Qiao Yunxia is a 37-year-old practitioner from West Bridge Village in the town of Xin-Dian in Hebei Province. She has been sentenced to three years of forced labor camp because she practiced Dafa and filed appeals. She is now being held at the Shijiazhuang City's 4th Female Labor Camp (Group 2 of Section 4). Her home phone number is 0319-7562669. This is her true story.
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese central government took millions of good people as its enemies by instituting a large-scale crackdown on Falun Dafa. Meanwhile, Dafa practitioners have been nearly unable to watch the great principles of the universe being slandered by ignorant people, because this will decide their future. It will not only decide their own future, but that of their nation, or of the entirety of mankind. Therefore, many Falun Gong practitioners gave up their comfortable lives, risked their lives by telling the truth and filing appeals with the central government again and again, hoping that the central government will rescind the ban. Qiao Yunxia is one of them.
On Saturday, 23 October 1999, she arrived at the appeal office in Beijing. There were lots of plainclothes police outside the door of the appeal office. When they saw someone who came to file appeal, they first asked whether that person practiced Falun Gong. With an affirmative answer, the person would be arrested right away and sent back to his hometown. Seeing the law enforcement officials violating the Constitution in public, and keeping citizens from appealing for help, she escaped arrest by not answering the policemen directly.
Two days later, on Monday, October 25, 1999, she came back to the appeal office again. There were even more people outside the door. Over one hundred plainclothes policemen formed two columns, allowing only one person at a time into the office. Still, she didnt withdraw. She had only one thought in her mind, "I want to appeal for redress of the injustice to Teacher." She made it through and was immediately stopped by 6 or 7 people asking her whether she was a Dafa practitioner, and where she was from. She replied, "I am a Chinese. I have come to lodge complaint." She continued to walk. A woman grabbed her handbag. She said, "Take it." She quickly walked forward, thinking, "I must appeal for redress of the injustice to Dafa." A policeman ran over, trying to catch her, and she ran. He caught her, dragged her back, and threw her onto the ground. She stood up, trying to run again. Thirty to forty people surrounded her. A plainclothes policeman stole 2,100 Yuan from her (which had been hidden in her bra, and was the only savings she had). Yunxia didnt give in. She said, "This the door of the appeal office, where the people should be supported. How dare you rob me of my bag in broad daylight! A dignified "peoples" policeman picked 2,100 Yuan put of a womans bra. You claim to be enforcing the law. Do you know that you are violating the law while enforcing it? I am telling you, I can give up my bag, my money, even my life!" Her righteous words shocked the "peoples" police, who had been bullying people. They gave her back the bag and money, and let her go in.
The officials in the appeal office received her. After she filled in her appeal form, she was detained along with many other practitioners from all over the country. The policemen from Xingtai District took the chance and robbed six Dafa practitioners. Yunxia was robbed of 230 Yuan without any reason or receipt. She was then sent back to Ren County and detained in the Ren County detention center after verbal abuse from the head of police.
As soon as she walked into the detention center, she saw two Dafa practitioners who had been forced to kneel facing the wall for four hours. They had been forced to stand for six hours the night before. The guards screamed and scolded Yunxia not do the exercises. Yunxia was not scared at all. She said, "I can give up my meals, but I cannot give up my exercises." She did the exercises and started hunger strike the next day, on October 26. Because they did exercise that morning, they were put in the heaviest shackles available for three days. When the hunger strike reached its seventh day, the guards saw that they were in good spirits, and that they didnt look any tired, even while doing manual labor. So, they were forced to run in the yard. They were told that they could walk if they couldnt run. They started walking happily while reciting Hong Yin [Master Li's poem collection]. They walked around the yard 10 times, 20 times, and 40 times. The criminals there were all surprised. They couldnt understand why one had so much energy after having not eaten for seven days. They said, "We will admire you if you can walk around the yard 40 more times." They walked around the yard 100 times, 200 times. Three and a half hours passed. They were exhausted. The head of the detention center stared at them and said, "Walk faster! If you cannot walk anymore you will be dragged by the criminals!" Later, they were forced to memorize the jail rules, sing, and stand in lines. Yunxia and others refused because they believed that they didnt violate the law, and that they were not criminals. The six of them were then tortured with ropes, and forced to kneel in front of the wall for two hours.
On December 22, 1999, Yunxia was sent to the forth team of Shijiazhuang City's Female Labor Camp for three years of forced labor "education". She believed that she didnt do anything wrong, and that having to wearing special clothes was an insult to Dafa. She refused to work or wear the special uniform from the day she arrived. Later, Dafa practitioners asked to work only 8 hours a day but were turned down. On March 11, 2000, they were told to stand in the corner facing the wall. They were left there for 17-18 hours. This went on for fifteen days. In addition, they had to stand up straight and not move at all. Their legs began to swell. The skin on their face was burned. Some fainted while standing. One day, Yunxia was called to the office. Seven policemen surrounded her angrily. They kicked her, punched her, dragged her by her hair, and yelled and scolded her. Then they asked if she would practice Falun Gong again. Without hesitation, she said, "Yes!" Immediately the seven policemen came up, slapped her face, and kicked her to the floor again and again. They hit her repeatedly, and asked her if she would practice Falun Gong again. She firmly answered, "Yes!" They hit her again and again while asking her repeatedly. She answered even firmer, "Yes! Yes! Yes! I will practice Falun Gong even if you killed me!" They were exasperated and started to tie her up. They ordered her to kneel on the ground, and put her two hands behind her back. They wrapped a thin rope around her neck, then around her hands. They began to pull on the two ends of the rope. The tighter they pulled the rope, the harder it was to breathe. The rope became tighter and tighter and could have easily caused permanent damage. In the past, many criminals became disabled and suffered their whole lives because of this type of torture. After the rope was released, her four limbs were numb. She was in severe pain. They asked if she was going to continue to practice Falun Gong. Again she said, "Yes!" So they commenced torturing her using the same procedure with the rope. At the end of the second round, even though the rope had left bloody marks all over her body, she could not move her arms, and could not even walk, her determined reply was always, "I am going to continue to practice Falun Gong!" Her right hand became numb and was useless for half a year afterwards. During this period, many Dafa practitioners were tortured in this way. Some of the ropes were even broken during the torture.
