(Minghui.org) Dalian Forced Labor Camp was closed on September 16 and renamed a drug rehabilitation center. Qu Lianxi, the last practitioner detained there, returned home on September 16.
Three practitioners returned home before that: Yu Changshun on September 14, Gong Fajiu on September 12, and Lin Weizhu on September 9. Yu Changshun could no longer walk as a result of torture and had to be carried.
History of the Camp Since 1999
Since the persecution against Falun Gong started in July 1999, several practitioners died as a result of the brutality including Chen Jiafu, Liu Yonglai, and Wang Qiuxia. In addition, Liu Xiaogang suffered a mental collapse and Qu Hui's arms were paralyzed.
A large number of practitioners were sent to the Dalian camp between October 1999 and February 2001. A female division was also opened for women practitioners.
After the communist regime staged the Tiananmen Self-Immolation in January 2001, the CCP publicly escalated the persecution until October 2001.
Division 8 was created solely to detain male Falun Gong practitioners. It was headed by Qiao Wei, Wang Jun, and Jing Dianke. During a series of severe persecution incidents on March 19 and April 11, a number of practitioners died or became disabled as a result of torture.
After the brutal persecution was exposed to the international community, the labor camp took pains to conceal its nefarious activities beginning in November 2001. Most of the officers in Division 8 were reassigned, and new staff, including Liu Zhongke and Song Hengyue, were transferred in. Practitioners Li Zhongke and Lu Kaili were kept in solitary confinement in 2002, where they suffered long-term beatings and force-feeding.
The persecution continued under wraps between December 2002 and May 2003. Practitioners Han Dezhong, Qu Fei, and Wang Yunshan were kept in solitary confinement. Based on torture strategies developed in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, officials planned another round of intense brutality, attempting to "transform" all detained practitioners. They moved about eight practitioners to a new building for isolated and intense mistreatment. This plan was delayed due to the outbreak of SARS. Nonetheless, mistreatment of individual practitioners never stopped.
After SARS, torture carried out on a massive scale resumed between June and November 2003. Practitioners Sun Jinghuan, Sun Guanghong, Yu Changshun, and Li Yongde were moved to the fourth story of the building and held in isolation. The third round of large scale, organized brutality occurred between December 2003 and March 2004. Practitioners were moved in three batches to the new building. The first batch included Jia Qi, Sha Wenke, and Wang Shiming. The second batch consisted of Shi Yueli, Chen Shenghu, and Wei Danhua. The third batch had Liang Bo, Lin Guofu, Lin Weizhu, and Gong Fajiu. Among them, Chen Shenghu, Lin Weizhu, and Gong Fajiu suffered the most.
Several officers were involved in mistreating practitioners, including Yao Shanggang, Sheng Rui, Luo Xiaochen, Guo Peng, and Wang Shiwei. With the persecution facts exposed on the Internet and several practitioners announcing they would resume practicing, the third unsuccessful round of brutality ended.
After Liu Zhongke and other officers were removed from Division 8, Jiang Tongjiu was appointed as division head. He worked with Wang Shiwei and other officers to keep up the pressure. The female division was shut down in October 2004 and the female practitioners were sent to Masanjia Forced Labor Camp
Dong Geqi was the head of Division 8 between late 2006 and 2012. He worked with several guards to torture practitioners secretly. The guards included Wang Shiwei, He Xudong, and Han Wei. Labor camp officials sent practitioners Lin Weizhu and Gong Fajiu to Benxi Forced Labor Camp for further persecution. Because it was being renovated, Dalian Labor Camp was temporarily moved to Taishan Drug Rehabilitation Center in Dalian. More than 10 practitioners went on a hunger strike in July. As punishment, practitioners Zhang Guoyu and Yu Changshun were sent to Benxi Labor Camp. Li Xuejin and an elderly practitioner were sent to Masanjia Labor Camp.
Notoriety Prompts a Name Change
When Dalian Labor Camp became notorious for torturing practitioners, its name was changed to Dalian Rehabilitation Center. However, the brutal mistreatment continued. For example, after Rixinjie Police Station agents arrested practitioner Mr. Shi Hongbo on October 14, 2008, officials sent him to Dalian Labor Camp for a term of 18 months. Guards brutally tortured him in Division 2, and he developed symptoms of heart disease and high blood pressure. On October 14, 2008, division head Dong tied Mr. Shi to a bed, and guard Zhou Houming shocked his neck with electric batons. Dong ordered guards to take Mr. Shi off the bed and handcuffed both his hands to the bed. They only unlocked the handcuffs during meal time. Officials sent Mr. Shi and two other practitioners to Weiningying Labor Camp in Benxi City on September 21, 2009. After Mr. Shi was in a life-threatening condition, Weiningying Labor Camp officials sent him home on April 1, 2010, to avoid being held responsible for his death. Officer Wang Aiguo said to Mr. Shi, “You cannot die here.” Mr. Shi died in the morning on February 28, 2011.
Although Dalian Labor Camp was facing closure for years, officials continued forcing detained practitioners as well as inmates to do slave labor. The work included making paper bags, preparing books, assembling chopsticks or toothpicks, packaging tongue depressors, and sewing clothes. They had to work from 6 a.m. till 6:30 p.m., and sometimes till 7:30 p.m. In addition, they were not given enough to eat.
Although Dalian Labor Camp was closed, the building where its Division 2 was located was to be renovated in early August. It was said a brainwashing center would be built for the Dalian Political and Legal Affairs Committee, but would be officially called the “Law Education Center.”
