(Clearwisdom.net) On January 15, 2006, Liu Zhiqiang, Deputy Head of Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison, also called the Harbin Women's Prison in Harbin City, transferred nine inmates convicted of financial crimes. To force the practitioners to wear the prison uniform, these criminal inmates were assigned to persecute Falun Gong practitioners held in Prison Ward 9 and Prison Ward 8.
On January 17, inmate Zhang Liling and others beat Li Xiuhua and other practitioners. They held eight practitioners against the legs of the beds, forced them to put on the prison uniform then forbid them to sleep. They kicked the practitioners whenever they closed their eyes. Practitioners Jia Shuying and Li Xiuhua had their mouths taped shut and were sent to solitary confinement.
Liu Zhiqiang gave the orders to the inmates to persecute Dafa practitioners. According to standard prison regulations, inmates are forbidden from carrying out administrative tasks in solitary confinement cells, but at this prison the guards cannot even find the keys to the handcuffs and to the cell gate if the persecuting inmates are not present. After the inmates leave for the evening, the practitioners held in solitary confinement cells are not allowed to go to the restroom. If government officials come to the prison for an inspection, Liu Zhiqiang will lie and tell them, "Falun Gong practitioners went on a hunger strike, so the inmates are helping to force-feed them."
This is what happened in 2004: The guards would assign inmates to monitor practitioners. With encouragement from the guards, the inmates would often create conflicts and beat practitioners. The guards would say to the practitioners, "Who saw anyone beating Falun Gong practitioners? Go ahead and sue us!" Between August 2, 2004 and December 15, 2004, the jailers continuously persecuted the practitioners. During these five months, 12 practitioners were handcuffed to the bed legs with their arms behind their backs. This forced them to have to sit on the floor next to the bed. They were handcuffed in this position all day long, except for meal and bathroom breaks. They had no choice but to sleep while handcuffed.
In order to inflict further pain on practitioners, the guards transferred dozens of criminal inmates from the workshop to the cells. Zhen Jie, Zhang Chunhua and Li Guirong, the three division heads, ordered the inmates to verbally and physically attack practitioners. The inmates handcuffed the practitioners. In 2004, inmate Guo Shuhua and Zhao Xueling from Prison Ward 9 beat and insulted practitioners Song Weiying and Sui Shuchun for a long time. They plucked the practitioners' pubic hair in order to get a sentence reduction.
At Prison Ward 1, some inmates handcuff the practitioners to the top of the bunk bed so the practitioners' feet cannot touch the ground. The handcuffs cut deep into the practitioners' wrists, and the flesh surrounding the handcuffs bulges outward. Some practitioners were hung up by handcuffs six times. It's common for the practitioners to lose consciousness while being subjected to this torture.
Because the practitioners refuse to wear prison uniforms [because they are not criminals and should not be held there], the guards do not let the practitioners purchase necessary daily use articles such as sanitary napkins. Therefore, the practitioners are forced to use their underwear and old cotton from the prison uniforms as a substitute for sanitary napkins, which is a health hazard.
Practitioners who were hung up by their handcuffs include Zhang Jing, Chen Weijun, Guan Shuling, Yu Xiuying, Zhang Lianwen, Zhang Liping, and Gao Xiuzhen.
On December 6, 2005, Xu Zhanling, a guard from Prison Ward 9 came to Prison Ward 8 and asked for inmates Guo Shuhua and Zeng Fanrong. These two individuals used to persecute Dafa practitioners in 2004 at a brainwashing class in Ward 9. Inmates Guo and Zeng were transferred to Ward 8 on October 10, 2005. Xu Meng was the guard on duty at the Ward 8 office at the time. Xu Zhanling ordered the two inmates to give false accounts and sign fabricated document(s) in response to a government investigation of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at Prison Ward 9.
Ward 9 is the prison's brainwashing headquarters. There, the guards play slanderous videos, tie the practitioners' heads to their feet in the fetal position and deprive them of sleep. They also beat and kick the practitioners and try to coerce them to renounce their belief. Four inmates monitor each practitioner. This persecution method is called "five people conjunction security." The inmates follow the practitioners everywhere, including to the restroom. They listen to the practitioner's every word and take away the last bit of autonomy the practitioners has. Some inmates are actually more vicious in a different way; they beat, verbally abuse, intimidate and extort money from the practitioners. They beat the practitioner with a full plastic water bottle, a painful torture that leaves no outward marks on the practitioner's body as evidence.
The practitioners are forced to sit on small stools with their back straight, from 6:00 a.m. until about 10:00 p.m. They are forbidden to move or to leave the room and can go to the restroom only at designated times. They are interrogated one by one. They are forbidden to meet with their families or write letters.
Some practitioners had their pants removed and pubic hair plucked out. Some practitioners have been tortured to the brink of death, and some suffered a mental collapse as a result of the abuse.
The guards often search the practitioners' bodies. The division heads and prison officials often strip young female practitioners until they are left in underpants, while people walk back and forth in front of them. Almost all practitioners were subjected to this public sexual abuse and humiliation.
The main culprits responsible for the persecution are Liu Zhiqiang, deputy head of prison, Yan Yuhua, head of Ward 9, guards Jia Wenjun and inmate Xu Zhen.
Contact information for Heilongjiang Province Women's Prison -Address: No 389 Xuefu Road, Nangang District, Harbin City, Zip code: 150069
Main switchboard: 86-451-86684001, 86-451-86684002, 86-451-86684003
(After dialing the main switchboard, simply give the name or position of the person you are looking for and the operator will transfer you)
Between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. each Friday is "open day" for the head of the prison; his phone number is 86-451-86684002 ext. 3009, 86-451-86694053
Xu Longjiang, main switchboard ext. 8001
Deputy heads: Cong Xin, Zhu Shuhua, Liu Zhiqiang (in charge of medical parole)
Politics Committee, main switchboard ext. 8002
Chu Xiuhua, female, Political Secretary: 86-451-86684001 ext.3003
Xiao Lin, head of Prison Investigation Section: 86-13845193360 (Cell), main switchboard ext. 8130
Yang Libin, head of the Prison Politics Section, main switchboard ext. 8142
Zhao Yingling, head of the prison hospital, main switchboard ext. 8053
Cui Hongmei: head of Ward 1
Deputy heads of Ward 1: Xia Fengying, Hou Xueping
Guards: He Yujing, He Jing, Liu Yan, Liu Xiaofang, Deng Yu, Lu Cuijun, SunJian, Yue Xiufeng, Wang Yan, Zhou Ying, Lu Heng, Lu Min, Yu Li
Heilongjiang Province Procuratorate -
Address: No 85 Changjiang Road, Harbin City, Zip code: 150001
Report Center: 86-451-82362000
Secretarial Section: 86-451-82360157
Comprehensive Communication Section: 86-451-82360052
Main Office on Duty: 86-451-82360057
Harbin City Procuratorate: 86-451-82359183
Report Center: 86-451-82352000