(Minghui.org) “On the first day I was taken to the prison, the guards forced me to study prison rules until 1 a.m. I only slept for five-and-half hours before they woke me up for another long day of torture and brainwashing, aimed to force me to renounce my faith in Falun Gong.”
“For the next 30 days, I wasn't allowed to sleep anymore. As soon as I laid down on the bed, the guards dragged me up and continued to torture me.”
Ms. Huo Yunbi, a resident of Chongqing, recounted her 3.5-year term at Chongqing Women's Prison for not renouncing her faith in Falun Gong, a mind-body practice that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
The 68-year-old retired employee of Fuling District Transportation Corporation was arrested on July 19, 2015 for talking to people about Falun Gong.
She was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison by Fuling Court on November 3, 2015 and taken to the prison on April 6, 2016 after her appeal was rejected by the higher court.
Below is her own account.
Strip Search, Physical Restriction and Forced Labor
Shortly after I was taken to the No.1 ward in Chongqing Women's Prison, the guards stripped my clothes in the corridor outside and forced me to squat.
After they confirmed that I didn't bring anything related to Falun Gong with me, they forced me to stand facing the wall without moving. When I touched my hair, two inmates came over and hit me.
I protested the persecution by shouting “Falun Dafa is good!” Then five inmates held me down in the bed and beat me. I had injuries on my head and face. To prevent me from shouting, they stuffed my mouth with the towel used to clean the bathroom.
I struggled with all of my might and ran away from the inmates. I complained to the prison guards about the inmates. The guards called the first two inmates who hit me out for a talk. When they came back in a few minutes, the two of them had smiles on their faces. It occurred to me that it was the guards who had ordered them to beat me.
On the same day, the inmates also beat another practitioner who was sent here together with me. They beat her the entire evening and also stuffed her mouth to prevent her from shouting.
It was rainy season in Chongqing in April. The inmates dragged that practitioner outside and threw her on the wet ground. Her clothes were soaked.
One of the inmates said to me, “You don't have any freedom here. Whether you are standing, sitting, drinking water, eating, or even wiping your mouth with a napkin, it has to be approved by us. If you don't obey us, what awaits you is physical punishment. Probably the only freedom you have is to swallow your saliva.”
Because I refused to follow that rule, the inmates forbade me from using the restroom and I was forced to relieve myself in my pants. The inmates also ordered me to clean the floor with my towels or clean clothes, which would then be tossed.
As they didn't allow me to sleep, I lost a significant amount of weight in about two weeks. At the same time, I was dizzy and my vision became blurry and everything was moving in front of my eyes.
The inmates gave me some eye drops. But the more I used it, the worse my vision became.
After one month of intensive torture at the No.1 ward, I was transferred to No.3 ward on May 4, 2016.
Five days later, my husband came and told me that he would divorce me, because he couldn't bear the pressure from the persecution anymore.
At No. 3 ward, I remained very weak and was unable to stand. I was then taken to the hospital and found to have diabetes. To control my blood sugar level, the guards only gave me meager food and didn't allow me to buy additional food myself. I could only drink water when I became hungry.
During a checkup in May 2017, I was found to have a tumor in my belly. I was operated on on June 20 and forced to pay the medical bill myself.
Despite the fact that I remained very weak after the surgery, the guards still forced me to work ten hours or more a day without pay.
Harassment After Release
After I was released on January 18, 2019, I had no place to live because of the divorce. My son asked me to stay with his family. But his manager at work threatened to fire him if he let me live with him.
With no other options, I had to move in with my younger brother. Yet the local police, staff from the 610 Office, and residential committee still harassed me very often.
In June 2019, my son asked me to come over and help care for my grandson. After the police found I was gone, they immediately harassed my brother and asked him where I was.
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