(Minghui.org) Since the Chinese Communist Party ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, the Heilongjiang Province Women’s Prison has actively tortured the practitioners jailed there in an attempt to force them to renounce their faith.
Many inmates who are serving long terms are instigated by the guards to torture and transform the practitioners—the inmates are rewarded for doing this by not being made to do forced labor. Common torture methods include sitting still on a small stool for long hours and being beaten. However, the guards and inmates continue to mistreat the practitioners who agreed to renounce their faith after they could no long endure the physical and mental torment.
Despite the blatant brutality, the prison authorities do everything to cover up their crimes. Whenever the prison has an inspection, the guards at the 8th Division place practitioners they claim are “dangerous” in strict management. For its “people-oriented management,” the 8th Division was awarded as the model division by the Heilongjiang Province Justice Bureau.
In addition, all practitioners are strip-searched before they are released. They aren’t allowed to bring anything, not even a piece of paper, out of the prison.
To date, at least 40 practitioners died as a result of the torture in this prison and many were severely injured or disabled.
When a practitioner is first admitted to the prison, she is sent to the Intensive Training Division and then transferred to the 8th Division. It may be many months before her family is informed of her prison admission and allowed to visit her.
Liang Xue is the current head of 610 Office branch within the prison. Yue Xiufeng, the captain of the 8th Division, officially retired in July 2025; it’s not clear whether a successor was appointed. Suo Yuanyuan and Xiao Lijuan, the deputy captains, also work closely in persecuting practitioners, and is assisted by lead inmates Yuan Jingfang, Wang Shu, Chen Yang.
Over 100 practitioners are currently held at the 8th Division, mostly on the 6th floor. The youngest are in their 50s and the oldest are in their 80s. Most of them are in their 70s. As a result of the physical torture, mental distress, and malnutrition, many of them are pale and struggle with various physical conditions.
There are a total of 12 cells on the 6th floor and each cell holds 10-15 people. The big cells have shower rooms and laundry rooms. But the practitioners are never allowed to take showers or do their laundry. Instead, the rooms are used by the inmates to torture practitioners.
Guards in the 8th Division make monthly visits to the Intensive Training Division to pick up Falun Gong practitioners and bring them to the 8th Division. The guards first order the practitioners to write statements to renounce Falun Gong. If they refuse to comply, the inmates would take them to the shower room where they are tortured. If the practitioners remain firm in their faith, they are subjected to more torture, including sitting on a small stool motionless for long hours, being denied bathing, being stripped naked and subjected to the freezing wind in the winter, as well as involuntary drug administration.
Each practitioner is followed and watched by 3-5 inmates around the clock. They aren’t allowed to study Falun Gong’s teachings, do the exercises, talk to or even look at other practitioners, or use the communal restroom. The inmates frequently report to the guards about what the practitioners did or said.
Every month, the practitioners are ordered to write “thought reports” and take exams which contain content that slanders Falun Gong. If they pass the exam, they would have an “interview” with the guards a month later. After three months, they may apply to have their term reduced if they’ve earned enough points by slandering Falun Gong. The goal is to completely transform them.
Beating and Verbal Abuse
Beating and verbal abuse are the most common torture methods.
Ms. Sun Shuyun, in her 70s, was beaten by inmate Wang Shu in early 2025. Her nose bled as a result.
Ms. Du Chunxiang developed high blood pressure and her right leg became maimed as a result of the torture. She was even beaten a few days before she was released.
Ms. Li Dongju lost her vision from the torture. She was taken to a hospital outside the prison twice and the doctor recommended she have surgery.
Ms. Zhu Xiaoqing was once beaten by several inmates. They grabbed her hair and hit her on the head. Her head swelled up shortly after.
Ms. Sun Shujie refused to wear clothes with the word “prisoner.” The inmates closed the door and beat and verbally abused her in the cell.
As Ms. Hao Yuhong refused to write statements to renounce Falun Gong. Inmates Qi Xin, Sun Jing, and Zhang Yang beat her in a soundproof room. Qi slapped her face, causing her nose to bleed. Sun pinched her inner thighs and caused a lot of bruising. Zhang almost broke her ring finger, which afterwards hurt for a long time.
Ms. Hao screamed for help. Yet guard Pan Mingzhu, who was watching the beating on a surveillance camera, turned a blind eye to it. He later moved Ms. Hao into the same cell with Sun. At around 9:30 p.m. one day, Sun began to torture Ms. Hao and her screams were heard in the adjacent cells.
Sitting on Small Stools
Many practitioners who refused to renounce Falun Gong were forced to sit motionlessly on small stools that were less than 5 inches tall, from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. They were only allowed two restroom breaks. The inmates watch them closely and scold them if they move or try to stretch their arms or legs.
The concave surface of the stool was fist-sized with a nail-size protrusion. After only a few days of sitting, one’s buttocks fester and bleed. Some practitioners’ bones were injured.
Sexual Assault
One practitioner with unknown age was a virgin. The inmates tied up three brushes together, inserted the bundle into her vagina and then scrubbed it. They also poured water over her head and forced her to stand in front of an open winder in the winter. Some practitioners were stripped naked and forced to stand in front of open windows.
Isolation
If practitioners remain firm in their faith after three months of intensive torture, the guards would use the isolation method, treating them as a “living dead.” While they stop physically torturing the practitioners, they restrain them in the cell, not allowing them to leave the room, talk or interact with anyone.
Ms. Ji Hongbo was held in the shower room for more than 20 days. Inmate Yuan Jingfang beat her so hard that she was covered with injuries.
Ms. Yang Haixia, who is serving a seven-year term, was locked in the laundry room for more than 40 days; she wasn’t allowed to return to the cell for meals even during the Chinese New Year. Inmate Yuan pinched Ms. Yang’s inner thighs.
Defamation
Ms. Wang Yuhong, a doctor serving an unknown term, was the main bread winner of her family. Her daughter is in school and her son has cerebral palsy. Guard Huang Hongxiao often accused her of neglecting her family, in order to put mental pressure on her.
Financial Exploitation
The inmates often withdrew money from the practitioners’ commissary accounts without their knowledge. One inmate swiped a practitioner’s card five times and withdrew more than 400 yuan. If a practitioner asked for the inmates’ help to pass something to another practitioner, the inmates often withheld the items.
Involuntary Drug Administration
Ms. Chang Ping, a school teacher, was serving a second prison term (length unknown). As she strongly resisted the persecution, the guards have been force-feeding her with olanzapine, an antipsychotic, every day for three years. She often felt sleepy, yet as soon as she closed her eyes, inmate Qi beat her, slapped her face, hit her on the head, and verbally abused her.
The New Militarized Management
Since early 2025, the prison rolled out new militarized management. Everyone was trained to fold their blanket into the compact, rectangular “tofu” shape. While walking, the practitioners and inmates were forced to line up and walk in “goose step.” Anyone who made mistakes would be reprimanded.
In addition, the guards increased the frequency of cell searches. Many practitioners and inmates’ personal items, including their slippers and undergarments, were thrown away. They were then forced to buy the prison-supplied undergarment, which was expensive yet but very poor quality.
Another new rule was singing songs that praised the Chinese Communist Party before meals. The practitioners all refused to sing, but they had to remain standing while the inmates sang.
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