(Clearwisdon.net) The Shahe Penitentiary in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province belongs to the Guangzhou City's government welfare organization. From June 18, 2000 through to December 2000, several hundred Falun Gong practitioners were illegally detained there with the longest detention term being more than nine months. This penitentiary used 'capsicum water [hot chili pepper mixed with water], 'high voltage electric batons' and sending people to the 'lunacy ward' as their weapons for 'executing the law' to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.
This penitentiary was the largest one among all of the southern cities along the coast. The new daily traffic was about a thousand people. Those who were sent there suffered all kinds of torture and could be released only after their family handed over ransom money.
The guards at the penitentiary relentlessly abused and mistreated Falun Gong practitioners. The following is some examples of their crimes.
Example #1:
Around June 18, 2001, a large number of Falun Gong practitioners who practiced outside were illegally sent to the penitentiary. The guard immediately began to torture practitioners by feeding them 'capsicum water' and beating them with 'high voltage electric batons'. One day, after a female practitioner had been on a hunger strike for about twenty days, the guard searched her bag and found the book Zhuan Falun. The guard then brutally beat her with a high voltage electric baton. But this practitioner continued to hold the book the entire time. Only when the guard saw her at her last gasp of breath did he swagger away. A moment later, several officials were sent to carry the female practitioner to the 'lunacy ward' where they hung her from an iron window frame then continued to beat her.
Example #2:
At the beginning of July 2000, a large number of Dafa practitioners were illegally sent to the Shahe Penitentiary by various local police departments. The Dafa practitioners requested the unconditional release of all detained Falun Gong practitioners and to have a dialog with the city's police department. All of their requests were rejected. At the end of July, when the officials from the '610 Office' of the city's police department came to the penitentiary, the practitioners again requested to have a dialog with the police department. But the guards in the penitentiary lied by saying that the practitioners tried to escape. Then the female guards brought 'capsicum water' in one hand and 'high voltage electric batons' in their other hands to brutally beat all Dafa practitioners. Dozens of male guards also joined the female guards to beat practitioners. Soon, the female practitioners were beaten down to the ground. Some female practitioners were beaten by electric batons on their temples. The electric batons were used to heavily attack practitioners all over their bodies. Many female practitioners were beaten to the point of becoming unconscious. But the evil guards still kept on shocking practitioners' temples.
People who witnessed this scene were horrified by the evil guard's atrocities. One female (not a practitioner of Falun Dafa) even shouted, "Policemen are not allowed to beat anyone!" But immediately, the evil guards using an electric baton stopped her. The female practitioners lying on the ground were all black and blue. Their bodies were a mass of cuts and bruises. Their hair was falling out clump by clump. The official from the city's police department instructed a group of evil guards to forcibly drag some female practitioners into the 'lunacy ward' on the second floor. The others were locked up in another warehouse. The 'lunacy ward' was only several square meters large. It was dark and full of mosquitoes and insects. There was no electricity, no water and no toilet in the room. But even in such an abominable environment, the practitioners didn't give up. They insisted on loudly clarifying the truth to the crowd in the penitentiary. All of the practitioners went on a hunger strike together to protest this inhuman persecution. They insisted on practicing the exercises, studying the Falun Dafa books and clarifying the truth to common people every day. They also requested to be unconditionally released, but were instead told by the guard, "Even if you die, no one will care. Here we can do anything to you at will."
The summer was hot and humid. In the 'lunacy ward,' even without water and electricity, the female practitioners continued the hunger strike. Some of them had already become unconscious and were lying on the floor. The others wrote open letters to related government departments. But they got no reply. Later, the guard threw back all the letters.
Example #3:
An eight-month-old infant was illegally detained in the Guangzhou City's Shahe Penitentiary for one hundred days.
In August 2000, an eight-month-old infant together with his mother and grandmother went to Beijing to appeal. They were stopped by policemen on the train. The policemen forcibly sent them to the Shahe penitentiary. In order to threaten them and to get them to report their names and addresses, the guards confiscated the baby's milk powder, food and all other necessities. Less than two days later, the little baby came down with a high fever because of not being able to eat or drink. In addition, the mosquitoes in the warehouse bit the baby's skin causing it to become red and swollen. His mother and grandmother reported the baby's situation to the guards and explained that the baby was innocent. But the guard replied, "If you don't tell us your name, we'll send you to the 'lunacy ward' to be separated from your baby."
However, the baby's mother and grandmother insisted on clarifying the truth to the people around them in order to validate Dafa. Soon, the baby recovered from the high fever and seldom cried. His teeth began to appear so he started to eat a bit of rice. After a period of time, he could eat two meals a day like an adult. He was not only taller but also stronger and gradually learned to walk. He was always smiling, so others called him 'little happy.' He was already a little Dafa practitioner.
Three months later, 'little happy' suddenly didn't eat or drink any more. The guards had no choice but release 'little happy' and his mother. The day when the baby left the penitentiary happened to be the 100th day since their illegal detention.
Example #4:
From about October 2000 to December 2000, the penitentiary locked up all female practitioners in 'lunacy wards.' Each so-called 'lunacy ward' was only 6 square meters and was dark and wet. But over ten female practitioners were detained in such a room. Every day only about 1 kilo of water, for both drinking and washing, was shared by over ten people within a room. They only had two meals a day and could eat only about 25 grams of rice each meal. The practitioners who went on a hunger strike were forcibly dragged out and force-fed. The female practitioners didn't have an opportunity to shower for several months. The dark room was full of lice. This inhuman persecution lasted for more than five months.
The penitentiary sent 38 male officers to treat the female practitioners who were on a hunger strike. They forcibly dragged the female practitioners downstairs one by one and then pressed them down on the ground. They stepped on the practitioners' chests, pulled their hair, and forcibly unclenched their mouths by using sharp instruments. Many practitioners were bleeding from the corners of their mouths and several teeth were lost. The officers continued to torture the practitioners until they fainted. They even poured food on the practitioners' heads and clothes in order to simulate the result of force feeding. They brutally beat female practitioners causing some practitioners to almost suffocate to death.
Example #5:
From June to December 2000, the Guangzhou City's police department sent hundreds upon hundreds of people to the penitentiary every day. All of the people who were detained there (it didn't matter if they were male or female or young or old) could obtain their freedom if their families could guarantee that they would watch them and hand over 400 to 1000 yuan as a ransom fee [the average monthly income in towns in China is 400 yuan] to the penitentiary. Out of this money, 200 Yuan was dealt out to the local policemen who captured the practitioner(s). Therefore, the police departments made a tremendous amount of profit from this. The Shahe penitentiary made use of this ransom fee to earn tens of millions of RMB per month. The police departments also gained several million RMB in profit.
The guards often brutally beat the accepted person. In August 2000, a high school girl resisted their beating, so she was brutally beaten by the director until she became unconscious. When she regained her consciousness, she said, "Don't any laws still exist? I will appeal to the court." Because of these words, the female director beat the girl again and said, "We are the regulations. We are the law. So what if I beat you to death!"
Another older lady was brutally beaten several times because her family couldn't afford to pay the ransom fee and there was no one who could vouch for her. She sternly said, "At this welfare organization, selling people has become legal. Then they brutally beat those without money. Their behavior is simply open robbery."
We appeal to all kind-hearted people all over the world. Please pay attention to these facts and help to stop this tragedy.
The address of the Guangzhou City's Shahe Penitentiary is No. 4, Shuiyingheng Street, #41, Guangzhuo City.