[Minghui Net] The Shijiazhuang City Labor Camp in Hebei Province is detaining at least 200 female Dafa practitioners, twenty-three of them from Jing County. They were arrested for practicing Falun Gong outdoors, for handing out Falun Gong truth-clarifying flyers, and for going to Tiananmen Square to validate Dafa by unfurling Falun Gong banners. Some of them were simply lied to by the police and arrested at home without due cause. They were secretly transferred here without going through any proper, customary legal procedures. Most of them are in No. 4 and No. 5 Brigades. No. 5 Brigade is specifically used to illegally detain and persecute Dafa practitioners. The following is an insider's account of Dafa practitioners' experiences within the labor camp.
There are a total of 4 classes in No. 2 Squadron of the No. 5 Brigade. Every practitioner brought here was forced to submit to a complete body search. During these searches, practitioners were forcefully stripped of all their clothing. All the bedding was torn open and even its cotton stuffing was torn into pieces. If Teacher's articles (Jingwen) were found in a practitioner's possession, she would be tortured and handcuffed and beaten. The sounds of practitioners being slapped in the face could be heard by people in adjacent rooms. Scolding and cursing went on all the time. The most evil person here is Liu Zhiying, the Chief of No. 2 Squadron.
Three activities were especially forbidden here: reciting Teacher's articles, doing Falun Gong exercises, and the sitting meditation. For every class the labor camp overseers designate a common prisoner as leader. The leading prisoners are assigned to closely watch and control the practitioners' conduct. They do not allow the practitioners to perform the exercises or meditate. Even the ordinary leg crossing posture that a practitioner assumes during her normal sitting position is not allowed. The crossed legs have to be taken apart. The practitioner may even be punished for her mistake by being handcuffed and made to stand up straight for a long time. The practitioners have to sit properly on designated stools and no one is allowed to make a sound. Even mouthing words silently and making gestures are forbidden. To give you more of an idea what goes on here, let's look at the period from January of this year to the present. In this period of time, handcuffing, slapping and torturing the practitioners never stopped. Whoever was found practicing Falun Gong would be slapped, handcuffed, beaten with fists or implements, or even tied up. The handcuffing lasted from a minimum of 7 days to sometimes almost 20 days. During these handcuffing periods, the practitioners had to stand day and night and were not allowed to sleep. It was extremely cruel. Some practitioners were shackled so tight that the cuffs cut into their flesh. Their legs also became swollen. Some of the practitioners who were tortured this way were Zhang Suyu, Tan Xiuying, Wang Xincai, Li Mipeng, and Cui Ying.
Detention in solitary cells is another means used to torture Dafa practitioners. On the second floor of the building where the No. 2 Squadron of the No. 5 Brigade is located, there are two solitary cells. They are dark and damp. They were chosen for their location because they were built right under the toilet rooms up above. Some crevices in the ceilings were purposely left exposed to allow the urine from the toilets upstairs to seep down into the solitary cells. Additionally, during the winter, the practitioners detained inside the solitary cells were only allowed to wear a thin layer of clothes. Practitioners tortured this way were Zhang Suyu, Wang Xincai, and others.
On top of having to forfeit their basic human rights, Dafa practitioners were also deprived of all personal freedom. The practitioners who were tortured were not allowed to tell others what they suffered. Whoever violated this rule would be punished with an extended prison term or other aggravated punishment. Li Mipeng was handcuffed for practicing Falun Gong exercises. Two days later, when she was released from the cuffing, she told others her sufferings. A labor camp leader found out and handcuffed her again for an additional 16 days. On Tan Xiuying's birthday the practitioners held a celebration. Since Tan wanted to listen to "Pudu" (one of the compositions of Falun Dafa music, transl.), the practitioners started to hum the tune of "Pudu" and the atmosphere was solemn and dignified. Unexpectedly, the common prisoner in charge furiously took Tan Xiuying out of the room, dragged her to the office, and punished her by making her stand for a long time. The common prisoner then threatened, "I dare you to sing again." After hearing this, determined, Yu Jinhong and Liu Yan started to hum the tune again. The thug knocked down Liu Yan, pushed both of them outside and, as punishment, forced them to stand up straight for a long time.
