I didn't think about the phone being monitored. I told my sisters about the prison guards beating me. My sisters left weeping.

On the scheduled day for family visits the following month, I was told that my family had come to visit me. My elder brother was there. He picked up the phone and immediately asked, “How are you doing in there?”

My brother than told me not to be afraid of them. He told them [the guards] "Is this how you do your jobs? Abusing your power and persecuting good people?"  My brother knew that the phone was monitored. From his words, I knew that he had scolded the guards.

When I returned to my cell, the guards had completely changed their attitude toward me. They described my brother standing in the hall and scolding them while the hall was full of visiting family members. A guard told me, “Your brother has a strong character.”

Abuse of Restroom Privileges

I had a stomachache one day at noon in the workshop and wanted to use the toilet. The toilet in the workshop was blocked at the time. I went to ask the guard on duty if I could go to the restroom on the second floor. The workshop I worked in was on the third floor.

The guard on duty would not allow me to go to the restroom. She intentionally gave me a hard time. I stood beside her and waited. While I waited, some inmates also asked permission to go the restroom and were allowed. I waited for about half an hour.

The inmate that was monitoring me told the guard that I had an upset stomach and it was likely that I had diarrhea. The guard took a look at me. Ten minutes later, she allowed me to use the toilet.

I thought they were persecuting me by not allowing me to use the bathroom. I must deny their persecution. I decided to go on a hunger strike.

At noon the following day, the guards were observing whether I ate food or not. At lunchtime, no one was allowed to stay in the workshop. I accompanied the inmate who was assigned to monitor me to lunch. I did not eat.

After returning to the workshop, a head guard called the inmate assigned to monitor me and inquired about my hunger strike. The inmate told her that the guard on duty the previous day had not allowed me to use the toilet on time. I continued with my hunger strike until the afternoon of the third day.

The head guard and the guard on duty called me to the office. The head guard said, “We young people are inconsiderate. We were wrong to not allow you to go to the restroom. Please forgive us.” I did not say a word.

The head guard pointed to the other guard and said, “You apologize too.” The guard apologized to me.

I had been sentenced to five years in prison. I was in the final year that I was supposed to be released when the guards attempted to force me to give up my belief again. They forced me to watch videos slandering and defaming Master Li and Dafa. When one was inserted into the VCD player, I stood up and said, "I don't want to see this. It's all fake and deceptive.” I stepped out of the cell.

My Faith Got Me Through It

I was released from prison and I was finally free.

The persecution is so evil that one fears for their life. Facing such a terrifying environment, one would feel hopeless and helpless. It was really difficult to overcome the persecution. With my faith in Master and Dafa, I was able to overcome these tribulations.