(Minghui.org) I was arrested along with approximately 50 other practitioners in October 2002, and taken to a brainwashing center in Jilin. The heads of the 610 Office in Jilin, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and the police had congregated there to threaten and pressure us into renouncing Falun Gong.
On the way to the brainwashing center, I kept sending righteous thoughts. It took about eight hours to drive just 50 kilometers (31 miles), because the car had mechanical problems. The officers were very worried because they had no clue how to handle the situation.
Some of the female practitioners were crying and shouting, “Let me get out!”
I realized that no matter what attachments we might have as practitioners, we had all been detained because we practiced Falun Gong. I thought that I should encourage fellow practitioners to send righteous thoughts and deny the persecution.
After several days of sharing among ourselves, we were quite firm about denying the persecution, be it in the form of a trial, torture, or threats. The 610 Office officials and the head of the police station were at a loss as to what to do next.
One day they announced, “From now on, practitioners are not allowed to talk to each other or visit each other. You cannot leave your rooms.”
A female practitioner was arrested and put in our room on the night of October 14. She had a “Falun Dafa Is Great!” banner and other materials with her. I proposed that we should hang the banner on the building to eliminate the evil.
Practitioners on the top floor hung the banner on the outside of the building. Others taped the various other materials to the walls in the hallways.
On October 15, the officers assembled us in the yard and tried to raise the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) flag. We sent righteous thoughts, and the flag fell down. The “Falun Dafa Is Great!” banner was flying from the top of building. The head of the police appeared scared, and they ordered us back into the building immediately.
The head person from the Jilin Political and Legal Affairs Committee addressed us at 9:00 a.m. on October 15. He talked about how the CCP and government was taking care of us. I interrupted him and said, “We were forced to come here in handcuffs. The local officers gave orders, saying that if we were from a village, we had to sell our farm products to pay for our food in the brainwashing center. If we worked for someone, our salaries would be used pay for our food there. You are a leader and you wouldn't lie, would you? If you truly cared about us, you would open the gate and let us go home.” He dismissed the meeting and left.
That afternoon, the police officer who had arrested me took me to Jilin No. 3 Detention Center. He said that I had verbally abused the leader in the morning, and interrupted their work. I was released 40 days later.
The brainwashing center itself was closed within 20 days.
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