(Clearwisdom.net) In order to force Falun Gong practitioners to "transform," the Hunan Provincial Women's Prison conducted brainwashing sessions many times inside the prison. The brainwashing sessions were designed to break down the steadfast practitioners, and thus the suffering of practitioners was intensified, both mentally and physically.

From March to July 2004, the prison conducted three brainwashing sessions, and a special group of police officers was chosen to deal with the firm practitioners. In those sessions, the police employed various forms of torture with the excuses of following prison regulations. They ordered practitioners to recite the prison regulations, and tried to brainwash practitioners with all sorts of deceit. They demanded practitioners do "course work" and various kinds of "physical training": frog jumping, single-leg jumping, running and other physically demanding exercises. Their real intention was to punish practitioners who were already very weak due to the extended imprisonment. Whoever refused to obey them, they punished at will by forcing her to stand, putting handcuffs on her, forcing her to "carry a sword in back" (a cruel form of handcuffing which causes severe bodily injury), putting her into solitary confinement and so on. At that time practitioner Shi Jiaoyu (currently released) from Chenzhou was locked in a small, narrow, and dark cell for seven days because she did not cooperate in doing drills.

Zhao Lan was in charge of these three brainwashing sessions. He was the former assistant warden of the Hunan Provincial Women's Prison. It is reported that Zhao Lan has been promoted to another position. The eight participating police officers including Luo Jian (presently transferred to the First Brigade, responsible for prison guards), Zou Xiangliu (deputy chief of Health and Hygiene Section, goes all out in persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners), Wen Xiaoli (deputy chief of Education Section), Zhuo of the prison Detective Branch, Yang of the Prison Policy Branch, Tian and Meng. The seven practitioners persecuted in the first session from late March to mid-May were Mo Liqiong, Zhang Wenlan, Luo Qiaoli, Liu Shixiu, Yuan Dongbo, Wei Xiangbo and Shi Jiaoyu. The practitioners persecuted in the second class from mid-May to mid-June included Li Guiying, Wang Ping, Xie Shuihua, Ou Mingchao and others.

The practitioners suffered tremendously during the brainwashing sessions. They were subjected to the impenetrable dark atmosphere, twisted propaganda, and continuous emotional pressure, plus physical pain.