Liaoning Woman Recounts How She Was Tortured for Four Years While She Was Imprisoned

(Minghui.org) Ms. Xu Li from Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was arrested multiple times for telling people about Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999. She was last sentenced in October 2018 to four years. She was released from the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison in October 2022.

Before her latest sentencing, Ms. Xu served four years in the same prison following an arrest on July 22, 2013, for distributing DVDs that had information about Falun Gong. She was detained for 15 days for distributing Falun Gong materials after she was arrested on March 22, 2012.

Ms. Xu’s latest arrest in October 2018 came as a result of her being reported for removing a banner that slandered Falun Gong. She was taken from her home on the evening of October 28 and brought to the Yaojia Detention Center.

The Gaoxinyuan District Court sentenced Ms. Xu to a four-year prison term on June 24, 2019, and she was taken to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison, located in Shenyang City, on October 22 to serve her term. Like other wrongfully incarcerated Falun Gong practitioners, she was forced to do manual work every day without pay.

The 12th Division in Liaoning Province Women’s Prison is known as the intensive training and correctional area and is specially designated to persecute Falun Gong practitioners.

In 2021, Falun Gong practitioners who were sent to prison were first taken to the 12th Division for transformation. They were deprived of sleep, forced to stand for hours without moving, deprived of restroom use, and subjected to brainwashing and verbal abuse. As a result, some practitioners wet their pants, some could not walk due to swollen legs, some were on the brink of death, and some became dazed or fainted. The persecution was monitored by the guards who sat in front of the CCTV monitors and were ready to give orders to the inmates, who were instigated to carry out specific tortures.

Below is an account of the persecution that Ms. Xu suffered in prison.

Mouth Taped, Held in Solitary Confinement, Eyes Sprayed With Pepper Spray

Ms. Xu refused to attend the morning drill before going to the workshop on May 24, 2020. She was reported to the guard and sent to solitary confinement. The production team leader and an inmate hit and dragged her while she kept shouting “Falun Dafa is good.” The guard taped her mouth shut.

The solitary confinement room was small, dark, and cold with a window that was less than a foot wide. The room was originally used to punish prisoners who violated the discipline, were dangerous, or did not want to repent their guilt. Two inmates were assigned to monitor Ms. Xu.

Before they took Ms. Xu to the room, the guards removed the buttons on her clothes. She was given a very thin comforter. The guards handcuffed her hands behind her back to prevent her from doing the Falun Gong exercises. Each meal only consisted of a few biscuits. She was held in solitary confinement for 15 days.

Torture re-enactment: Mouth taped shut

Ms. Xu was called to guard Liu Yu’s office in early July 2020 because she memorized an article written by Falun Gong’s founder. There were three more guards in the room, including Wei Junnan, Zhao Huiying, and Liu Jiangdong. Liu Yu asked Ms. Xu where she got the article. Ms. Xu didn’t answer her but urged her not to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Liu then pepper-sprayed her eyes. Ms. Xu fell to the ground. Two inmates were told to bring a basin of clean water to the office so Ms. Xu could rinse her eyes. When Ms. Xu was finally able to open her eyes, the inmates dragged her out of the room.

Another Round of Solitary Confinement and Torture

In September 2021, the prison started a new campaign to transform practitioners. On September 7, Ms. Xu was held in an airtight confinement room during the day. The section chiefs of the prison instigated the production team leader and other inmates to abuse and pressure her.

The weather at the end of summer was very humid, causing the room to become even hotter. An inmate started having breathing difficulties and her lips turned purple after staying in the room to monitor Ms. Xu for a few days. She was replaced by two other inmates. The two new inmates instructed Ms. Xu to squat while eating and forced her to sit on the metal chair the entire day. The surface of the chair was not flat, and her buttocks became irritated and bled. This daily sitting torture lasted for more than a month.

Torture re-enactment: Sitting on a metal chair

Every night, Ms. Xu was transferred from solitary confinement back to her cell. The monitoring inmates also followed her and continued to monitor her there. No one was allowed to talk to Ms. Xu, and she could not talk to anyone.

The weather was very cold in October. The inmate opened the window and forced Ms. Xu to sit at the entrance of the cell while wearing thin clothes. Another inmate poured cold water on her to increase her suffering.

Other inmates in the cell were implicated in the persecution. Their entertainment activities were canceled and they were forced to sit on small stools for long hours. The purpose was to incite hatred towards Falun Gong, a tactic often used in the prison to increase practitioners’ mental pressure so they would give up their faith.

Ms. Xu was forced to sleep on a bare bedboard without a blanket but only a thin bedsheet. She was also not given full meals and restricted from drinking water or using the restroom. She was prohibited from buying things and was not allowed to wash her hands. She was also not allowed to wash herself for four to five months. Once, an inmate scratched Ms. Xu’s arms after seeing her wash her hands, causing her to bleed. Another time, a kind inmate was threatened with a ban on purchasing necessities after she shared her toilet paper with Ms. Xu.

Ms. Xu was often humiliated and beaten by the inmates. One inmate kicked her and attempted to transform her. Once, the guard came into the room and Ms. Xu said that she was beaten by two inmates. Instead of checking to see if Ms. Xu was injured, the guard asked the inmates if everything was fine. The guard left after the inmates said all was good.

Deprived of Restroom Use

There was an oath ceremony in the prison to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party on the morning of October 1, 2021, the day when the CCP declared the complete takeover of China. Ms. Xu refused to take the oath and was denied restroom use. She wet her pants but was not allowed to change them.

