(Minghui.org) The 12th Ward in Liaoning Women’s Prison is a place used specifically to brainwash Falun Gong practitioners. After practitioners are taken to the prison, they are first held in the 2nd Ward for a few days before being transferred to the 12th Ward for transformation. Most of them were forced to watch videos slandering Falun Gong and write guarantee statements. If the practitioners refused to comply, they would be deprived of sleep and restroom use. They were also subjected to long hours of standing, as well as other mental and physical torture by other inmates.
Below are the four stages the guards followed in brainwashing the practitioners, according to a practitioner who was once imprisoned at the 12th Ward. Her name was omitted to protect her identity.
First Stage
Once Falun Gong practitioners arrived at the 12th Ward, they were taken to an individual cell by inmates assigned to monitor them. The inmates then asked them some basic questions such as why they practiced Falun Gong and their family situation. The inmates would then order them to admit they had committed a crime and write down their crime, such as they were a prisoner sentenced to how many years and were serving term at the 12th Ward. If the practitioners insisted that they did not violate any laws, the inmates wouldn’t allow them to sit or move, sometimes even denying them from eating, drinking, using the restroom, or sleep.
Some inmates verbally attacked Falun Gong and ordered the practitioners to write guarantee statements. Some practitioners tried to persuade the inmates not to participate in the persecution, but they wouldn’t listen.
When some practitioners fainted or suffered convulsions as a result of the torture, the inmates would put a handful of sugar into their mouth, measure the blood pressure for them, and press on their hands and legs. When the practitioners came to, the inmates continued to force them to stand straight without bending their back. If they became exhausted and squatted down, the inmates would pinch their armpit and force them to stand up. The inmates also denied the practitioners from using the restroom, until they agree to write the guarantee statements. Some practitioners were forced to relieve themselves in their pants, and were humiliated by the inmates. The inmates also threatened to put a straitjacket on them or lock them in solitary confinement.
Some practitioners became delirious from the torture. The inmates would try to deceive them into copying prepared guarantee statements, with words that slandered Falun Gong. When practitioners refused, the inmates would change the wording and urge the practitioners to copy it quickly. After the practitioners copied the statement, the inmates would quickly hold their hand and press their thumbprint on the paper.
Second Stage
The second stage is to have two inmates work on one practitioner. The inmates would play videos that slander Falun Gong every day and forced the practitioner to write thought reports after watching them. If the practitioner refused to write negative things about Falun Gong, they would be threatened or punished.
Third Stage
The third step would start about a month later. The guards called this the examination stage whereby practitioners were being videotaped while answering a few questions. The answers, consisting of words that slander Falun Gong, were written prior to the interview and the practitioners had to memorize them. If the practitioners refused to answer the questions or be recorded, they would face intensified persecution.
Fourth Stage
In the fourth step, practitioners were taken to a big classroom, joining other inmates in the brainwashing sessions. Tuesday and Thursday “lectures” were given by the guards and the content was about slandering Falun Gong. Everyone was forced to write thought reports afterward. The “lectures” on the other days were to glorify the Communist Party and denounce spiritual beliefs.
There was a test held every Saturday afternoon. If the guards weren’t satisfied with practitioners’ answers, they would talk to them. If the guards determined that the practitioners didn’t pass the “test,” they would take them to a room, make them stand for a long time or force them to sit on a small stool, while listening to the propaganda again. A thought report was required for the “punishment” to stop.
When an elderly practitioner was about to be released in two days, the guard Zhang Jiaxuan forced her to write guarantee statements again. Zhang once openly said, “If the government said something is right, then it’s right. Even when we make a mistake, we are still right. You must follow our orders unconditionally.”
Six months and one month before the practitioners were released, the guards would again videotape them answering 16 questions, including questions that slander Falun Gong, as a way to evaluate the effectiveness of their brainwashing programs.
Perpetrators’ Names
There are about ten guards in 12th Ward and some of them are changed from time to time. The guards who are or were involved in the persecution include, Wu Yan, Xu Man, Hu Yang, Li Han, Lyu Siyao, Zhang Minghan, Wu Mingjia, Gao Xinjing, Wang Xiyue, Zhang Jiaxuan, and Meng Shuhan.
Inmates who are assigned to monitor practitioners include, Zhou Pengfei, Zhang Jing, Wang Xiaoyan, Yang Fan, Yuan Linjie, Zhang Hanwen, Han Yuling, Zhang Li, Fan Lili, Li Jingge, and Xu Liyan.
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