A recent Human Rights Watch expose of China'a secret jails was no secret to those who have been following the persecution of Falun Gong.

Chinese Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison for Defending Falun Gong Practitioners (Photo)

According to eyewitness accounts, on the morning of November 27, 2009, Mr. Wang Yonghang, a 36-year-old lawyer from Dalian in Liaoning province, was put on trial at the Dalian Shahekou District Court and immediately sentenced to seven years in prison for defending Falun Gong practitioners and "damaging the implementation of the law."

Approximately 40 police and security officers were stationed around the courthouse.

Mr. Wang Yonghang

Mr. Wang had previously worked at the Liaoning Qianjun law firm. Since 2007, he has provided legal assistance to Falun Gong practitioners who have been detained by the authorities for practicing Falun Gong.

In May 2008, Mr. Wang's wife, Ms. Yu Xiaoyan, who is a Falun Gong practitioner, was illegally detained by police in Shanghai. He wrote an open letter to Communist Party-head Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, challenging the legality of the decade-long persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and urging the authorities to immediately correct its mistakes and release all illegally detained Falun Gong practitioners.

In July 2008, Mr. Wang published a more detailed online article analyzing the illegality of Article 300 - the provision most often used to imprison Falun Gong practitioners. He argued that Article 300 does not meet minimum international legal standards of clarity and specificity. Moreover, it is essentially nonsensical because simply practicing a religion or belonging to a religious group cannot obstruct justice or "undermine the implementation of the law," as Article 300 states.

He also submitted his article to the Procuratorate and Supreme People's court, urging them to correct their mistake so that Article 300 would no longer be used to unlawfully persecute innocent citizens who practice Falun Gong.

As a result, the law firm terminated its employment contract with Mr. Wang, and the authorities revoked his license to practice law.

On June 16, 2009, he represented Mr. Cong Rixu, a Falun Gong detainee, in court and pleaded not guilty for his client. This drew the ire of the communist regime again. On July 4, 2009, approximately twenty plainclothes police officers barged into Mr. Wang's home, searched it, and took both him and his wife into custody. His wife was released the next day. Mr. Wang's mother, who is in her late 70s, was also harassed and threatened.

According to sources close to the case, Mr. Wang's arrest was under the order of Zhou Yongkang, head of the Central Political and Legislative Committee, an organ directing central government legal policy and the legislative agenda.

While being held in incommunicado detention, Mr. Wang was severely beaten, causing fractures in his right ankle. One of his legs has atrophied as a result of delayed medical treatment. On August 10, 2009, nearly one month after his injury, Mr. Wang was sent to the hospital for surgery. He was placed under tight surveillance by the State Security police while he was in the hospital. His wife's request to visit him was turned down.

Mr. Wang's family hired two lawyers to represent him, but the authorities prevented them from meeting their client, citing that Mr. Wang's case involved national secrets. The authorities also tried to bar the lawyers from participating in the court proceedings, but the lawyers insisted on being present at the hearing.

Brainwashing Centers - the Most Cruel of "Black Jails" in China

Voice of America and other media reported that on November 12, the New York-based human rights organization, Human Rights Watch, published a report discussing the inhuman situation of China's illegal prisons. According to the Human Rights Watch report, since 2003, a large number of Chinese citizens have been secretly detained in illegal detention centers called "black jails," with sentences ranging from a few days to several months.

On Thursday, the spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, Qin Gang denied that there were such prisons in China where people were treated cruelly and inhumanly.

Human Rights Watch claimed to have interviewed thirty-eight people alleging to have been detained in "black jails." AFP articles, Voice of Germany and other media reported, based on interviewees' statements, "The 'black jails,' places where people are treated inhumanly, exist despite Chinese laws that forbid the existence of such prisons. What former detainees call 'black jails,' local officials call 'law educational centers.'" Many such centers are in actuality also brainwashing centers, forbidden under international law.

In fact, since July 1999, the beginning of the persecution of Falun Gong, brainwashing centers and illegal detention facilities have been used to inhumanly torture Falun Gong practitioners without a second thought and on a large scale, especially those who traveled to Beijing to appeal for justice and the right to practice Falun Gong.

The Chinese Communist Part (CCP) had done everything in its power to stop practitioners from going to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. In order to force practitioners to renounce their belief, the authorities have tortured practitioners, detained them in brainwashing centers and forced them to attend brainwashing "classes." The cruel prison system has become the most convenient tool for the CCP to illegally and brutally persecute Falun Gong practitioners. Over the past ten years, brainwashing centers have been established everywhere throughout China.

In Chengdu, the known brainwashing centers are Xinjin Brainwashing Center, Jinniu Brainwashing Center, Wuhou Jihua Brainwashing Center and Chenghua Brainwashing Center. Chengjin Brainwashing Center, the official name of which is "Chengdu City Law-Enforcement Educational Center," is located in Xinjin County, Chengdu City. It is notorious for its abuse of detainees and is representative of all other such centers. This center is located in Huanong Township, in the south part of Chengdu City, and jointly managed by the Sichuan Province 610 Officeand the Chengdu City 610 Office. It was originally an Air Force research institute. At a later date, under the instruction from the CCP's leadership, especially Li Chuncheng, in Sichuan Province and Chengdu City , the former Xinjin Drug Addiction Treatment Center and another detention center for detaining prostitutes became part of Xinjing Caiwan Brainwashing Center.

