Tactics and Tortures Used on Steadfast Falun Dafa Practitioners Jailed in Gansu Province Women’s Prison

(Minghui.org) Since the persecution of Falun Dafa started in July 1999, over 500 Falun Dafa practitioners have been jailed in Gansu Province Women’s Prison for upholding their faith. A number of practitioners were imprisoned there more than once.

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is an ancient spiritual discipline and meditation practice first introduced to the public in China in 1992. Due to its enormous popularity, the Chinese Communist Party ordered a nationwide persecution campaign of Falun Gong in July 1999. For the past 23 years, Falun Gong practitioners have been arbitrarily arrested, detained, tortured, and subjected to brainwashing in order to force them to renounce their belief.

Most of the Falun Gong practitioners at Gansu Province Women’s Prison are held in the 7th Ward, a division designated to torture and brainwash the practitioners in an attempt to break their will and make them give up Falun Gong. 

The persecution at Gansu Province Women’s Prison is driven by a number of agencies and individuals: the provincial Political and Legal Affairs Committee, the Bureau of Prison Administration, the warden and deputy wardens of Gansu Prison, as well as the head guards and collaborators in the 7th Ward, who are rewarded for every practitioner they “transform.” 

The collaborators are prisoners selected to assist the guards in carrying out the persecution. They are on the forefront in the “transformation” of practitioners, and shadow practitioners around the clock to intimidate, brainwash, and torture them. The guards turn a blind eye to the abuses inflicted by the collaborators. The experience they have accumulated over the years has made them very effective in “transforming” practitioners. 

One of the head guards once said that there was no good people among the collaborators, yet the guards use them to accomplish the task. Every head guard in the 7th Ward is assigned the job of “transforming” several practitioners, and they stand a good chance of meeting their quota with the assistance of their collaborators. 

The following describes how the authorities at Gansu Province Women’s Prison torment Falun Dafa practitioners physically and psychologically. A list of practitioners who have been tortured in the prison and the names of the perpetrators are also included below. 

I. Physical Persecution

1. Squatting in a Fixed Position for Extended Periods of Time

Forced squatting is one of the most common torture means employed in the prison. After a short period of time in this position, the victim suffers extreme physical discomfort and will try to change their position, which results in beatings by the guards or collaborators. 

The guards forced Ms. Qiang Weixiu and Ms. Jiao Lili from Qingyang City to squat every day for long stretches of time, with the daily torture lasting from months to over a year. Ms. Yan Ping was forced to squat after other inmates went to rest at night. 

2. Denied Bathroom Use

The guards and collaborators yell at, intimidate, or physically stop the practitioners from going to the bathroom. Some practitioners had to relieve themselves in their pants. 

3. Punish Other Inmates When Practitioners Refuse to Give In 

When a practitioner refused to sign the guards-prepared statements to renounce their faith, the guards would force her cellmates to stand in the hallway until the practitioner gave in. If she would not comply with the guards’ other commands, the guards would make her cellmates stand or squat during nap time, or deny them use of the restroom. 

Two cellmates must accompany a practitioner wherever she goes; otherwise all three would lose their monthly pay (100 yuan) for their labor and be disqualified from supplemental food purchases. 

4. Forced to Overeat 

The practitioners were given a large amount of food during meal times, and they had to finish the meal, which sometimes made them vomit.

5. Standing for Days

Ms. Qiang once had to stand for days on end. The physical and mental stress caused her to develop severe hypertension. 

6. No Bathing 

Sometimes the guards would not allow the practitioners to wash their faces, brush their teeth, shower, or do laundry, for a long period of time. The practitioners would smell bad or get sick.

7. Denied Toilet Paper

The guards would not give the practitioners toilet paper for a long period of time. Ms. Li Maowa was forced to use writing paper to wipe herself. Ms. Qiang had to use her hands and later wash her hands with water from the toilet. 

8. Denied Phone Calls and Supplemental Food Purchases

The guards often barred the practitioners from calling home or restricted their purchases of extra food if they didn’t renounce Falun Gong.

9. Mandatory Sleeping Position

The practitioners had to sleep sideways at night. If their beds were by the wall, they had to sleep facing away from the wall. 

II. Psychological Persecution 

1. Forced to Address Self as Criminal

When a practitioner asks to use the toilet, she must refer to herself as “Criminal so and so;” otherwise the request would be denied. Later on this rule extended to every written document that the practitioners were forced to produce.