To "validate Dafa, reveal the truth, and save people," the practitioners never stopped studying the Fa and practicing the exercises, no matter how harsh the conditions were. After they had repeatedly been beaten and handcuffed, still, out of their compassion, they told the common prisoners in charge and the guards about Dafa and validated Dafa. They continuously requested permission to communicate with the guards and wrote letters to them to reveal the truth. The practitioners are changing the environment here with their compassion, wisdom, and courage.
At a party celebrating the New Year, 2001, Dafa practitioner Zhang Suyu, speaking out of her deep love through a microphone, said, "Falun Dafa is good," and took the lead in reciting Hong Yin [a collection of Master Li's poems]. Then Tan Xiuying led the practitioners to recite "Lunyu" [the forward in Zhuan Falun].
On January 15, 2001, a large-scale validation of Dafa occurred in the dinning hall. Over 100 practitioners in No. 5 Brigade started to follow Nan Bingyu's lead to chant, "Falun Dafa is good," "Dafa rectifies the human world." The practitioners' voices, which were vibrating in the dining hall, moved heaven and earth and shocked the universe. When they shouted out "re-store the reputation of Dafa," "restore the reputation of Master Li," all practitioners were moved to tears. They were pouring out their inner voices that had been suppressed for a long time. They held each other's hands and fearlessly faced the evil. Some of the labor camp leaders and leading prisoners there were also moved to tears. Watching this splendid scene and those courageous deeds of the Dafa practitioners, the labor camp leaders and leading prisoners who had come to stop the practitioners did not know what to do. In the end, they had to get many male prisoners to forcefully take away the women practitioners. When the practitioners were taken away, they told the male prisoners, "Falun Dafa is a righteous cultivation way" and "Dafa practitioners are all good people." Many male prisoners could not help but loosen their grip on the practitioners.
On the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year [on January 23, 2001], there also was a holiday atmosphere in the labor camp. Liu Zhiying, the head of No. 2 Squadron came to join the cerebration. Dafa practitioners sang together "the Praise of Red Plum" [a popular song in China to praise the heroes]. The practitioners' noble spirit and great compassion frightened and panicked the guards present. At the moment of the New Year's Eve, Dafa practitioners ceremoniously displayed some food and fruit. Their hands held the "Heshi" gesture [a position in Falun Gong exercises and also used as a greeting gesture] to greet and salute Master Li. Thinking of the difficulties that Dafa had gone through and the injustices that Master Li had received, they all cried. After the salute, they recited "Lunyu," and then started the sitting meditation. This solemn energy field enveloped the entire labor camp. Even the camp leaders, including the most evil chief of No. 2 Squadron, Liu Zhiying, who came up to the practitioners to stop them from practicing, did not dare to speak loudly. They only tried to persuade the practitioners in low voices. Seeing this did not work, they had no other choice but to silently watch the practitioners practicing Falun Gong exercises. To validate Dafa and save people, the practitioners took no consideration of their own safety, which fully revealed the profound and benevolent nature of Dafa. The evil forces were astonished. This time the meditation lasted as long as 40 minutes.
The labor camp officials forced the practitioners to watch the false Tiananmen Square "self-immolation" television reports. All Dafa practitioners felt that this was the most serious fabricated incident which undermined Dafa. Some practitioners stood up on the spot and said, "They [the persons who set themselves on fire at the self-immolation, transl.] are not true Dafa practitioners." In his books and in one of his overseas lectures, Master Li clearly points out the issue of killing and that committing suicide is a sin. True Dafa practitioners will not intentionally jeopardize their ability to reach consummation. They know that pursuing consummation is also an attachment. No genuine Dafa practitioner would use the irresponsible excuse of suicide to reach consummation sooner. During their lengthy period of incarceration, the practitioners resisted the undermining of Dafa through conversations with the guards, writing them letters and other means. No matter where Dafa practitioners are, they will function fully as Dafa particles and do what Dafa practitioners are supposed to do.
An Insider
May 2001
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