Sunburns, Starvation Used as Torture Methods by Prison in China

The sun in a file photograph. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A prison in Sichuan Province, China, is being used as a torture facility to inflict cruel and unusual punishment on prisoners, particularly on adherents of Falun Gong, according to the Chinese language website Minghui.org.

According to Minghui.org, a website that documents the persecution of Falun Gong in China, there are specific forms of torture used specifically on Falun Gong practitioners. The torture includes facing a wall for a certain amount of time, forcing individuals to sit facing the hot summer sun for hours, and wearing only a single-layer of clothing outdoors in the middle of winter.

The torture victims have also been forced to wear motorcycle helmets that are sprayed full of tear gas. The report also said that prisoners have time limits set on their meals, often being allowed only 15 seconds to consume their share.

These forms of torture are used on believers of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, in an attempt to make them renounce their faith. The practitioners follow the self-improvement system that is based on the universal values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has attempted to destroy Falun Gong for nearly 20 years. The report said that the persecution methods employed by the prisons were designed to first break the mind’s will and then torture the body.

Falun Gong practitioners commemorate the deaths adherents who were persecuted to death by the Chinese regime, during a march down Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C. on June 20, 2018. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Prison Persecution

The prison in Sichuan is called “Jiazhou Prison” but according to the report, the facility is kept secret and the entrance of the building is labelled as “Chenma Group Ltd.” About 200 Falun Gong practitioners are imprisoned there, with roughly 3,500 other inmates and surrounded by 500 prison guards, according to Minghui.org.

The prison uses forced labor for its own production means. Some prisoners work 10 hours a day without pay to produce locally consumed hard liquor. Others are forced to make hardware that is used in phones, computers, and televisions.

Falun Gong adherents are put under surveillance 24 hours a day, and constantly followed by guards or inmates.

Torture of Falun Gong

One form of torture that Falun Gong practitioners are subjected to is called “three points, one line” in which an individual is forced to stand for hours facing a wall with their nose, knees, and toes always making contact with the wall. It is one of the first forms of persecution that Falun Gong practitioners go through when they arrive at the prison.

Torture method of facing the wall. (Minghui.org)

The torture is followed by interrogation—the prisoners are ordered to give details about their name, place of residence and other personal information. They are forced to strip naked and then their heads are shaved. Afterwards, they have to continue facing the wall, or be prodded and inspected while naked, followed by squatting and standing while facing prison officials. They are then forced to sit cross-legged for several hours.

Another form of torture is eating meals within a set time, allowing the individual to consume their food for only a few seconds. The time allotted is set by the mood of the head guard, and often won’t go longer than 15 seconds.

After prisoners are allowed to eat, they are forced to stand against a wall in the “three points, one line” position. This form of torture can last for months.

Falun Gong practitioners go through a torture method called “Sunflower.” They are made to stand outside under the blistering heat of the summer sun, facing a metal pole in the “three points, one line” position. They are not allowed to close their eyes. As the sun moves through the sky, the practitioners must follow its direction and continue facing it.

Torture method: Standing under the scorching sun. (Illustration by Minghui.org)

Others are forced to sit on cement squares, which becomes scalding hot under the sun’s heat. These individuals must put their bare back to the sun’s rays for hours at a time.

Victims of this torture end up not only with severe sun burns but also with massive blisters, described to be as large as an egg. Their bodies swell, and pus drips from their blisters. Others pass out. Those who pass out are given a tincture that is supposed to prevent heat stroke. But when they awake, the torture continues.

In the winter, Falun Gong practitioners are made to sit outside cross-legged from seven in the morning until ten at night. They are only allowed to wear a single, thin layer of clothing. Victims suffer from frost bite and chill burns.

Another kind of torture involves forcing victims to wear helmets with windshields, similar to a motorcycle helmet. The hands are bound and mouth is gagged, and after the helmet is strapped on, the guards spray tear gas onto one’s face, and close the wind shield. The tear gas causes severe damage to one’s eyes, including swelling and dimmed vision. Guards also mock the victims.

Other forms of torture that Falun Gong practitioners suffer include beatings, shocking with electric batons, sleep deprivation, and long hours of forced labor.

Beaten by several prison guards/inmates with electric batons. (Minghui.org)

The final objective of the torture methods is to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their faith by signing a document called the “Four Certificates.”

Falun Gong practitioners are forced to sign a document with their fingerprint to show that they have renounced their faith . (Minghui.org)

Falun Gong adherents have endured these cruel forms of torture since the persecution started in 1999. The CCP continues its persecution against individuals of faith, as belief in the divine is considered a threat to the ideology of communism.