2. Forced to Slander Falun Dafa and Its Founder

The guards at the 7th Ward played brainwashing propaganda videos for the practitioners every morning, Monday through Saturday, and forced them to write “thought reports.” If the guards weren’t satisfied with the thought reports, they would accuse the practitioners of having “thought problems,” and force them to rewrite the reports over and over. The head guards would have the practitioners answer many questions in writing, and the collaborators would verbally abuse and beat them. 

After being bombarded with propaganda and forced to write thought reports and sing songs to praise the Chinese Communist Party, many practitioners became mentally agonized to the extent that they became numb and despondent. 

Unable to bear the physical and mental torment anymore, a practitioner might renounce her faith against her will. To do so, she’d have to criticize, renounce, and defame Falun Gong in writing, and read the statements out loud in front of other inmates. Before the practitioner could be released, the authorities repeatedly made her defame Falun Gong and its founder and promise that she’d not resume the practice. When she called her family, she was also forced to report that she had been “transformed.” 

3. Forced to Swear and Plead Guilty 

On the first Monday of every month, the practitioners must swear in front of a CCP flag and plead guilty to practicing Falun Gong. Those who refuse to do so get into trouble with the guards. 

4. Forced to Learn Other Practices

The guards force the practitioners to learn other qigong practices and do certain exercises. If a practitioner had health problems, they’d force her to take medicine against her will. In her thought report, she’d have to say that she stayed healthy because of the other qigong exercises and the medicine. 

5. Round-the-clock Surveillance 

The collaborators monitor the practitioners 24/7. Practitioners are not to talk to others without permission and have to report to the collaborators for everything they want to do. The collaborators can torture the practitioners at will with no consequences. 

III. List of Practitioners Who Were Persecuted in Gansu Province Women's Prison 

As of July 2022, there were still around 30 Falun Dafa practitioners incarcerated in Gansu Province Women’s Prison. Many of them have been imprisoned once or twice before because they refused to renounce their faith. The following list provides information about 24 practitioners. 

1. Ms. Qiang Weixiu from Baiyin City

The authorities arrested Ms. Qiang Weixiu in July 2018 and put her in Gansu Women’s Prison in January 2021. The Bureau of Prison Administration ordered the guards to torture and “transform” her. Sun Liwei, a member from the Lanzhou Political and Legal Affairs Committee, personally stayed at the prison for a month to execute the order. Ms. Qiang remained a steadfast practitioner, and was released on July 4, 2022. 

2. Ms. Wang Hui from Baiyin City

Ms. Wang Hui, 60, was given three years in 2021. On her first day at the prison, the guards ordered the collaborators to grab her hand and “sign” her signature on a statement to renounce Falun Dafa. She said, “I don’t acknowledge the statement!” 

Prior to her latest imprisonment, Ms. Wang was previously sentenced to six years in the prison in 2009. 

3. Ms. Li Xiulan from Qingyang Town

Ms. Li Xiulan, in her 70s, was sentenced to three years and forced to take psychiatric drugs every day. She is scheduled to be released in January 2023. 

4. Ms. Li Mingyi from Tianshui City

Ms. Li Mingyi used to teach in Baiyun Village, Gangu County. She was given five years in prison. The guards claimed that she had depression and constantly forced her to take psychiatric drugs. She was released in October 2022. 

5. Ms. Liu Wanqiu from Lanzhou City

Ms. Liu Wanqiu’s right hand was disabled when she was tortured in Shaanxi Prison in 2013. Despite her condition, the guards in Gansu Province Women’s Prison still forced her to do labor intensive work, and write thought reports with her left hand. She is schedule to be released in December 2022. 

6. Ms. Liu Rong from Guazhou County

A Guazhou County Court judge gave Ms. Liu Rong, now 71, five years in prison. The collaborators stomped on her head repeatedly every night, and eventually caused her to lose vision in both of her eyes. She later broke both hips from a fall after someone pushed her. 

Ms. Liu could not take care of her daily needs because of her poor physical condition. In order not to bother other inmates, she chose to drink little water so that she did not have to ask for help to use the toilet often. 

7. Ms. Yan Ping from Jiayuguan City 

Ms. Yan Ping was given four years and is scheduled to be released in April 2023. This is her second time in the prison. The collaborators forced her to squat every day until 11 p.m. for two weeks. 

