I am a Falun Gong practitioner in Shandong Province. Since July of last year, I have been a victim of unjust treatment and brutal persecution.

The leaders of my work unit forced me; to denounce Falun Gong, to write a guaranty, to defame Falun Gong, and to hand in the Falun Dafa books. My work unit locked me up many times and tried to change my mind. They didn't allow me to go home for several days and nights. My family and child were left without care. Then they labeled me as a person who does "not take care of his family because of practicing Falun Gong." Sometimes, I was awakened by phone calls in the middle of the night and sometimes taken away for reeducation. Even on New Years Eve, I could not spend it with my family. When explaining the truth about Falun Dafa to the government, I was labeled as "disturbing the social order" and consequently, I was illegally detained and fined more than 10,000 Yuan (about $1,250, 20-month average wage for a Chinese). I was forced to attend the reeducation classes, including the "Reeducation class for the diehard Falun Gong practitioners" and "Reinforced transformation class". Moreover, since November 1999, my work unit put me under surveillance and terminated my pay. Finally, they forced me to quit my job. More seriously, because I practiced Falun Gong exercises with a couple of other practitioners, I was sent to another town for "Reinforced transformation class" and was warned to withdraw from Falun Gong. Since their behavior was illegal, they acted very clandestinely for fear of attracting attention. Family members of practitioners were not informed of their whereabouts; therefore, my family was very worried about me. My elderly mother became sick from it.

From the first night we entered the "Reinforced transformation class", we were not allowed to sleep, or given enough food and our freedom was severely restricted. More than ten staff watched us. Most of them were young and strong. We five practitioners were locked in separate rooms. The weather was very cold at that time (January 9, 2000). At night, they opened the windows and doors to expose us to the frigid weather, and at 2:00AM, they forced us to jog in the courtyard, which they said was following "procedures". We held a hunger strike to protest their illegal actions. Our hunger strike lasted five days. During that time, we kept telling them about Falun Dafa. Some of them were moved by our experiences. However, one of them said: "I work for them and they pay me, I can not take your side." Actually, from the government officials to the working staff, they all knew we were good people.

When a government official asked us why we did not eat. We told him kindly: "What you are doing is illegal, we demand to be permitted to eat at home." They did not let us go home. Instead, on the third day of our hunger strike; two government officials arrived with a paper and pen requesting us to write guaranties, saying that if we died, it was not their responsibility. They tried to shirk their responsibilities. We refused to capitulate. They used an underhanded means to secretly make a record. After they had it, they said, "if you die now, you deserve it and it is not our responsibility (because we have you on record)." On the sixth day, officials Yu and Li returned, advising; "If you eat, we will negotiate." So we resumed eating.

Only one day after we resumed eating, at night, five officials came and led a brutal beating on us; some took on the role of bosses, some as common thugs. Among those who beat us, one was a government official and the other was an investigative official who still had his uniform on. The other three government officials were also present. All of them were drunk. They approached me and yelled: "Stand up!" "Do you still practice Falun Gong?" I said: "Yes." They slapped my face as soon as I spoke. "Whack", "whack", a series of slaps to my face and I felt dizzy. After beating me, they asked me again: "Think about it, do you still practice Falun Gong?" I said: "I don't need to think, it is such a good practice, how could I give it up?" They beat my head and slapped my face repeatedly while interrogating me. I could not remember how many rounds they beat me.

After they stopped beating me, they told me to stand still for "body punishment" and to think about giving up Falun Gong. Then they started to beat a practitioner in the next room. While yelling, they beat and kicked him. Then they asked him to take off his pants and continued to beat him. Soon after, I heard him vomiting severely, and then they stopped beating him. One of the officials ordered the thugs to get me. One of them grabbed my hair, cursing and insulting me, then asked loudly: "Do you still want to practice Falun Gong after thinking?" I said: "Yes."

Before my words finished, he brutally punched the right side of my face, my body and my head. After the beating, he told me to stand and stretch my arms and ordered me "Don't move, otherwise, I will beat you until you are dead." I was already beaten black and blue. From the big mirror on the wall, I saw my face was deformed. My teeth were broken. I could not eat with the right side for half a year. The beating and punishment lasted until midnight. I could no longer take it and my two legs were trembling. That investigative official allowed me to sit down on the icy cold brick floor, but I was not allowed to move or lean on the wall; otherwise I would get another beating. After a while, the day dawned, that official came again to punish and beat me to make me give up Falun Gong. Seeing me remaining silent, he said: "See, Falun Gong has harmed you to such an extent, quit it quickly." At that time, I came to realize that those practitioners who denounced Falun Gong did so because of being threatened and tortured by these evil monsters.

I didn't know why I was brought to a senior citizen center the next day. I was under surveillance by two people and could not move about freely. After dinner, one official came again with thugs. Four to five people beat me simultaneously. They kicked me and threw me several yards across the room. The sofa and tea table both collapsed from the weight of my body. They said they were going to take off all my clothes and beat me with an electronic baton. I was scared at that time and said, "I won't practice any more." They then asked me to write a guaranty. Because I really didn't want to write this fake guaranty, I then said: "I don't know what to write." Official Li said: "You can write as I dictate." Therefore, I wrote this coerced guaranty, which was against my conscience, and for which I can never forgive myself. My heart was broken; I felt as if a knife was piercing my heart. I have cried countless times.

My physical body has become healthier after practicing Falun Dafa, my mind have been elevated, and my xinxing (the nature of the mind or the heart, moral character) has been upgraded. It brings only benefits but no harm to the country, the unit and the individual. How could I stop cultivating such a good practice? Besides, I am a person who understands the real meaning of life. How could I give up such a Great Law? I will practice it to the end.

Practitioner in Shangdong Province, China

June 19, 2000