Ms. Zhang Xiao's first person account of incidents of torture she suffered after being sent from Beijing to a labor camp in Inner Mongolia in 2008 is now available.

Ms. Zhang Xiao Tortured in Forced Labor Camp

Name: Zhang Xiao 
Gender: Female
Age: 23
Address: 25, West Tianzhu Street, Shunyi District, Beijing
Date of Most Recent Arrest: June 20, 2008
Most Recent Place of Detention: Huhehaote Women's Forced Labor Camp 
City: Huhehaote City
Province: Inner Mongolia autonomous region
Persecution Suffered: Electric shocks, sleep deprivation, brainwashing, illegal incarceration, beatings, torture, sexual assault, force-feeding, physical restraint, interrogation, withholding restroom use.

Ms. Zhang Xiao was working in Beijing and living with her parents. One of her relatives introduced her to Falun Gong in 2006. Agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) misled her father into believing that Falun Gong was bad and he reported her to the police. She was illegally arrested and sent to Huhehaote Women's Forced Labor Camp in Inner Mongolia, where she was severely persecuted and nearly suffered mental collapse. The following is an account of what she could recall after she regained her strength and was able to speak.

Abducted by police officers from Shunyi District in Beijing

On June 20, 2008, the police from Tianzhu Station took me from my home one evening after I had just returned home from work. I was interrogated until 2 a.m. After a period of waiting, I was sent to the 5th Detention Center for Women in Shunyi District. On July 22, 2008 they took my picture and then transferred me to Shunyi District Detention Center.

Inhuman treatment by labor camp officials

In the early morning of July 31, I was handcuffed and sent to the Forced Labor Dispatch Division in Beijing. After a physical examination I was sent to Group 9 where I was physically attacked and verbally insulted. My clothes were removed, water was poured on my body, my hair was cut without my consent, and dirty words were written on my body with colored permanent markers. The guards did not allow me to sleep. If I closed my eyes someone would pour water on me, pull my hair, or slap my face. There were four guards, Yang Mei, Zhao, Liu, and another man, taking turns to torture me. The maltreatment went on for three days during which time I was not allowed to use the restroom.

On August 1, 2008, commander Yuan and his wife Ma, force-fed me. When I vomited, they gathered the vomit and used it to continue the force-feeding. They did this twice a day, one or two days apart, with help from a few others, one of whom was doctor Yu. On August 2, I was forced to lie on a filthy, urine-soaked mattress, and was not even given a drink of water.

For over a month I was watched 24 hours a day, isolated from the outside world, not allowed to wash myself, use the restroom, sleep, or eat. I was tied up in unnatural positions and dragged along the ground, which injured my arms and legs. The abuse was so unbearable that I felt like I was about to go insane.

Torture at Huhehaote Women's Forced Labor Camp

On September 2, 2008 three police officers, Yang Da, Yuan Da, and another one, forced me onto a bus, with dozens of others, that was heading towards Inner Mongolia. Along the way I was handcuffed to my chair, threatened with electric batons, and a piece of cloth was stuffed into my mouth.

We arrived at Huhehaote Women's Forced Labor Camp late in the afternoon. I was quite weak after enduring torture for more than a month in Beijing and could hardly speak when commander Lu Junqing questioned me. When I was slow to answer, he told one of his staff to pour cold water onto my face, which made it difficult to breath and led to painful muscle cramps through my whole body.

One day in mid-September one of the camp staff, Yang Liping, was supposed to guide me back to the dormitory. She said that we would go to the dining area instead. She then took me into a bathroom, removed my shoes and pants, and started pouring water over me for at least 10 minutes.

On another day in mid-September, police officer Zhong Zhirong slapped my face. Other staff, Bao Wenjun, Yang Baoyuan, Xia Congling, and Ms. Li, took turns kicking me and beating me with my shoes and clothing. The next day commander Lu Junqing asked me to come to his office. There, she hit my neck, face, head, and back with an electric baton. She forced me to sign guarantee statements, and then Yang Baoyuan came in and started beating me again.

On September 30, 2008 this group of wicked communist officials, Lu Junqing, Zhong Zhirong, Bao Wenjun, and Yang Baoyuan, ordered me to go an office where they punched and kicked me.

On October 14, 2008, while being moved from a garage to the dormitory I was beaten repeatedly by Zhong Zhirong, Yang Baoyuan, Jin Xin, Zhao Li, and Zhang Qingxue. After that, Lu Junqing ordered me into a bathroom, removed my clothes, forced me onto the floor, and then poured water on me. If I yelled, they would hold my face in a pail of water. This went on for about 45 minutes. As if that wasn't enough, I was taken to an office where the gang used electric batons to hit my head, neck, hands, and back.