8. Ms. Liu Lixia from Jiayuguan City 

Ms. Liu Lixia was given seven years in prison. A guard ordered a collaborator to take her meals away and force her to stand until midnight for days on end. She became emaciated and was hospitalized. At the hospital, a collaborator stripped her and forced her to look at herself in a mirror. 

9. Ms. Miao Cuihua from Jingtai County

Ms. Miao Cuihua, in her 70s, was given five years. She is about a year away from being released. 

10. Ms. He Niudui from Jiuquan City 

A Jiuquan City Court judge sentenced Ms. He Niudui, now 70, to five years in prison on November 1, 2019. This is her third time being incarcerated in the prison since the persecution started. 

11. Ms. Zhang Xuelian from Guazhou County 

A Dunhuang City Court judge gave Ms. Zhang Xuelian 3.5 years on December 28, 2020. The authorities did not inform her family of the sentence. 

The authorities had previously put Ms. Zhang in the Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp in Jilin Province in 2009 to serve a one-year term. She lost her job as a result and was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011. 

12. Ms. Lv Guiqin from Dunhuang City 

A Dunhuang City Court judge gave Ms. Lv Huiqin, now 63, three years in prison on January 21, 2021. She was previously sentenced to prison in 2013. 

13. Ms. Jia Shujuan from Huining County, Baiyin City

Ms. Jia Shujuan was sentenced to three years in 2019. 

14. Ms. Duan Xiaoyan from Qingyang City

Ms. Duan Xiaoyan was sentenced to seven years in 2002 and served time in Qinghai Province Women’s Prison. During her imprisonment, the guards many times shocked her with multiple electric batons and caused her lower body to become paralyzed. She never recovered from the injuries. 

A Qingcheng District Court judge in Qingyang City sentenced her to ten years in July 2015. The guards knocked out her teeth and broke her back. They did not let her have her teeth fixed and she had a hard time chewing. She had to pulverize her food before eating, yet the guards many times forced her to overeat to torture her, until she would vomit when she had to eat porridge. 

Ms. Duan could not walk properly due to her previous injuries. She needed to hold onto the railing when she climbed the stairs; she had to rest after a short walk; her legs often became numb and her toes hurt. With her poor physical condition she still had to make funeral goods for export to southeastern Asia. 

15. Ms. Li Maowa from Jingchuan County, Pingliang City

Ms. Li Maowa was sentenced to 3.5 years and put in prison in 2021. Because she refused to renounce her faith, the guards made her squat for a long time, and did not allow her to wash up and use toilet paper. 

16. Ms. Yang Mei from Huachi County, Qingyang City 

The authorities accused Ms. Yang Mei, 56, of sending illegal messages in 2018 and arbitrarily sentenced her to seven years. The poor living conditions and the tortures in the prison caused her bones to degenerate. Now she cannot stand still, bend over, squat, or take care of herself. 

17. Ms. Fan Ailing from Qingcheng County

A Qingcheng County Court judge sentenced Ms. Fan Ailing, now 58, to three years in prison in January 2021. 

18. Ms. Bai Xianglan from Jiuquan City

Ms. Bai Xianglan, now 80, was given four years in prison. She’s served two years. She has severe asthma and often had to go to the prison doctor. Prior to her latest imprisonment, Ms. Bai was once tortured in the same prison for five years from 2012 to 2016. The guards made her stand for a week, deprived her of sleep, and shocked her with electric batons. 

19. Ms. Qin Shixiu from Jiuquan City

Ms. Qin Shixiu, in her 60s, is scheduled to be released in less than a year. 

20. Ms. Guo Lianqing from Baiyin City

Ms. Guo Lianqing, 79, was given 4.5 years in 2014. Shortly after her release, the Pingchuan District police arrested her on September 6, 2021. A Baiyin District Court judge sentenced her to 3.5 years. Her sentence was extended for 6 months because she refused to sign statements to renounce Falun Dafa.

21. Ms. Yu Shufeng from Jiayuguan City

Ms. Yu Shufeng, 85, was sentenced to four years in 2020. She was hospitalized several times due to her poor health. She had a prolapsed uterus that slipped out of her body, and she needed a walker to move around. A collaborator once dragged her backward when she tried to go to the bathroom, resulting in her urinating in her pants. When she shouted “Falun Dafa is good,” the collaborator jammed a mop in her mouth. 

22. Ms. Tan Xiuhua from Pingliang City

A Jingchuan County Court judge gave Ms. Tan Xiuhua, 62, 6.5 years in prison in October 2020. 

