(Minghui.org) Ms. Chen Chen is a 52-year-old teacher in Qingtongxia City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. She used to suffer from multiple diseases, but all her symptoms disappeared after she started to practice Falun Gong in 2010.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Chen was arrested in 2015 for telling her students about Falun Gong. She was sentenced to three years in Ningxia Women's Prison. She was released on December 21, 2018.
Below is Ms. Chen's account on how she has benefited from Falun Gong and what she has endured in the prison.
Improvement in Health and Character
I had been plagued for years by multiple chronic diseases including hypertension, lower back pain, and headaches. I spent a lot of money and tried all possible treatments, but none worked.
Years of family conflict, especially with my mother-in-law, had exacerbated my stress and caused me to suffer insomnia, irritability, and depression. I lost faith in my life.
I started to practice Falun Gong at the end of 2010. My insomnia, gastritis, and headaches were gone in only a few days and all the other diseases disappeared six months later. I was delighted to be free of illness.
I became more thoughtful and considerate. Falun Gong resolved my resentment toward my mother-in-law. When my father-in-law was hospitalized in 2013, my husband and I contributed 15,000 yuan for the medical expenses, the most among all the siblings.
With a healthy body, I became energetic and was able to open a home tutoring class to earn more income. I’m deeply grateful for Falun Gong.
Persecution in Ningxia Women's Prison
I was arrested on December 21, 2015 after being reported by my students' parents for talking to their children about Falun Gong. Officers from Chengguan Police Station and Qingtongxia Police Department raided my home after arresting me.
I was sentenced to three years and taken to Ningxia Women's prison on December 14, 2016.
Instigated by the prison guards, inmates abused me and other detained Falun Gong practitioners with various measures in order to receive term reductions.
I was closely monitored by seven inmates and brutally persecuted with the torture methods below.
Ordered to Slander Master Before Each Meal
The inmates who watched me tried to force me to slander Falun Gong and its founder, Master Li, before each meal. I firmly refused to comply. They then hung two banners with slanderous language against Falun Gong in the room.
Deprived of Sleep
The prison ordered practitioners to watch slanderous videos. When I refused to follow the order, they did not allow me to sleep and forced me to stand up for almost 20 hours every day. I could only go to bed after 2 a.m. The persecution lasted for a long time.
As a result of the torture, my eyes were dry and legs stiff and puffy. I lost weight, both cheeks sunken and eyes depressed. The cell head even teased me, saying sarcastically that I looked very energetic. The inmates forced me to look at myself in front of a mirror and insulted my appearance. When I was not affected, they scolded Falun Gong and read derogatory articles into my ears.
Forced to Write Thought Reports
One day, the inmates forced me to read a book slandering Falun Gong and write my comments. In order to be able to sit down and relieve the pain from standing, I read four chapters and commented that it was slander. The inmates were mad and tore it into pieces.
I was forced to stand again. But they no longer forced me to read the brainwashing books.
Made to Stand in a Military Posture
The inmates forced me to stand up straight in a military posture when I said that the Tiananmen Square self-immolation was a hoax. One inmate hit my arms and knocked my legs with her knees to ensure that I stood up straight.
They made me stand like that every day except when I was eating, sleeping, or mopping the floor.
Intentionally Disorderly Haircuts
To destroy the willpower of the practitioners, the inmates pressured the barber to purposely cut the practitioners' hair in disorder. They tried to make it appear that practitioners looked so unkempt because they refused to renounce their faith.
I was not spared. I had a haircut one month after I arrived at the prison. I became the target of taunting after the haircut. Many inmates looked at me and said that I looked abnormal and weird. One suggested that I might just renounce my faith.
Deprived of Family Visits
In order to make me give up my belief, the inmates ridiculed me at all times. They also denied family visits in an attempt to break my willpower.
Forced to Eat More Before Family Visit
Because of the long-term torture, I was bony, with sunken eyes, a gaunt face, and swollen hands and legs. I felt so exhausted, even when I was in bed at night.
One day in March 2017, the inmates took me to a conversation room and let me see my son and my sister through a video conference.
One guard said to my family, “We had wanted to make a short video to show you Ms. Chen's activities in this facility. But we were too busy to film her. We will let you visit her in prison on May 11.”
After that, they forced me to overeat at every meal and punished me when I refused. I knew they wanted to make me look stronger and healthier before my son's visit to conceal how they were abusing me.
In the May 11 meeting, the guards watched me closely and didn’t let me tell my son how they had abused me.
Intimidated
One day in the summer of 2018, I was taken to an “education class” in No. 4 Ward. To intimidate me, they showed me an emaciated practitioner who was handcuffed to a ring on the floor for her refusal to be "transformed."
Renouncing My Faith Against My Will
I have endured all kinds of torture. One of the worst things was that I was closely monitored around the clock by the inmates. Because of the brutal persecution, I finally gave in and signed the statement to renounce Falun Gong.
I soon regretted what I did and cried.
As a matter of fact, I silently practiced the five exercises in my heart every night before I went to bed. I still firmly believed in Master Li and Falun Gong. Because of this belief, I was able to walk out of that evil place alive.
Persecution Continues after Release
My jail terms ended on December 21, 2018. While my family planned to bring me home, officers from Chengguan Police Station took me to the police station. I had to sign some documents in order to be allowed to go home.
After the release, personnel from my local police station, judicial office, and the community have harassed me many times. They also arranged my neighbors to watch me. The local newspaper and television ran false stories about me and spread rumors about Falun Gong.
On January 10, 2020, policemen Liu Zhaoning told my younger sister to report to them if I went anywhere. She refused to comply.
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