(Minghui.org) Jidong Prison in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, also known as the Jidong Branch of the Hebei Provincial Prison Administration Bureau, has been actively participating in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners since 1999. The prison has nine divisions, and most of the practitioners are held in divisions one, two, four, and five.

Below is an account of a practitioner who was once held there. He detailed the various stages of a practitioner’s prison term.

***

Prior to Prison Admission

The day before I was transferred to the prison, the detention center arranged for me to have a physical exam, and the guards filled in some forms, including my basic information, my health condition, and a list of my personal belongings, including the cash I had.

If a practitioner was not from Tangshan, the prison wouldn’t take his money, with the excuse that it was inconvenient for them to transfer it. The detention center would then return the money to his family. If a practitioner refused to be “transformed,” the prison would restrict his visitation rights, meaning he would be unable to get money from his family to buy daily necessities, including toothpaste and toilet paper.

I recommend that practitioners’ families do not accept such funds from the detention center but insist on keeping the money with the practitioners. I managed to bring my money with me when I was taken to prison.

Admission to Prison

Practitioners are usually taken to the new-admissions team in the fourth division of Jidong Prison first. They put headgear on us, take us to a big workshop, and make us remove all our clothes and put on the inmate’s uniform. Then the guard ordered us to sign a document, stating that we agreed to give up all of our personal belongings, include our underwear.

Next, we were split into different groups. Practitioners who were sentenced in the same case wouldn’t be assigned to the same cell or floor. We were provided with bed sheets and a blanket but had to buy other items such as a wash basin, toothpaste, and bowls.

During the month or two in the new-admission team, we had to have a physical exam, get our blood drawn, memorize the prison rules, do military training, and work without pay. The guards also ordered us to plead guilty and tried to force us to renounce Falun Gong, as the “transformation” rate is closely tied to the guards’ bonuses and other monetary rewards.

Transfer to Other Branches

Practitioners who had less than two months left on their term were held in the fourth division, while others would be transferred to different divisions. I was taken to the fifth division, where there were practitioners sentenced to longer terms. The persecution here is very severe.

Forced Labor

In the fifth division, we would start to do the forced labor on the same day or the next day. A sign in the workshop stated that they followed a five-day work week, eight hours of work a day. In reality, we worked at least 10 hours a day, six days a week. On the only day “off,” we still had to attend a half-day brainwashing session. We also had to clean the restroom, hallway, and cells.

Torture illustration: Doing forced labor in the prison

Apart from being made to do forced labor, we were also ordered to renounce our faith in Falun Gong. Those who refused to comply would be denied family visits and not allowed to buy daily necessities. The already meager meals would be reduced by half.

For example, a regular inmate was usually given a bun and porridge every morning; two buns and vegetables for lunch; and a bun, vegetables, and porridge for dinner. Practitioners were given half a bun or no vegetables or porridge at all. I’ve witnessed some practitioners being held in solitary confinement, where they were beaten and abused.

I recommend that families of detained practitioners make regular deposits into their commissary accounts at the prison. Several hundred yuan would be enough. Having families’ support and care is extremely important for practitioners who are tortured for not renouncing Falun Gong. It’s also important for practitioners’ families to expose the persecution, which can greatly alleviate the torture in the prison.