23. Ms. Li Dexiang from Jinchang City 

Ms. Li Dexiang, 61, has been imprisoned for practicing Falun Dafa for 13 years over the past 23 years of persecution. Her latest arrest took place in April 2021, which led to a third prison sentence of three years. 

24. Ms. Lv Fengmei from Dunhuang City

Ms. Lv Fengmei was sentenced to 3.5 years in 2021. She was forced to squat many times.

IV. List of Perpetrators in the 7th Ward 

Nine Guards in the 7th Ward: 

1. Yang Li is the superintendent of the 7th Ward. She was transferred to the ward in 2021 and worked with senior guard Liu Xiaolan to torture Falun Gong practitioners. 

Yang and Liu forced Ms. Li Xiulan to take psychiatric drugs when she had no mental illness. 

Yang and Liu forced Ms. Yan Ping to squat in a fixed position all day for days in 2022. Liu monitored her through a surveillance camera and would verbally abuse her through the speakers if she sat down. 

Yang would give the collaborators extra snacks and incite them to treat the practitioners with violence. 

2. Hou Zhihong became an educator in the 7th Ward in September 2020. She specialized in “transforming” people who have a spiritual belief. 

3. Xiao Yan from Jingtai County, Baiyin City, is a deputy educator. She actively participated in torturing Falun Gong practitioners. The guards would assign the most steadfast practitioners to her. 

4. Liu Xiaolan used to be a section chief in the 7th Ward and is highly experienced in torturing and “transforming” the practitioners. Her father works in the Baiying City Prison, and her husband is an official in Lanhua Village. 

5. Ma Hongmei has worked in the 7th Ward for years. If a practitioner did not think properly according to her, she would force the practitioner to read brainwashing literature until midnight with the lights on while the cellmates slept. This would last for months until the practitioner behaved to Ma’s satisfaction. 

6. Zhang Mei from Wuwei City has participated in “transforming” practitioners for over ten years. 

7. Chen Xiaotong 

8. Chen Jia 

9. Wang Yun was transferred to the 7th Ward in early 2022. She forced the practitioners to squat when they did not write the thought reports to her standard.

Collaborators responsible for abusing practitioners:

1. Quyangzhuoma: The most vicious in torturing practitioners. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioners Ms. Li Dexiang and Ms. Wang Riulin.

2. Jiao Lijuan: Mainly in charge of monitoring practitioners Ms. Jia Shujuan and Ms. Yu Shufeng.

3. Wang Lei: It was said that she has a master’s degree from Lanzhou University. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioners Ms. Zhang Xuelian and Ms. Wang Hui. She has been less vicious in the past several years.

4. Niu Ailing: Mainly in charge of monitoring practitioners Ms. Jiao Lili and Ms. Duan Xiaoyan. She is set to be released in November 2023.

5. Cai Li: Mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Yang Mei and rehearsals of entertainment programs. She will be released in 2023.

6. Xu Wei: Worked in the prison clinic and was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Qin Shixiu.

7. Guo Zhiqiong: Mainly in charge of monitoring practitioners Ms. Li Xiulian (who was forced to take psychiatric drugs) and Ms. Lyv Guiqin (who underwent major heart surgery).

8. Chen Wei: A new collaborator. She is 30 and has less than two years left on her term. She monitored Ms. Qin Shixiu along with Xu Wei.

9. Wang Yuanyuan: A new collaborator in her 30s. She has a very long prison sentence.

10. Zhao Juanjuan: Has less than three years left on her term. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioners Ms. Bai Xianglan and Ms. Li Maowa.

11. Zhang Jing: A drug user serving a long prison sentence. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Yan Ping.

12. Wang Liping: Serving a long prison sentence. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Miao Cuihua.

13. Zhao Ruixiu: A veteran collaborator with less than two years on her term. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Liu Yong.

14. Du Jianlin: Has about two years left on her term. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Fan Ailing.

15. Zhang Yu: A veteran collaborator who has about three years left on her term. She was mainly in charge of monitoring practitioner Ms. Lyv Fengmei.

16. Yao Xiaohong: Serving a long prison sentence.

17. Lin Ru: A new collaborator.

18. Zhong Ping: Serving a long prison sentence and mainly in charge of caring for sick inmates.

Related report:

How Gansu Province Women’s Prison Persecutes Falun Gong Practitioners Incarcerated for Their Faith