(Minghui.org) Editor's note: Below is a letter from Zheng Juexing (alias), a retired armed police officer in Beijing. He witnessed how Falun Gong practitioners were tortured at the Beijing Legal Education Center, a brainwashing facility. Their peaceful response and determination not to give up their belief prompted Mr. Zheng to re-think the role of armed police in the persecution policy, the true nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the facts about Falun Gong.

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I was an armed police officer and worked in the Beijing Legal Education Center in Daxing County, Beijing, in 2003. I witnessed how Falun Gong practitioners were persecuted in the center. It is very sad and almost unbearable to recall, but I must tell the world so that the people will know the reality.

I used to be proud of working at legal institutions in the nation's capital. It turned out that my work was far from honest law enforcement. I helped to carry out the illegal persecution of innocent Falun Gong practitioners. I feel very guilty and truly regret having unknowingly assisted in this crime.

As the true story of Falun Gong spread in my hometown, I saw more clearly the evil nature of the CCP. To try to make up for my mistakes and to awaken the consciences of my fellow police officers, I am choosing to expose this totally illegal, criminal campaign of persecution. I hope that my fellow officers will see the evil nature of the CCP, quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations, and stop assisting the CCP in persecuting innocent people.

I. Isolation

The county Domestic Security Division (DSD) sent a young schoolteacher called Cui Xiangjun to the center in the summer of 2003. All the rooms on the second and third floors have the same setup. The only thing in the room is a mattress for the Falun Gong practitioners to sleep on at night and sit up straight on during the day. There's a window facing the door, but it's always covered tightly with a curtain. The imprisoned don't know where they are or whether it is day or night. It creates a feeling of isolation, terror, and despair.

Two of us armed policemen were on duty, as well as an official. The glass on the doors was covered, leaving only a small rectangle for observation. We had to follow strict rules. We weren't allowed to talk to anyone. We were ordered to check IDs at the entrance and record what was going on.

The employees of the training center took care of daily living affairs. The employees of DSD took care of custody. Those who worked for the city 610 Office and labor camps were in charge of "transforming" Falun Gong practitioners.

There were two reasons for so many offices to be involved. First, all those sent to this center had been involved in big cases. Those in smaller cases were handled in their district level centers. Secondly, the CCP doesn't trust anyone. It wants the employees to spy on and report each other, fearing that they would be influenced by Falun Gong practitioners' compassion and refuse to carry out the persecution.

Cui Xiangjun refused to eat or drink from the time he arrived. He looked emaciated and weak. I figured he might have already started his hunger strike when he was in the detention center. When he was ordered to sit straight and "self-reflect," he would close his eyes and meditate. We told him to open his eyes. He ignored us and sometimes made exercise movements. We would yell at him to stop.

We weren't allowed to enter the room, so we would report to the official in charge. The official would take three or four people into the room, straighten his legs and arms, and put him on the floor. He wouldn't listen to us when we ordered him to sit up. It was a tough situation. Shortly after we left, he would start doing his exercises again. We had to go report to the official again. It eventually happened so often that we would ignore him.

When the inmates needed to use the restroom, they had to ask us. We had to report to the official. They were only allowed to use the restroom when the official approved it. The inmates weren't allowed to see each other. The police weren't allowed to be with them by ourselves either.

It took three people to get an inmate to the restroom: two officer to hold each arm and one official to follow behind. Because of Cui Xiangjun's lack of cooperation, I wanted to punish him by delaying his restroom use. However, he wouldn't call for my attention. He might have urinated in his pants, but he simply wouldn't call to use the restroom.

II. Brutal Force-feeding

Cui Xiangjun was force-fed after a few days. A doctor inserted a rubber tube through his nose. Cui resisted. The DSD police then tied him to an iron chair so that he couldn't move. Cui cried out, “Falun Dafa is great! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are great! Falun Dafa is righteous!”

Torture re-enactment: Iron chair

We were completely shaken at first. I had never seen the power of faith like this. It was such a pure and powerful righteous energy, without a bit of fear, hostility, or hatred. It was a cry of compassion. The DSD police officers hurried to close the window in panic. They were afraid of being found out, just like criminals. Some kept slapping him in the face.

Cui was force-fed with milk three times a day. He resisted every time. After a few days, the rubber tube became bloody. The doctor shook his head. He couldn't do it anymore. It was such a brutal torture! I wouldn't have been able to endure it. I secretly admired these people that believed in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They are truly extraordinary!

