(Minghui.org) Prior to the Chinese Communist Party’s 100-year anniversary, the 610 Office in Suining City, Sichuan Province reactivated the local brainwashing center in an attempt to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith. The practitioners were threatened with long-term detention or cancellation of their pensions if they refused to sign the guarantee statements.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual and meditation discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The brainwashing center was established in 2000 and known as “Advocation Science School” to the outside. In the past two decades, many practitioners, including pregnant female practitioners, were arrested and taken to the brainwashing center. The center then hired thugs to beat the practitioners.
Here are a few tactics used at the brainwashing center in the past:
1. Deliberately creating noise.2. Lights were kept on day and night.3. Beating and torturing practitioners who refused to be transformed. Practitioners are threatened that if they were not “transformed” within one or two months, they would be taken to a prison in Chengdu, and their pensions would be terminated.4. Practitioners were forced to watch TV at night with their legs kept completely straight, otherwise they might be suspected of doing the Falun Gong exercises.5. Practitioners were forced to write down all the social activities that they had attended to date. Those in charge actually wanted practitioners to betray each other. If someone didn't write down any practitioner's name, it would be considered a false “transformation,” and the person would not be released.6. Practitioners were photographed and videotaped before being released. They were ordered to slander Falun Dafa and the founder, Master Li Hongzhi, for more than two minutes and must meet certain other requirements. They were also forced to pay a large sum of money as living expenses. 7. The authorities continued to monitor the practitioners after they returned home, and did not allow them to have any contact with fellow practitioners. They were required to ask the personnel from the neighborhood office for permission to leave, and must write down the address, contact person, work unit, and phone number of their destination. The authorities also visited the homes of practitioners about a year later to check if they were truly “transformed.”
Mr. Xia Wei was arrested in 2000. En route to the brainwashing center, Mr. Xia was beaten by the police and died. He was 56 years old.
Ms. Kuang Yuliang, in her 50s, was handcuffed to the window with only her toes touching the ground. She was emaciated five months later. She died on June 14, 2005 from being poisoned with unknown substances and tortured.
Mr. Xiao Zhilin suffered severe physical damage when he was detained at the brainwashing center. In November 2003, he was deceived and taken to a brainwashing center again. He was persecuted until he eventually became very feeble and mentally collapsed. On November 13, 2004, Mr. Xiao passed away at the age of 50 as a result of the persecution.
Ms. Li Tingfang had dementia after being held at the brainwashing center. She passed away on November 13, 2011.
Ms. Guo Zhongbi and Ms. Yan Xiaodong were also tortured and had money extorted from them by the brainwashing center.