Brainwashing

Ms. Xu was ordered to watch videos slandering Falun Gong and repeat the propaganda every day. She refused to comply and was beaten. One inmate grabbed her head and smashed it against the ground. The inmate also wrote slanderous words on a piece of paper and ordered her to read and sign on it. She refused. The inmates then grabbed her hand to force her to sign a prepared statement to renounce Falun Gong. Even though Ms. Xu was forced to sign, she declared her signature was void.

After a few more days of torture, Ms. Xu was forced to sign the guarantee statements on October 12, 2021, as she could no longer endure both the physical and mental pressure.

Locked in Solitary Confinement Again

On November 11, 2021, Ms. Xu was taken to solitary confinement again for 15 days for having Falun Gong articles in her possession. Zhang Mo, the inmate who was assigned to be the production team leader, reported her to the guard after discovering the articles. The articles were confiscated and Ms. Xu was called to the guards’ office. She refused to answer the guards when they asked where the articles came from. When the guard put the articles on the ground, Ms. Xu tried to pick them up but the guard stopped her.

A few days later, two guards called Ms. Xu to their office and started to slander Falun Gong. Ms. Xu tried to stop them but to no avail.

Another time, a guard went to the confinement room where Ms. Xu was held and ordered her to renounce Falun Gong. Ms. Xu didn’t comply but declared that everything she said to slander Falun Gong against her will in the past was void because she was forced to do so due to torture. The guard became angry and shouted at her. Another guard came to pressure her but left. When two more guards who were on duty came, Ms. Xu told them that she had been trying to be a good person by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance and would not go to the opposite side. The guards then left.

Forced to Stand, Humiliated, and Beaten

Starting in May 2022, Ms. Xu was forced to stand each day, from morning until night at the workshop and in the cell while the inmates verbally abused her. This lasted for four months until she was transferred out of the 1st Division.

Instigated by the guard, inmate Zhang Mo wrote slanderous words on paper and stuck them to the workshop machines and on the backs of inmates for Ms. Xu to look at. At night, the slanderous words were written on the bed boards. When Ms. Xu erased them the inmates wrote the words again.

After work, Ms. Xu was forced to stand at the door while the inmates in the cell had to sit on small stools with no entertainment activities. Everyone was encouraged to verbally abuse Ms. Xu. Every week, the guards transferred Ms. Xu to different cells. Some inmates hit and verbally abused Ms. Xu. Inmate Zhang pinched her nipple and stepped on her bed. One inmate wrote a poem that slandered Falun Gong and told another inmate to read it aloud. In an attempt to agitate Ms. Xu to fight back and be sent to the solitary confinement room as punishment, an inmate purposely stepped on her feet.

In May 2022, inmate Zhang called Ms. Xu to a warehouse that had no CCTV (security camera). Another inmate, Xue Lirong, blocked the door while five inmates kicked and punched Ms. Xu. When Ms. Xu told the two guards on duty that she was beaten, the guards accused Ms. Xu of speaking too loudly. Later, the guards asked Xue if she saw the beating and she said no. Other inmates also gave the same response.

Activities Restricted

Ms. Xu was not allowed to wash herself, talk to others, or buy daily necessities for four to five months. She was also restricted from drinking water or using the restroom. An inmate who talked to her in the restroom was threatened after being seen by other inmates.

One inmate wrote slanderous words (about Falun Gong) on Ms. Xu’s underwear and her toilet paper. She refused to use them. The inmate then distributed her toilet paper to other inmates, resulting in Ms. Xu not having toilet paper to use for a long time.

When Ms. Xu wanted to find the guard after an inmate poured water on her bed, other inmates pinned her down. Ms. Xu had no choice but to sleep on the wet bed. The inmates poured water on her bed again.

Injected With Unknown Drugs

In August 2022, a pustule grew on Ms. Xu’s middle finger and an inmate reported it to the guard. Though the pustule was getting better after a few days, the guard instructed seven inmates to drag Ms. Xu to the hospital across the office hallway while avoiding being seen publicly.

Ms. Xu was given three shots of unknown drugs. Afterward, she became incontinent and had vaginal bleeding and blood in her urine.

After Ms. Xu returned home in January 2023, painful blisters appeared on her head and one big blister appeared on her right eye. She recovered by practicing Falun Gong.

Additional Abuse 

Ms. Xu was sent to the 12th Division in early September 2022 for 15 days to be transformed again before she was released.

She was locked in Room 201 on her first day and was forced to stand all day. The inmate in charge, Fu Siwen, came and talked to her. She appeared to be quite gentle and caring. (Fu was the main person in charge of transforming practitioners in the 12th Division.)

Ms. Xu was sent to Room 209 the next day. Initially, she was forced to stand and watch videos slandering Falun Gong. The inmate turned off the TV after she refused, but instructed her to sit down and write thought reports. Two inmates often criticized, humiliated, and threatened Ms. Xu to transform. She continued to treat them kindly and their attitudes gradually softened. Every day, she was allowed five minutes to wash up and go to bed at 10 p.m.

During this time, the chief of the 12th Division and the section chief talked to Ms. Xu. They knew that it was difficult to transform her as she never wavered in her faith in Falun Gong despite being persecuted for more than a year. Instead of pressuring her with torture and threats like before, they pretended to be nice to her and asked why she practiced Falun Gong, and about her work and family situation, in an attempt to look for her gaps. She didn’t fall for their traps.

At the end of September 2022, Ms. Xu was transferred back to the 1st Division. She was sent to the 2nd Division two weeks later, where she was held until she was released on October 28, 2022.

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