(Clearwisdom.net) Police arrested Falun Gong practitioner Xu Bin in October 2001 in Sichuan Province, while he clarified the truth. His imprisonment lasted seven years. The abusers extorted confessions from him at the Yanbian County Detention Center, where he was handcuffed with his arms behind his back and hung by the handcuffs from metal window bars, with his feet not touching the ground. While confined in Deyang Prison, Mr. Xu was sent to the "strict monitoring" section for one month. At another facility, the Majiaping Prison, officials had four criminals closely watch him.
The following is Xu Bin's narration of his experience. It is a testimonial of how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) grossly abuses Falun Gong practitioners.
On October 12, 2001, practitioner Xu Tianfu and I distributed truth-clarification materials in Hongge Township, Panzhihua City, Sichuan Province. A person surnamed Cai intercepted us. He told us that his reporting anyone spreading Falun Gong truth-clarification could get him a 200 yuan reward. He reported us and officers from the Hongge Police Station illegally arrested and detained us at the Yanbian Detention Center.
When I did the Falun Gong exercises, the guards put me in shackles. As I could not sit cross-legged, I started to practice the first four exercises. They stopped me. Guards Zhang Ran, Zhao Feng and others separated Xu Tianfu and me. Two groups of guards questioned us, wanting to know where the truth-clarification materials came from. Because they could not get the information from us, they interrogated us and tried to extort a confession from us by torture.
They tried to deceive us into believing that they already knew everything and were merely questioning us to verify our credibility, and they said that if we told them the truth, they would proceed leniently. When their plot failed, they slapped my face and beat me. They handcuffed me with my arms behind my back to the metal window bars, my feet not touching the ground. They loudly verbally abused us and attacked Falun Gong and Master Li. I could also hear the noise from the interrogation room next door, where they were torturing Xu Tianfu to obtain a confession through beating and verbal abuse. The interrogation lasted until midnight. I was sent to a detention room and ruthlessly beaten. As I was told later, I lost consciousness in the detention room because of being handcuffed, shackled and beaten for a long time. Only then did they remove my shackles.
After more than 20 days at the Yanbian County Detention Center, Xu Tianfu and I were transferred to the Panzhihua Detention Center and held there for one month. Then we were transferred to the Miyi County Detention Center and incarcerated for one and a half years. The Miyi County Court sentenced me to seven years and sentenced Xu Tianfu to nine years in prison. Xu Tianfu is still imprisoned.
Because I did the Falun Gong exercises while at the Miyi Detention Center, the guards beat me. I had been in shackles and handcuffs. My gums became swollen. The persecutors had immobilized me on the "punishment bed" (usually used prior to executing death row prisoners). They used a tool to open my mouth wide so they could force-feed me medicine. I also witnessed an older practitioner at the Miyi Detention Center being handcuffed because she kept on practicing the exercises. She went on a hunger strike to protest, but the guards and doctors brutally force-fed her. When she returned from the hospital to the detention center, she had been close to death. In spite of that, guard Lin Hai still handcuffed her to the punishment bed. She died a few days later as a result of the severe abuse.
After the 2003 New Year, the persecutors sent me to Deyang Prison, a place for inmates sentenced to death or those whose sentences had been postponed. In the prison's Second Ward, (or Orientation Ward), the guards not only personally abused Falun Gong practitioners, but also incited criminals to monitor and mistreat practitioners.
They forced the practitioners to recite the prison regulations and sing songs that flatter the CCP. Whoever refused to obey would be mercilessly beaten. The practitioners had to stand in military positions, go jogging and be subjected to all kinds of tortures. The officials separated the practitioners and criminals into dozens of groups and forced them to watch CCTV news and then study the minutes of the CCP conference. They compelled everyone to voice their opinions and be subjected to brainwashing. Using the "implicate" and "bundle" method, they guards used criminals to monitor the practitioners. Some practitioners were monitored by more than one criminal. They were like shadows, following practitioners while eating, sleeping, resting, working--even going to the restroom. They forbade us to study the Fa or do exercises and prevented us from speaking with each other.
Officials also granted the criminals the authority to beat and verbally abuse practitioners. In order to be "proactive," criminals did not hesitate to betray their conscience to mistreat us. A practitioner from Panzhihua City did the exercises and refused to do manual labor. He was beaten, shut in a confinement cell and strictly monitored, one three separate occasions. His term was extended by several months. Some criminal inmates intimidated and threatened us, "Whoever does not cooperate will have to squat, be deprived of sleep and might be beaten to death."
