(Clearwisdom.net) The 7th Brigade of the Lanzhou City No. 1 Forced Labor Camp in Gansu Province was dedicated to the persecution of female Falun Dafa practitioners. Each newly detained Falun Gong practitioner was strictly supervised by two designated inmates, who were drug addicts. The forced labor camp regulations stipulated that Falun Gong practitioners were not allowed to talk to one another or to practice the Falun Gong exercises. To prevent practitioners from exercising, the authorities forced them to sleep in the same room with criminal inmates who monitored their activities. Whenever practitioners went to eat or to use the bathroom, three criminal inmates always escorted them. According to labor camp regulations, inmates were constantly evaluated under a merit system that assigned three points per day to each inmate. Points were awarded or deducted depending on how well the inmates complied with the regulations. For example, if the ranking guard on duty were to discover that Falun Gong practitioners had not been properly escorted, the inmates acting as monitors would receive demerits.
Practitioners were forced to write the so-called "Three Letters" ("Letter of Regret," "Letter of Guarantee" and "Letter of Intent," all of them renouncing Falun Gong) before the twentieth day of each month and also to write a "self-critique" every Saturday. All the written documents were required to include language promising to make a complete break with Falun Gong with regard to thoughts, actions and associations, as well as an assurance that the promises were made freely and without regret. If any of the required language was missing, the standards were not met. If practitioners did not meet these standards, prisoners in the same environment were also punished, and twenty-nine points would be taken away from each of the two monitoring inmates as well as from the squad leader. In addition, every three months, a "Falun Gong Test" was administered. If any practitioners did not "pass" the test, twenty-nine points would again be deducted from each of the two monitoring inmates and from the squad leader.
Not surprisingly, in order to earn more points and get released as soon as possible, the monitoring inmates used extreme torture methods to change the minds of staunch Falun Gong practitioners: They denied them bathroom privileges, deprived them of sleep and forced them to stand in freezing cold and snow for days. The drug addicts took turns monitoring them. When a practitioner moved her arms or legs in the bitter cold weather to increase blood circulation and warm up a little, a fit of curses and beatings would ensue.
The dirtiest and most difficult jobs were assigned to those who refused to give up Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners were forced to do endless cleaning chores, such as emptying the buckets that were used as toilets, sweeping out the toilet stalls, and cleaning the jail cells. In addition, after everyone had washed up and poured their water on the courtyard bricks in the mornings, it would form a layer of ice, which Falun Gong practitioners were required to "clean" using rags until the bricks showed their original, clean red color.
Ms. Yang Julian, 46, from Anxi County was arrested together with fellow practitioner Ms. Chai Mei in December, 2002, each sentenced to three years of forced labor. They were forced to stand still for three consecutive days and nights because they refused to write the so-called "Three Letters." Once, Ms. Yang protested to a drug addict about having to carry buckets of water and was then severely beaten by the drug addict in charge. She was bruised all over her body, especially on her lower abdomen. Drug addicts intentionally kick practitioners in the lower abdomen, calculating that they will be too shy or embarrassed to show the evidence, and therefore, reluctant to report the abuse. Her face was swollen so badly that her eyes could no longer open. She became incontinent and was in so much pain that she lost consciousness and fell to the ground in the courtyard.
Ms. Zhang Youfu, 45, from Baiyin City, was sentenced to two years in the New Forced Labor Camp (a camp for women in Gansu Province), in July 2002, because she would not give up Falun Gong. As she refused to write the "Three Letters," she was beaten until her entire body was bruised and one leg was disabled. Despite this, Ms. Zhang was still forced to perform hard labor, which included cleaning toilets, carrying heavy buckets of water and the cutting and setting of precious stones.
Ms. Zhang Aijun, 34, from Anxi County, was arrested in November 2002 and detained in the Anxi County Jail. In April 2003, she was sentenced to two years in a forced labor camp. Because she refused to write the "Three Letters," the inmate monitors did not allow her to drink, use the toilet or sleep. After observing Ms. Zhang's behavior and witnessing how she adhered to the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance" for an entire year, the inmate monitor was touched. She noticed how painful it was for Ms. Zhang to deal with the "Three Letters," and said, "If you don't want to write them, I won't force you. I don't even care if I earn demerits. I still have three years of labor camp ahead of me anyway."
Since July 2003, practitioner Ms. Yue Dingxiang, 47, from Yuzhong County, had been detained for one year in a forced labor camp. When she refused to write the "Three Letters," she was forced to stand in the summer heat, exposed to the sun wearing only a sleeveless shirt, which caused her skin to severely sunburn and peel. In the evening, her drug-addicted monitors would torture her: They cursed her, beat her, deprived her of sleep, and forced her to stand upright for long periods of time, among other inhumane abuses.
In January of 2002, practitioner Ms. Zhao Yueqin, 50, from Jinchang City, was sent to a forced labor camp for three years. Due to lack of proper nutrition during her first two years of detention in the forced labor camp, she developed eye problems, and could no longer see properly, yet was still forced to work her regular job of installing precious stones in 2,108 settings each day. She was often unable to complete her daily quota, and was punished for it by having to clean the bathrooms, by being forced to stand upright for long periods of time or by sleep deprivation.
Ms. Yan Ping, 45, from Jiayuguan City, was sent to a women's forced labor camp in Gansu Province during an 80-day-long "New Year's Performance Contest." The number of Falun Gong practitioners that had been "transformed" in each sub-brigade was an essential factor in the evaluation. Yan Ping refused to write the "Three Letters," and was brutally abused and beaten for it. She was forced to clean the bathroom, was not allowed to sleep, even after a long workday, and was forced to stand still for long periods of time.
Ms. Ru Xianglan, 56, from the Wuwei area, was sent to a forced labor camp for two and a half years, in March 2002. Her husband was also sentenced because he too practiced Falun Gong. He was detained at Pingliang Prison.
Ms. Zhai Yonghua, 34, from the Wuwei area was sent to a forced labor camp for three years for practicing Falun Gong, in January 2002.
Ms. Tao Yu-e, 32, from Jiuquan City, was sent to a forced labor camp for two years, in August 2002. Because she refused to write the "Three Letters," she was often brutally beaten and otherwise physically abused, and was not allowed to sleep.
All of the practitioners mentioned above were eventually transferred to the Gansu Province Women's Forced Labor Camp.
Ms Yue Wenfang, 36, from Jiayuguan City, was illegally sent to a forced labor camp for one year. Her term was extended for an additional three months when she refused to write the "Three Letters."
Although forced labor camp regulations clearly stated that practitioners' letters and parcels were not to be opened, confiscated or held by the staff, and that practitioners had a right to freely communicate with and receive visits from family members, in reality the practitioners' letters and parcels had been tightly monitored, examined and even confiscated. Visitation privileges from family members were revoked for practitioners who did not agree to be "transformed."
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