Cui was given an IV every two or three days. They had to tie him up because he resisted. I heard that each bottle cost more than 100 yuan. I wondered, “Why didn't he eat? Why did he waste so much money and make us work so hard?” I understand now that food isn't the only thing necessary for life. One should have spiritual faith. It makes life meaningful. I grew up in the countryside. When I went to big cities, I was dazzled by the colorful city life. I thought happiness meant good food and good entertainment. I mistook city life for happiness, until I realized that those with faith were truly happy.

Speaking of food, the police at the brainwashing center had superior food and drink of all varieties. Sometimes the DSD police officers would eat all kinds of good food in front of imprisoned practitioners, tempting them to be "transformed." I overheard them talking to their bosses on the phone. Their bosses were often traveling at some holiday resort.

The government officials in charge of "transforming" Falun Gong practitioners were treated very well by the government. They got a big bonus for each practitioner they "transformed." A report I read later said one fourth of the national income was spent on the persecution of Falun Gong. I think it's more than a fourth. They squandered the people's money to persecute innocent people. This was a huge crime in and of itself.

III. Beatings, Sleep-Deprivation, and Out-of-Control Police Officers

Four police officers were assigned to "transform" Cui Xiangjun. They were Wei from Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp, Yang from DSD, Zhang from Tiantanghe Forced Labor Camp, and a young officer named Li. Wei seemed to have known Cui before. Cui might have been in his labor camp. Li was a college graduate and didn't have the bad habits of most policemen.

They took turns “talking” to Cui every day, but that didn't work. One day they showed Cui a letter from either his family or his school, pressuring him to "transform." The letter didn't work either, and they got worried. Yang was the most infuriated. He slapped Cui in the face several times during his “talk.” Cui cried out, “The police are beating me!” All rooms have security cameras. Yang was a little afraid of being found out, but he still sounded assertive.

They began to deprive Cui of sleep. The light in his room was kept on day in and day out. Two chairs were put in his room, one for Cui, one for the officer on duty. As soon as Cui closed his eyes, the one on duty would poke him. It continued for many days. I thought it was pushing the limit to deprive a person of sleep when he was already refusing food and water. How could they torture a person like that? Wouldn't it drive him crazy? Taking away his freedom was already unlawful, much less beating him and depriving him of sleep. Was this what they meant by “legal training?” The first time I saw the sign “Legal Training Center,” I thought it must be a big school for studies, speeches, seminars, and exchange of thoughts. I wanted to take this opportunity to learn something good. But what went on inside was outrageous!

Something worse happened a few days later.

Although Cui Xiangjun wasn't driven crazy, the policemen were. One day, all four of them showed up. That was very rare, because they usually took turns. They looked demoralized. After a few words, they started hitting, slapping, and kicking Cui. He was pushed in the corner and knocked down. The corner was a blind spot for the security camera. They knew what they were doing was illegal and didn't want to be recorded. But they must have gotten permission from their bosses. The camera could be turned off. The recording could be erased. It was nothing for them. The other guard and I dared not and didn't want to look inside. We could hear painful cries and moaning. It must have been very serious.

We used to respect the police in Beijing and treated them as officials. I couldn't imagine them beating a person who hadn't eaten, drunk, or slept for days. I used to be proud of having joined the armed police force. I was willing to sacrifice my life to protect my country and its people. But after seeing this, what could I do? I was completely disgusted by what they did. Sometimes I was so angry that I wanted to gather a few buddies and beat up these “policemen from the capital.”

When they came out, they said they would take Cui to the washroom. They didn't want us to follow. We saw blood and cuts on Cui's face. There were bruises all around his eyes. It was summer, and he wore shorts. We noticed his bruised and swollen legs. Those bastards were so cruel! The blood was gone when they came back.

A few days later when the other guard and I were told to take Cui to the washroom, we saw where he had been injured. The inner sides of his legs were the most seriously damaged. I was saddened to see it. According to the police, injury to the hip joint is the most painful. It won't kill you but it will make you miserable.

To my surprise, Cui's eyes didn't look like he had any hatred. No words could describe my admiration for Falun Gong practitioners. At the same time, my respect for the Beijing police was completely gone. From then on, I spoke kindly to Cui, even though it was only a few words. We could only show our admiration through our tone of voice and our eyes.

Besides Cui Xiangjun, Falun Gong practitioner Wu Xiangwan from Shandong Province left a deep impression on me. He was in his 20s. After being imprisoned by himself without shaving for several months, he looked like he was in his 60s. This was the result of the CCP's “legal training.”