Because other practitioners joined us to resist the abuses, the abusers punished us one month after having been shut in confinement. Mostly, we were ordered to walk in formation, and jog 80 laps in the morning and in the afternoon. The prison authorities also instigated criminals to abuse practitioners. When practitioners protested, the guards supported the criminal inmates.
In November 2003, they transferred three practitioners and me, individuals the officials considered a "dangerous influence," to the Wumaping Prison in Muchuan County.
In the Fourth Ward, the officials took advantage of criminal psychology and enticed inmates with term reduction to act as "clamps" with practitioners. "Clamp" means constantly shadowing and being at the side of practitioners, all day long. The officials also compelled practitioners to do forced labor, including extra hours in the evening. If practitioners could not finish the assigned work quota they would be sent to "reflect," by having to stand against a tall wall. If they refused to cooperate, the captors would use the "training team," specially set up to torture people. Criminals who transferred from the "training team" have disclosed that guards Wang Yijun and Gong Junfu incited criminals to cruelly beat practitioners Zhu Zhaojie, Xiao Huizhan, Zhu Gang, Geng Dexin and many others. Guard He Pituo, an expert at beating people, beat Zhu Zhaojie into a coma, and Xiao Huizhan was beaten to the point that he was unable to stand up.
They were extremely cruel and used psychological tactics to "transform" practitioners. They compelled practitioners to work overtime during the day and made them watch the CCP's propaganda videos that slandered and attacked Falun Gong and Master; recite the 38 prison regulations and 20 forbidden behaviors; wear the prison uniform and shaved their heads; ordered practitioners to write the three statements, and other statements. Anyone not cooperating would immediately be savagely beaten or would be transferred to the training team to be subjected to additional physical torture and extension of their term.
Practitioner Feng Zhongliang from Panzhihua City ended up with a severe chest infection that turned into tuberculosis. He was force-fed for a long time. Practitioners Liu Xueming and Zhu Gang from Zigong City and Zhu Xuezhi from Chengdu were tortured to the point where their lives were in danger before being sent to the Chengdu Prison Hospital.
The guards in the Seventh Ward, under the high pressure of ward head Zhang Jian, threatened and intimidated practitioners.
Guard Chen Guoshun was the Seventh Ward's political head who specially persecuted practitioners. Practitioner He Yuanchao from Chengdu City was transferred from the First Ward to the Seventh Ward. The next day the guards put him into the "strictly monitored room" where he was forced to recite the prison regulations and had to write his understanding. He Yuanchao refused to be "reformed", so the abusers shackled him to the fence of a football field. It was December and snowing. The practitioner was only given permission to wear scanty clothes, not enough to keep him warm. He could only return to the cell when it was the time to sleep, but had to wear the handcuffs even when sleeping.
Because I did not cooperate with the guards and refused to "reform", the officials changed the inmates in my cell and also added inmates Luo Xuedong, Liu Rongbo, Song Anming, Tang Xianlin and others to monitor me and "restrict" me. The way they "restricted" me was to make sure that all my activities were done under their watchful eyes and I was not allowed to even move alone. Other prisoners were also not allowed to enter my cell. Then they followed the instruction of the guards and tried to "convince" me to renounce Dafa in turn. They asked me to cooperate with them and "reform." I refused. One criminal got a book from guard Deng Xuewen, the one that the CCP has used to slander Dafa and Master. They surrounded me in the middle of the bed. Criminal Liu Rongbo and Song Anming sat on each side of me and took turns reading the book out loud. I loudly protested, "This is slander and fabricated rumors!" The four criminals started to slander Dafa and Master. At the same time, Liu and Song started to twist my arms around. I gathered all my strength to resist them. The four criminals jumped on me all at once and pushed me down to the bed. Song and Tang violently held me down. Liu used his hand to pinch hard on the inside of my thigh. Luo beat me brutally. They didn't release me for a long time. After I was able to sit up, Luo and Liu immediately came to both my sides and began to hit me on the face and head. The other three criminals also swore at me.
That day, I went on a hunger strike to protest the abuse. That night, they did not allow me to sleep and wouldn't even allow me to lie down. The four criminal inmates took turns monitoring me. They changed shifts every two hours. For three days and nights, I was not allowed one moment of sleep. They used this physical punishment to wear down my will. Guards Deng Xuewen and Luo Guohua instigated criminal Luo to accelerate "reforming" me. They tried to force me to write the three statements. I refused. Then Luo took the soft approach and said a lot of kind words. At last, Luo said, "We will write the three statements for you. All you need to do is to copy them in your own handwriting. It doesn't represent your will. Once you've done this, we won't care whatever you believe in." Under their hard and soft approach, I was moved and cooperated with them against my heart.
