(Minghui.org) Jiazhou Prison in Sichuan Province, which was created when the former Sichuan Province’s Wumaping Forced Labor Camp and Leshan Shawan Prison merged, is notorious for persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.

Apart from forced, unpaid labor, imprisoned practitioners are also tortured by being forced to stand for prolonged periods of time, shocked with electric batons, beaten, and having their meal times restricted. They are also ordered to write guarantee statements to renounce their faith.

Mr. Liao Banggui and Mr. Sun Renzhi are just two examples.

Mr. Liao Banggui Tortured for Doing the Falun Gong Exercises

Mr. Liao Banggui, a 72-year-old from Suining City, Sichuan Province, was taken to the second ward on August 2, 2020, to serve a three-year term for practicing Falun Gong. Three days later, he was doing the Falun Gong exercises in the morning, when two inmates dragged him from the second floor to an area designated for them to torture practitioners.

Torture reenactment: Pulling and dragging

After that, the inmates dragged Mr. Liao around every day until his shoes fell apart. When he held a hunger strike to protest this treatment, the guards force-fed him once a day for seven days.

When he was discovered doing the Falun Gong exercises again, the inmates dragged him downstairs, tied up his hands and feet, sprayed his eyes with chili water, and shocked him with electric batons.

From August 5 to early October 2020, Mr. Liao went on hunger strike to protest the persecution about four times, totaling more than 30 days. In mid-November, he did the Falun Gong exercises again and was dragged downstairs by two inmates.

They threw him on the ground outside, even though it was raining. He was only wearing two thin layers of clothes and he was soaking wet. When it was time to start the unpaid labor, two inmates dragged him across the pavement back to the workshop. Mr. Liao worked while he was soaking wet.

In the afternoon, two inmates again dragged him back from the workshop and threw him on the ground. They dragged him back and forth nearly 0.7 of a mile. The skin on his feet and left buttock was broken and festered. His face was so swollen, the inmates couldn’t force-feed him after he started a hunger strike.

It took three months for Mr. Liao to be able to walk again. He still tried to do the Falun Gong exercises in the workshop, knowing it could help him recover. The inmates then used a chair to separate his legs so he could not sit in meditation. He went on a hunger strike three times, for three to four days each time.

Mr. Sun Renzhi Beaten and Sprayed with Spicy Water

Mr. Sun Renzhi from Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, was taken to Jiazhou Prison on August 9, 2018, also to serve a three-year term. Prison instructor Shao Lin and guard Liu tried to make him recite the prison rules several times, but he refused.

Shao took Mr. Sun to a place with no surveillance camera on September 5, 2018, and sprayed spicy water into Mr. Sun’s face. Shao said, “Wait to see how I punish you.”

Yang Xilin in the prison’s “education” department talked to Mr. Sun six times in late March 2019, trying to pressure him to renounce Falun Gong. Mr. Sun refused to comply and he condemned the guards for torturing 70-year-old Mr. Deng Qixing, who was ordered to stand for 12 to 13 hours a day for three days.

An inmate didn’t let the practitioners he was monitoring defecate. If they did, they would be forced to stand for long hours in exchange. Mr. Sun spoke up for the practitioners and the inmate relented.

Before a brainwashing campaign to force all practitioners to renounce Falun Gong started on June 18, 2019, the guards put up banners slandering Falun Gong around the prison. The deputy prison head said to the practitioners, “It will be a long battle in the future to ‘transform’ you. We will strike hard and show no mercy. For those who remain stubborn, you need to recognize the situation and change your mind soon.”

On the night of July 3, 2019, Mr. Sun was deprived of sleep. Two inmates sat by his bed and would wake him up if he closed his eyes. He was also denied the use of the restroom. When Mr. Sun protested by sitting in the hallway, the inmates pinched and twisted his thigh. He lost feeling in his legs after being tortured for half an hour. Even some of the inmates were scared by the torture.

The inmates then dragged him to a corner without a surveillance camera and ordered him to squat. He was having trouble maintaining his balance just standing after they’d twisted his high, but the inmates pushed him down into a squat. Then he really couldn’t keep his balance, so the inmates had to hold his clothes to keep him from falling over.

Mr. Sun protested and said it was wrong for them to beat him. Inmate Kang Yalei poured boiling water over Mr. Sun’s head and down to his neck. Mr. Sun could not bear the pain and fell down.

Torture reenactment: Dousing with boiling water

Mr. Sun’s neck was scalded and huge blisters formed. After two hours, the blisters festered. He didn’t dare touch his scalp. His neck was burning and he was in unbearable pain. He couldn’t move his legs. He couldn’t get up if he sat down. He could not turn his legs when he slept. It was even more difficult to use the toilet. It was extremely difficult to get up afterwards. So he tried to eat less every day to avoid using the toilet.

Mr. Sun couldn’t file a complaint because the inmates watched him and didn’t let him send any letters.

When Mr. Sun refused to do the unpaid labor on July 27, 2019, an inmate reported him to the guard on duty. The guard took Mr. Sun to his office and sprayed pepper water into his eyes. They also reduced his lunchtime to a few seconds. During the following two days, the guards sprayed pepper water in his face three more times. He was not allowed to wash his face afterwards. The skin on his chin festered.

Chinese version available

Category: Accounts of Persecution