(Minghui.org) Ms. Xu Xueying was held down by several inmates and examined by a labor camp doctor with a uterine dilator. She had no reproductive health problems beforehand but experienced heavy vaginal bleeding for 18 straight days after the examination. More than 15 years later, she still feels vaginal pain from time to time.

This was only a part of Ms. Xu's ordeal when she was held at the Guizhou Province Women’s Labor Camp in 2002 for refusing to renounce Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime. During her seven months there, she was brutally abused for holding firm to her faith. Below is Ms. Xu's personal account:

A group of inmates were assigned to monitor me around the clock. I refused to comply with their demands and was beaten on a regular basis. One inmate once punched me in the right eye so hard that I felt that my eyeball was about to burst. I instinctively covered my eye, only to get punched one more time as she thought I was going to counter punch. My eye bled immediately, and I have since had trouble seeing with that eye.

I once protested the nonstop abuse, only to have the inmates' dirty socks stuffed into my mouth.

They also tried to persuade me to give up my belief in Falun Gong. I tried to reason with them, discussing how Falun Gong was nothing like what was depicted by the state propaganda. When I remained firm in my belief, I was tied up spread-eagle on a bed for hours on end.

I was not allowed to change my clothes (including underwear) or take a shower. Other inmates were given sanitary products, but not me. I had to see my menstrual flow dripping down my pants.

I still refused to renounce Falun Gong. They began to bother me at night as well. They beat me as soon as I dozed off, and tried to force me to say that they were doing everything for my benefit. I protested, saying they were no better than drug addicts, and they immediately grabbed my hair and slammed my head against the brick floor. My lips were cut and bleeding as a result. Before I knew it, someone punched me in the face, knocking out one of my teeth. I could hardly eat for entire week.

When nothing seemed to shake my faith in Falun Gong, they resorted to more despicable means. A team head named Gu Xingying ordered several inmates to drag me to the labor camp clinic, where a doctor surnamed Chen poked a uterine dilator into my vagina and stirred it around.

I couldn’t stand after I was brought back to my cell. I felt burning pain down there and had vaginal bleeding with yellowish pus for 18 straight days. The vaginal discharge was extremely foul smelling, which invited further insults and cursing from the inmates assigned to monitor me.

Even today, I still feel pain in my lower body from time to time.