The persecution on Dafa practitioners in the labor camp has been even more severe since March 29, 2000. They were forced to march in a military style and run for 8 hours a day. Their ages were from 22 to 56 years old. After walking and running they were forced to stand by the wall. Everyday someone was picked from the group to go into the office to be bound with ropes, hit with police batons, tortured with electric batons, slapped on the face, and pulled by the hair, etc. One day, Yunxia was called to the office. The captain asked whether she would do the labor for her "education". Yunxia kindly told him, "Dafa is pure. Teacher is pure. I have not committed any crime. My accepting the labor education is to approve the wrong decision about Dafa from the government. If I did the labor then I would have done bad deeds." Upon hearing this, the captain picked up his baton and fiercely whipped her. The whipping sound and hitting sound of the baton could be heard from far away. Yunxia never made any sound. The only sounds were from the police batons and angry curses from the captain. After beating her, he asked her whether she would do the labor or not. Although she was aching and half dead, had very fast heartbeat, weak breathing, and numb legs, she didnt show any grievance. She continued to tell the captain the truth about Dafa. But the captain could not listen at all. He may have been tired. He drove her out the door while yelling and scolding her. With her body covered with wounds, she walked downstairs step by step with great difficulty. She felt pain in each step. It wasnt the physical pain that she felt. It was that some people kept ignoring the great opportunity, continuing to commit sins, and destroying their future. This time, Yunxias buttocks turned a deep shade of purple. Her whole body was badly swollen, and she could hardly walk. When she laid down at night, she didnt know if she could get up the next morning, but they totally ignored her wounds and forced her to stand facing the wall, march forward in a military style, and even run. Although her every step was extremely painful, she kept encouraging herself to hold on. She endured all the pain and suffering and continued to stand facing the wall, march forward in a military style, and even run. The passing of every second was painfully slow. Yet this kind of inhumane treatment lasted for a total of 47 days.
Fifty-two Dafa practitioners began a hunger strike on April 28, 2000, protecting Dafa with their lives. They requested that the government restore innocence to Dafa and to the Teacher, and to have a legal cultivation environment. They were force-fed after three days. Some bled from the force-feeding. Eighteen of them, including Qiao Yunxia, were secretly sent to the third labor camp. They were strictly monitored as soon as they arrived. They were not allowed to leave their rooms. Their movements, words, and even facial expressions were controlled. An even harsher tribulation had started. Here, whenever they studied the Fa or did the exercises, they would be beaten on the most sensitive parts of the body, where serious damage could occur. Their hair was pulled out in big patches. Their bodies were covered with bruises. Young ladies nipples were pinched until they broke open. Their pubic areas were pinched while underwear was torn. Some inmates spit large mouthfuls of phlegm onto toilet paper and stuffed it into their mouths. Their throats were so swollen from being grabbed that it was difficult to drink. One inmate even claimed, "I want to use you for practice, so that I can go out to murder a dozen or so people." These Dafa practitioners became her live targets for practicing murder. If they exercised they would be handcuffed and hung. Some were handcuffed onto heating pipes, which made them unable to stand up or squat down. Some were handcuffed onto table legs. Some were handcuffed in the restroom for over ten days.
Once Yunxia was brutally beaten because she attempted to practice. Two officials came up to help beating her and slapped her face for over ten times. Then they hit the other practitioners. Yunxia said loudly, "Beating people is violating the law." She slapped Yunxia over ten times again. Yunxia almost fainted. The official then said, "Here you must listen to me. I am the law! Go sue me if you are capable. Sue me!"
One day Yunxia was reciting Lunyu. They used wet towels to strap her mouth, and a spoon to pry open her teeth. Her mouth and teeth became totally bloody. Feeling that even this was not enough, they indecently assaulted her in public. Yunxia was not moved by it at all. She continued to recite. Then they pulled her to the water pool by her hair and poured cold water over her head. No matter how they tortured her, her reciting voice did not stop at all. She recited all 72 poems in Hong Yin, and over twenty Jingwen [Teacher's articles]. They poured cold water over her head for over three hours. Yunxias loud voice of reciting lasted for over three hours as well.
Another time, because of reciting the Fa (the teachings of Falun Dafa), she and other Dafa practitioners were force-fed with chili powder. The bright red chili powder burned them so painfully that they rolled over and over on the floor. They strapped the practitioners necks, stuffed their mouths with towels, and brutally beat them repeatedly. The "monitors", who are criminals, have rights to handcuff the Dafa practitioners. Handcuffs are equipment used for torture, but here they became utensils for the criminals amusement at the expense of practitioners. When some practitioners told the head of the labor camp that some one would die from it if there were not some intervention, the head replied, "I will take the responsibility if anyone dies." No matter how they were mistreated, the Dafa practitioners still kindly tell others: "For your own future, please dont continue to commit sin." They took telling the truth as their responsibility. They are using their whole physical bodies and all their energy to validate Dafa in this world, to protect Dafa, and to help clear out the filth in the world. They have been promoting Dafa wherever they go as well.
An insider who knows the facts
August 2000
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