Most of the Falun Gong practitioners here were eventually thrown into prison. But their imprisonment in legal training centers wouldn't count as part of their prison term. In the eyes of the authorities, this was the place for “study.” But why were armed police necessary for “study” in a room of four-square meters? How could they explain the beatings and sleep-deprivation? Add that to the existence of the 610 Office, and it is ample proof that the persecution is illegal. There must be many people like me who got caught up in it unwillingly.

Postscript

After retiring from the armed police, I continued to find out more about Falun Dafa. I read Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Disintegrate the Party Culture . Thinking about my experience in the legal training center, the corruption in the armed police, and the reprehensible ways CCP officials in my hometown have behaved, I have gained a deeper understanding of the CCP. It is the root of all of the evil that I witnessed. Falun Gong practitioners in my hometown are very kind. Only demons would brutally torture these good people and harvest their organs.

The CCP has ruled China with lies and violence for more than 60 years. It turned a country with a proud, ancient civilization into a demon's den. The Chinese people have gradually gotten used to the mentality, the language, and the behavior of the "demons."

Living in this environment for so long, the Chinese people are now unaware of and unable to pull themselves out of it. The standards for right and wrong have blurred. The CCP has set us on a path to hell.

However, Falun Dafa, its compassionate Master, and its practitioners have brought the benefit of Falun Dafa to the entire world, despite the brutal persecution. They are appealing to people's kindness and bringing their compassion to the world, and in the process saving a morally bankrupt society.

Remembering what happened in the brainwashing center still makes me shiver. I was in the uniform of an armed police officer, and I assisted in the persecution! But it wasn't what I meant to do. I sincerely hope my fellow police officers, jailers, and judicial officials in the government will see the Party for what it is, withdraw from it, and stand on the side of the righteous. We have to be responsible for our own lives and our families. We must safeguard the true laws. It's a crime to enforce something outside of the law.

I did some research before I wrote this article. The list of 14 evil cults publicly identified by the government in 2000 and 2005 doesn't include Falun Gong. The decisions of the People's Congress and two supreme judicial entities didn't say Falun Gong was an evil cult. I was shocked to learn this. We all took the opposite as fact.

You have to know that Jiang Zemin's henchmen, the 610 Office, and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee are very cunning. They never issued any official documents. In other words, since 1999, all aspects of the persecution of Falun Gong, including home searches, arrests, detentions, and imprisonment, lack a legal basis. If you had followed instructions from the 610 Office, you may someday become the scapegoat when the higher-ups shift responsibility. Check out the history of the CCP. Think about the terrible endings of former heads of the CCP--Liu Shaoqi, Lin Biao, Peng Dehuai and Jiang Qing.

The enforcement of law must not go beyond the law. The four police officers mentioned above violated the law knowingly. If you are charged with what you did, how would you explain it? Will your boss admit that they ordered you to beat people? Do you have any proof that it was an order? Officer Li was pathetic. The first thing he learned as a policeman was to torture people. You have to think rationally. Don't fool yourself. Don't do anything for the persecution. What Falun Gong practitioners did was to safeguard morality and conscience, the foundation of the law. They did it for our benefit, too. We should support and help them.

My heart was stained in the legal training center. My confusion was later cleared up by learning the facts about Falun Dafa. I'm exposing these crimes to call on my fellow policemen and others involved in the persecution to expose the evil Party in one way or another. Exposing the evil is a step toward cleansing it from our nation.

Falun Gong practitioners have done so much for us and for this world. I know more and more clearly that they did it for us. They hope that we will be freed from the demons' influence and become kind and great lives in this universe. We have done bad things. We couldn't help it.

But things have changed. Wang Lijun, Bo Xilai, Li Dongsheng and Zhou Yongkang, all of whom helped direct the persecution, have been arrested. The reason given by the government was corruption, but everyone knows it was because they persecuted Falun Gong. It was the beginning of their punishment. Heaven has given us an opportunity. Those who were involved in the persecution, hurry to save yourselves. The existing legal system is more than adequate to bring you to justice. But Falun Gong practitioners cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They are looking forward to seeing more people saved. It's their compassion. It's time to have a clear mind!

Some may say, “You sound like a Falun Gong practitioner.” I would say, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are so great! Everyone should learn it! I would certainly like to learn it, but I'm afraid that I haven't met their standard.” An 80-year-old lady in my village fell and broke a bone. She kept reciting “Falun Dafa is great! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are great!” She recovered quickly and started learning Falun Dafa. About five people in my village started learning Falun Dafa in recent years.

I finally wrote down what I have been wanting to say for years! It's my way of helping Falun Gong practitioners clarify the truth and save sentient beings. I don't know if it counts.

My salute to the Master of Falun Dafa and Falun Gong practitioners!