(Minghui.org) Seven Falun Gong practitioners have been confined and mistreated in small cells in Jilin Province Women's Prison. They are Ms. Zheng Chunling, Ms. Yu Wenyan, Ms. Zhou Yeling, Ms. Niu Yafen, Ms. Liu Xiangzhuo, Ms. Che Pingping and Ms. Huang Jinying. The cells are dark, smelly, hot, and have no running water.
The 10 small cells, the size of 100 square feet, were built in 2017 after An Tongyu became head of the prison. They do not have any windows except for a small vent opening in the wall for air circulation.
There were about five practitioners confined in a small cell throughout the year since last year. The practitioners were often emaciated and their health had deteriorated by the time they were released from a small cell.
When a practitioner is taken to a small cell, a criminal inmate is assigned to monitor him or her around the clock. During the day, the practitioner is forced to sit on the floor in a designated area without moving. In the evening, the inmate will bring a dirty and smelly blanket, and the practitioner is forced to respond to roll call every two hours.
Meals consist of a small bowl of corn porridge with a few pickles. The practitioners are not allowed to change clothes, shower, wash their face, brush their teeth or wash their clothes.
Practitioners' Accounts
Ms. Zheng Chunling has been confined in the small cell many times. She was released after she went on a hunger strike.
Ms. Che Pingping has also been locked into a small cell many times.
Ms. Liu Xiangzhuo was taken to a solitary confinement small cell on January 23, 2018. She was falsely accused of beating inmate Liu Pingping. Liu and inmates Tian Shuhua, Zhu Xiaohong, Zhang Xiuyun and An Haiyan were the accusers. Ms. Liu has been tortured, including being hung up for two months. She was given only a tiny amount of porridge and water. She was leased from solitary confinement after writing a “transformation” statement. She was then transferred to the No. 6 Ward and forced to perform hard labor.
Ms. Niu Yafen was taken to a small cell for two months after Master Li's (the founder of Falun Gong) articles were found in her possession by guard Tu Yu on January 25, 2018. She had difficulty walking after she was released from solitary confinement.
All practitioners have been held in the “strictly controlled” division since May 2018. They were brainwashed, deprived of family visits, making phone calls, or purchasing any food. They were given only 20 yuan to spend per month and forced to sit on small stools from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
If a practitioner was taken to the small cell during this time, the practitioner could be detained for up to three months under prison regulations. This violated the State Prison Law that states the confinement period may be 7-15 days only. If the practitioners in solitary confinement could not be brainwashed, their prison term could be extended.
