(Clearwisdom.net) People have dignity, a reflection of their honor, and respecting others' dignity is a virtue. A Falun Dafa practitioner's dignity comes from cultivation, and as he defends Falun Dafa's dignity, he is also defending his own dignity.
During her imprisonment at Heizuizi Women's Prison, Falun Gong practitioner Li Xiuhong, 37 years old, endured being shocked by five electric batons and tied on the "dead person's bed" for nine months. To defend her beliefs, she denied any wrongdoing for practicing Falun Dafa. She refused to wear a prison uniform or any name tag that identified her as a criminal. Guards instructed inmates Feng Boye and Zheng Jianxia to tie her hands to the head of the bed, and then forced her to fold her upper body on top of her legs. Then they sewed name tags on the back and front of her jacket. However, once they untied her, she would rip them off. Several people dressed her in a prison uniform by force, but she was able to struggle and take it off. The prison uniform was forced on her repeatedly, name tags were sewn on her clothes many times, but she took them off again and again. Even now, she still refuses to wear the prison uniform and name tag.
To the casual observer, it might be hard to understand. It's only a prison uniform, right? What's the harm of wearing a name tag? On the other hand, why should she wear a prison uniform and name tag? The persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP is illegal. Wearing a prison uniform and name tag is a way to force Dafa practitioners to say that they were guilty of a crime. Falun Gong practitioners are defending the dignity of Falun Dafa by refusing to do so.
In Daqing Prison, many Falun Gong practitioners were tortured for not wearing a prison uniform. Mr. Zhai Zhibin, a worker from the Housing Developing Company at Daqing Oil Administration Bureau, was wrongfully sentenced to ten years in prison in April 2003. Once, Chu Zhongxin, the assistant group leader from prison district No. 4, and instructor Li Jinhao from team No. 7 ordered inmates to force Mr. Zhai to wear a prison uniform. Mr. Zhai went on a hunger strike, and five days later, they sent him to the hospital for forced feeding of uncooked corn meal mixed with cold water. Li Jinhao ordered inmates to print the word "criminal" on all of Mr. Zhai's clothes. To protest, Mr. Zhai and four other Falun Gong practitioners went on a hunger strike for more than ten days, and were force fed twelve times. In the end of 2007, Political Affairs section leader Li Weilong burned Mr. Zhai's clothes and forced him to wear a prison uniform. He also beat Mr. Zhai with a police baton. Mr. Zhai had bruises on his head, shoulder, back and all over his body. For a long time, whenever Li Weilong was on duty, he would not let Mr. Zhai go eat in the dining hall. In July 2009, guards used the excuse of Mr. Zhai refusing to wear a prison uniform again and brutally beat him. Mr. Zhai was bleeding from his head, and his eyes suffered severe hematoma.
There are many examples like that. Falun Dafa practitioners have suffered tremendously from protecting their beliefs by refusing to wear prison uniforms. In the Chengdu Women's Prison, Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhu Yifang persisted in her belief and knew that she should not be treated like a criminal. She refused to wear a prison uniform and did not let them put any criminal tags on her clothes. The guards stripped her clothes off until she was wearing only a bra and underwear, and locked her alone in a small room for a long time. The ceiling was so low that she could not stand up straight in the room. During the Wenchuan earthquake, when the prison was relocating, she was dragged down the stairs by a prison guard, and they would not let her wear any clothes.
Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Chen Aili from Beixinbao Village was tortured at Jidong prison. The guard wanted to put a prisoner identification tag on him, but Mr. Chen would always take it off. Sometimes Mr. Chen's fingers were bent backward by inmates, but still they could not put the tag on him. Eventually, they handcuffed his hands behind his back and tied him up in a chair, but Mr. Chen then tore the tag off with his teeth.
Once, provincial level officials came to see what kind of person would resist so adamantly. What they saw were the officials at Jidong Prison standing straight with respect, and Mr. Chen sitting calmly. Later, a prison guard asked Mr. Chen: "How come you were so calm, regardless of who you see?" Mr. Chen said: "They are the same sentient beings in my eyes."
One year, during the Chinese new year, an infamous gang leader went to the same prison. Even the prison guards were afraid of him. He made a special trip to the group where Mr. Chen was to wish him a happy new year. He said to Mr. Chen: "I have heard about your reputation, you suffer more in a day here than what I have suffered outside all together. I admire you!" Then he bowed to Mr. Chen sincerely, and said: "Let me know if you need anything, I will try my best!" Mr. Chen said : "You should just remember that Falun Dafa is good!"
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Category: Perspectives
