The Brutal Persecution of Falun Dafa Practitioners In Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province

(Clearwisdom.Net)

I am an over 60-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner who was just released from Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin. I want to expose what I know about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners there.

Since Falun Dafa was banned on July 20, 2001, my husband and I have gone to Beijing several times in order to validate Dafa. We did not have any opportunity to appeal for Falun Gong; instead, they would arrest us and send us into detention. I had no other choice but to go to Tiananmen Square to unfurl a banner. The police arrested me and sent me back to my hometown for detention. On January 4, 2001, they sent me to Wanjia Forced Labor Camp in Harbin for 1 year. In this way, an elderly woman like myself was persecuted just for going to Beijing to clarify the truth.

In order to force practitioners to give up practicing Falun Gong, the guards used all kinds of torture methods. They did not allow us to do the exercises or read Falun Gong books. I was bruised all over my body from beatings and had difficulty breathing from blows to my chest--just because I did the exercises.

In February 2001, some female practitioners were reciting words from Falun Dafa books and they received vicious beatings from male policemen. Many evil policemen punched, kicked, and beat us with wooden batons aimlessly without any concern for our lives. One of my ribs was fractured from the beating, which was unbearably painful. The most inhumane torture was forcing practitioners to squat in small cells, sitting on iron chairs, "tiger chairs," tying and hanging their hands from behind with toes barely touching the ground, etc. (for a detailed description of torture methods used at Wanjia and other forced labor camps, see http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/11/24/16156.html)

Practitioners who dared to speak would be punished by having their mouths taped and not being allowed to use the toilet. They only gave us one bowl of thin rice soup a day. One practitioner's face was so swollen that her eyes were not visible.

At midnight of June 18, 2001, I heard frightening cries, beating, and cursing from the first floor. We did not know what was happening since we were on the second floor. However, one practitioner, who had supernormal abilities, saw that some one was beaten to death on the first floor. The wicked police later found out that she knew this. In order to eliminate the evidence, they brought her a good meal with four dishes and rice. Just as she was about to eat it, she heard an inner voice speaking to her, "You can't eat that, the food is poisoned." She told the guards around her, "I can't eat this much. Let's eat together." None of the guards dared to eat and she did not eat either. I do not know what method they used to persecute this practitioner, but I have never seen her since.

We later found out what happened downstairs. The corrupt guards attempted to force Falun Dafa practitioners to sign six "guarantees" and the practitioners refused to cooperate with them. They then followed Jiang Zemin's order (beating to death is considered suicide) to beat them to death. Since "No one will be held accountable for beating people (practitioners) to death," some practitioners were brutally killed. Around 2 a.m. the next day, the police took all practitioners, whether dead or alive, to a secret chamber and pretended as if nothing happened.

When practitioners refused to comply with police orders, they would be forced to stand under the hot sun. For practicing the exercises, the practitioners were tied to iron beds, forced to stand for a long time and not allowed to sleep or use the toilet. The incidents of torture are countless. In order to protest the illegal detention and torture, more than 200 practitioners went on a hunger strike for more than 30 days. The evil guards locked us in cells that were very humid, damp, and with no sunshine. Every practitioner developed scabies, which caused unbearable itching. It was so severe for some practitioners that they were unable to take care of themselves independently. Even under these circumstances, practitioners were still clarifying the truth to the guards with great benevolence and forbearance in their hearts: "Falun Dafa is the great Law of the universe. Persecuting Falun Dafa and practitioners is not good for you. We hope that your kind side awakens and you will stop creating huge karma for yourselves. As long as your lives can be saved, we are willing to endure any pain." Some police finally awakened.

Later, in order to obtain an environment for practicing the exercises and study the Fa, I started to do the sitting meditation in my cell. The head of the cell initially tried to use all of her strength to pull my legs down from the meditation position, but failed. She then reported me to the guards. Three main officials of the labor camp all came. They tried to pull my legs down and failed again. I told them, "Dafa gave me my life. I will not exist without Dafa. I will practice the exercises as long as I live." They ran out of ideas and told the head, "Then let her sit like this for one day and do not allow her to uncross her legs." They left. I did not listen to them and uncrossed my legs after I had finished more than two hours of meditation. This is the environment created by Falun Dafa practitioners with their lives.