(Minghui.org) In 2009, 610 Office director Lu Xianming from Mudanjiang Prison went to Changsha for a 610 Conference. Upon his return, he intensified the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the prison in order to increase the rate of “transformation.” He resorted to all methods of torture and insisted on a 100 percent “transformation” rate.
Under orders from the prison authorities, 3-4 inmates were assigned to monitor and mistreat each Falun Gong practitioner in an attempt to force them to stop practicing Falun Gong. Practitioners were beaten, deprived of sleep, force-fed with highly concentrated saline solution and deprived of water afterward, stripped naked and drenched in cold water, exposed to frigid temperatures for prolonged periods of time, and deprived of visitation by family members.
One practitioner subjected to this inhumane treatment was Mr. Yu Zonghai, an artist who used to work for the Mudanjiang Library prior to being imprisoned for his faith. He was a model worker, but developed necrosis of the hip on the job. He received treatments from various hospitals but nothing helped. Doctors informed him that his last resort was amputation.
Fortunately, before Mr. Yu went ahead with the amputation, he discovered Falun Gong. He attended a class in Dalian City in 1994 taught by Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong. After the class, he was able to carry a 200-pound bag of rice to the fifth floor without a problem. The people around him were amazed to see such a miraculous recovery, and afterward, many of his colleagues and family members also began to practice Falun Gong.
Tortured for His Belief
In 2001, two years after the Chinese communist regime began to persecute Falun Gong practitioners, Mr. Yu was illegally arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison. He was sent to Mudanjiang Prison.
During his incarceration, prison guards forced Mr. Yu to produce art work and print pictures of tigers, so that the prison could sell them for profit. They also stripped off his clothes, poured cold water over his body and left him exposed to frigid temperatures in the winter.
Torture re-enactment: pouring cold water
In October 2004, a prison guard secretly took Mr. Yu’s money that his family had sent him. When Mr. Yu inquired about the money, the guard instigated prison inmates to beat him.
In August 2006, Mr. Yu was injured while performing forced labor. His left eye was wounded and his tear duct was torn. He became disabled because he did not receive prompt medical treatment.
Warden Dong Yalin in Division No. 6, where Mr. Yu was held, instructed and actively encouraged guards and inmates to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, Mr. Yu was brutally beaten in December 2010. His leg was broken and his chest bone protruded from the skin. After the beating, he suffered from dizziness and his vision sharply declined. However, even though he could hardly walk, he was still forced to do hard labor.
Mr. Yu applied for early release due to his poor physical condition. During the investigation by the court, he exposed the abuse and torture he had been subjected to at the prison, as well as “transformation” through coercion. As a result, Mudanjiang Prison officials in Division No. 6 were reprimanded. Subsequently, the prison authorities tortured Mr. Yu in retaliation, forcing him to stand without moving for long periods of time.
