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An Account of the Persecution of Falun Dafa Practitioners in Tianjin Labor Camps

Sept. 11, 2003 |   By a Falun Dafa Practitioner from Tianjin

(Clearwisdom.net) At the Tianjin Shuankou Labor Camp, I personally witnessed how a practitioner named Chen Baoliang who was determined in practicing Falun Dafa and refused to write a "repentance letter", was beaten to death by the police. Before Chen Baoliang died, he still compassionately said to the police: "You should treat Dafa practitioners kindly."

The 1st Branch of the Tianjin Female Labor Camp received an order from its supervisor in March 2003, to adopt the "forced transformation" policy toward determined practitioners. In China, the police who persecuted Falun Gong practitioners all know that under the order of their supervisors, no means are too extreme in treating Falun Gong practitioners. In March 2003, this labor camp set up a "forced transformation class". They recruited the most vicious policemen and drug-addict inmates into this class, and used various means to torture Dafa practitioners in addition to not allowing them any sleep and bathroom visits. They cursed and beat the practitioners. For the drug-addicts using the most vicious means of torture, the police reduced their sentences.

In March 2003, when this "transformation" class was first set up, the police took a practitioner away and tortured him in every way they could imagine. They poured cold water onto his cotton-padded clothes, did not allow him to sleep, drink water, or shower. They were constantly beating or cursing him. The police used other prisoners to torture practitioners.

One day in May 2003, practitioner Zhao Dewen was tortured into a state of delirium. While in this state, he wrote the "repentance letter". After regaining an alert mind, Zhao Dewen asked the police to give him the letter back since he wrote it under pressure and while disoriented. The police, together with the prisoners, then proceeded to beat him to death. Afterwards, the police tried to block the news. However, a cook who got up early the next morning saw them carrying Zhao Dewen outside. The police threatened the witness not to reveal the news. They fabricated a rumor that Zhao Dewen had hung himself and committed suicide.

A practitioner named Li Shumin was a resident from Tianjin. He was in his forties and very determined in cultivating Dafa. He was kind-hearted and well respected, but was also beaten to death by the police.

The Tianjin Qingbowa Labor Camp used the most vicious means in brainwashing Dafa practitioners. The most common means was to use electric shock. At the beginning, the authorities used one electric baton. When they saw that practitioners did not give in, they began using two electric batons. Step by step they escalated the torture, using up to six electric batons at once. They shocked the practitioners from one end of the corridor to the other end, with the crackling sound of the electric batons and the groaning of the practitioners filling the place. One practitioner was shocked with electricity and tortured close to the point of death. Since he refused to write a repentance letter, the guards became afraid and said, "Please don't die here. You can go out for medical treatment on bail." Dafa practitioners used their righteous thoughts and behavior to break through the evil persecution.