Nevertheless, I didn't literally copy what they wrote but modified it in many places. However, the evil still took advantage of my loopholes. They gave me a break during the three days of the October 1 Festival. On October 4, guard Deng Xuewen asked Luo again to force me to write a "regret statement." However, this time I would no longer cooperate with them. No matter how they "persuaded" me, I would not move. They were outraged, and savagely beat and kicked me. They pinched my legs and my face. Beginning on October 4, they didn't allow me to sleep for three days. On the fourth day, my head felt dizzy and my mind was blurred. Luo copied something from the book and asked me to copy it. Driven by human weakness, I became muddleheaded and "complied" with their request. In my heart I understood that this was against Dafa. I felt very bad.
Later on, as I reflected on my words and deeds, I felt so bad that I had allowed them to take advantage of my weakened state. Gradually my righteous thoughts became stronger. Several days later, I officially submitted the "Solemn Declaration" to Guard Deng Xuewen and Luo Guohua stating that I was forced to write the three statements under duress of torture and that everything I wrote was completely invalid. Deng and Luo showed their disappointment. Later, Luo and Liu were transferred to another location and no longer monitored me. After they left, the environment eased up a bit. I started to do the exercises at night and resume exchanging with other fellow practitioners.
In November 2007, Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Yixiang, who was from Pengzhou City, Sichuan Province, refused to put on a prison uniform. He was sent by guard Deng Xuewen to the "strict monitor" room to be persecuted. They instigated criminals Luo and Liu to monitor him. They forced Zhang Yixiang to recite the jail regulations, write a self-reflection letter and threatened to force him to write the three statements. Zhang Yixiang refused to cooperate with them, so they beat him, pinched his legs and did not allow him to sleep for two days and nights. Zhang Yixiang was momentarily overcome, and he wanted to die to protest. He used a cup to hit his head. Immediately an inch-long opening appeared on his head and began to bleed [Ed.Note: This action is not in keeping with the teachings of Falun Gong, which forbid killing or causing injury, even to oneself]. This action scared them because two criminals had died recently and they were afraid to take responsibility. So they immediately reported what happened to guard Deng Xuewen. Deng Xuewen handcuffed Zhang Yixiang to the bed and would not loosen the handcuffs even at night. This torture lasted for one week. Zhang Yixiang never cooperated with them. So Luo wrote a false "apology" letter on Zhang Yixiang's behalf to deal with the higher authorities. (Shortly after, Zhang Yixiang declared that this "apology" letter was invalid.)
In mid-June 2008, I clarified truth to an elderly criminal inmate who wanted to learn the Fa. So I recited the first two lectures of Zhuan Falun to him and wrote down several poems from Hong Yin for him to study. On June 30, when the elderly prisoner started to practice the exercises at night, he was seen by the criminal Cai Qinhui. Cai reported to guard Chen Guoshun. Guards Chen Guoshun and Luo Guohua found several of the Falun Gong materials that I had given to the elderly criminal inside his pillow. They physically punished him by forcing him to stand against the wall for one week. To punish me, they sent Wang Chun, Hu Jie, Liu Rongbo, Yuan Yi and several other criminals to monitor me. They forced me to wear the prison uniform. I resisted with all my strength. They jumped on me all once, pushed me down and forcibly put on the uniform. They also beat me. My face was swollen. They tried to get me to write an apology letter. Because I was scared, and did not have sufficient righteous thoughts and had been physically tortured by them, I wrote the apology letter in front of the detained criminals and three fellow practitioners, I admitted that I had violated the jail regulations. After I had done that, day after day, I could not sleep well. I expressed my sorrow to fellow practitioners. In September 2008, I submitted a solemn declaration to the supervisor of the First Ward, Xia Shaowen: I stated that all so-called apology letters, or any "guarantee letters" that others had copied using my name, or any such testimonies are all invalid.
I endured the long seven-year illegal imprisonment and finally was released. After I returned home, I learned that practitioner Liu Tianhou had been persecuted to death at the No. 1 Ward in Wumaping Prison. This was yet another crime committed by No. 1 Ward Head Xia Shaowen and Political Head Chen Guoshun. Liu Tianhou was in his 70s. During the entire time that he was imprisoned, no matter how severely they tortured him, he refused to renounce his belief in Master and Dafa. After Liu Tianhou died, his paralyzed spouse and only child, a son, were left behind and had great difficulty making a living.