(Minghui.org) The forced labor camp system under the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is notorious, both at home and abroad, for depriving citizens of their freedom without going through any legal procedures.
Over the past 14 years, uncountable numbers of Falun Gong practitioners fell victim to this system simply for living by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and letting people know the facts about the practice and the persecution. In an attempt to force practitioners to give up their beliefs, CCP authorities nationwide have harassed, arrested, and incarcerated them, forcing them to do hard labor to generate profits to benefit the Party.
Public outcry finally resulted in a change in official policy--the shutting down of the labor camp system. Recently, two forced labor camps in Beijing have released detained practitioners. However, those practitioners who were unyielding in their belief were taken straight to brainwashing centers.
In other words, even though the CCP claims it is phasing out the forced labor camp system, it continues to persecute practitioners by sending them to brainwashing centers and prisons.
Two Camps in Beijing
The labor camps mentioned above are the Beijing Xin'an Forced Labor Camp and the Beijing Women's Forced Labor Camp. These two camps are located in the Daxing District, in the southern part of Beijing. Beijing Women's Prison is also in this district.
Most of the practitioners held in Beijing Xin'an Forced Labor Camp were taken home either by their families or the police from their local areas on July 5, 2013. Practitioners who refused to be "transformed," or had made declarations saying that their "transformations" were invalid were taken to local brainwashing centers by their local community management office or 610 Office personnel. 610 Office agents deceived the families by saying that they could take them home in a few days.
Mr. Gao Jianming from the Daxing District in Beijing was taken home by his family on July 8, while Mr. Liu Yongping from the Xicheng District is still in the Xicheng Brainwashing Center located in the Changping District. The brainwashing center is located in the bungalows nearby Shahe and Xiaotangshan. Agents from the Xicheng 610 Office and the Funei Community Management Office picked up Mr. Liu from the camp and took him to the brainwashing center.
Beijing Xin'an Forced Labor Camp is the transfer station for male prisoners. It holds about 350 practitioners every year. Xin'an Forced Labor Camp officials "sold" practitioners for 1,000 yuan each to other camps located outside of Beijing.
Therefore, the number of detainees changes from time to time. The Chinese Communist regime's forced labor camps regard their detainees as slaves, who are forced to do hard labor to earn huge profits, and who are often "sold" to other labor camps.
Beijing Women's Forced Labor Camp changed its name to "Drug-addiction Treatment Center" last year. Beginning in March, they stopped admitting new prisoners. They began releasing practitioners in May, and the camp is now empty.
Released Practitioners Detained Elsewhere
Even though these two labor camps released some practitioners, it does not mean that the CCP has let up in its determination to persecute Falun Gong. The 610 Offices, which were set up by the CCP specifically to persecute Falun Gong, control the courts to ensure that practitioners are sentenced, either to a brainwashing center or to prison.
The 610 Office has been setting up more brainwashing centers to carry out its "legal education," which consists of both mental and physical torture.
Conditions in the Camps
The forced labor camp system was set up in the late 1950s for the purpose of detaining the so-called "Rightists." Over the past 14 years, it has persecuted innocent practitioners.
The guards in Beijing Xin'an Forced Labor Camp have raped, sexually harassed, brutally forced-fed, tried to brainwash, and deprived practitioners of sleep. Some practitioners were tortured to death.
Mr. Liu Chun from the Mentougou District in Beijing was tortured to death on January 19, 2011. Because he refused to give up his belief, Mr. Liu was tortured many times, leaving him emaciated and covered with red blotches.
Mr. Liu was tortured to death in Beijing Xin'an Forced Labor Camp
Mr. Liu before he was sent to Xin'an Forced Labor Camp
In Beijing Women's Forced Labor Camp, practitioners were shocked with electric batons, beaten, deprived of sleep, starved, and not allowed to use the washroom. If the practitioners were not "transformed," the terms of collaborators were extended, so the collaborators beat and humiliated practitioners, forced them to sit on small stools, deprived them of sleep, put drugs in their food, and made them perform hard labor.