Persecuting Practitioners

Falun Gong practitioners illegally detained at the brainwashing center were arrested off the streets, on their way home, when going to work and at their workplaces. Some even were taken to the center after having been detained at forced labor camps or prisons, after their terms were already served. For practitioners, terms were randomly extended and the length of time could exceed three years.

To force practitioners to renounce their belief, officials at Xinjin Brainwashing Center adopted many methods to torture practitioners. They employed both "hard" and "soft" methods, fabricated lies about Falun Gong, feigned kindness, beat practitioners, used psychological pressure, injected practitioners with drugs that damaged the nervous system, put drugs into practitioners' water or food, force-fed practitioners, and tried to extort money from practitioners and their families.

Officials at the brainwashing centers demanded that practitioners pay 2,500 yuan for living expenses, prior to 2005. For every practitioner "transformed" at these centers, the center staff received a large bonus. A preliminary estimate of money extorted from practitioners between 2003 and 2005, when the center was established, is two million yuan.

Ms. Guo Lirong Arrested

At around 3 a.m. on July 18, police officers arrested Ms. Guo Lirong, a Falun Gong practitioner from Chengdu City and a former engineer at the Qianfeng Group Companies, on her way to work. They took her to Xinjin Brainwashing Center. Ms. Guo's elderly and ill parents hired two well-known human rights lawyers, Lan Zhixue and Li Jingli, to defend their daughter.

The lawyers wrote a letter on behalf of Ms. Guo's parents in which they stated, "The 'brainwashing centers' are a legacy of the 'Great Cultural Revolution,' and illegal under existing law. It is a part of today's law-enforcement society, but in the form of a separate law not written into China's Constitution. It is being rumored that people imprisoned there are exposed to 'enforced study,' have no personal freedom, no right to communicate with their families, no right to meet with their family members, no exact term of imprisonment, no access to legal assistance and legal aid, no basic human rights, and worse, some are mistreated and tortured, resulting in injury. Some became disabled or died. We hope that all levels of government will come to terms with the illegality of such centers, and put an end to this misconduct, something that has no grounds in China's legal system. We don't want to see a return of the Great Cultural Revolution. The so-called 'study class' is not legal. It is also rumored that to justify such activity, it was called 'law-enforcement educational center.' In reality, the existence of such 'education' is criminal and illegal, limiting citizens' personal freedom by giving it legitimacy through deceptive forms."

Ms. Guo said that despite intervention by these lawyers, when she protested her illegal detention by staging a hunger strike, she was subjected to brutal forced-feeding in which the perpetrators forced her mouth open with pliers, resulting in injury to her tooth bed.

Mr. Xie Deqing Tortured to Death

In April 29, 2009, Mr. Xie Deqing, a retired engineer from the Water Research Branch of Chengdu Survey and Design Institute, was arrested outside of the Gapxin District Court and detained at Xinjin Brainwashing Center. He was tortured so severely that within a month he became emaciated, was urinary incontinent, could barely swallow water, and developed heart disease. On the evening of May 27, 2009, Mr. Xie passed away just four days after returning home. In order to destroy the evidence of abuse in custody, at 3 a.m. on May 29, a large number of officers crashed Mr. Xie's funeral ceremony. They beat his eldest son Xie Weidong and injured him. Then they took away Mr. Xie's body and had it cremated.

Perpetrators Find Enjoyment in Torture

Well-known scholar, university law school lecturer Deng Bo, Ph.D., wrote in his book "Thought and Memory When Facing Violence - For Li Heping," "In Falun Gong practitioners' and some criminal offense cases I have dealt with, officials, guards, officers and others that are in the driver's seat, do not use torture to obtain evidence or transform the mind; rather, cruel torture has been instead turned into entertainment and pleasure. It fulfills psychological needs and the purpose for handing out cruel punishment is for the sake of cruel punishment." This is perhaps the driving force of those working in Xinjin Brainwashing Center or other brainwashing centers.

Practitioners Persecuted at Xinjin Brainwashing Center in Chengdu

1. Ms. Liu Senle is 53 years old. In April 2003, she was arrested in Xindu City, Chengdu and detained at Xinjin Brainwashing Center. She was tortured until she was on the verge of death. On May 23, when she was released, she had no shoes, her entire body ached, her head was swollen, her chest was bruised, her abdomen was swollen and she was spitting white foam. She held her stomach at all times. Three days later, Ms. Liu passed away.

2. Ms. Li Xiaojun, 52 years old, was from Chengdu City. She was a senior engineer at the Environment Protection Bureau. Between 2003 and July 2004, when she was detained at Xinjin Brainwashing Center, she went on a hunger strike to protest her detention. Ms. Li was force-fed and she lost all her upper teeth. Now, she cannot chew when eating.

3. Ms. Liu Hui, in her 30s, was an excellent teacher at Jinqin Road Primary School. In October 2006, when her four-year prison term was up, she was arrested and detained at Xinjin Brainwashing Center. It has been more than three years since she was incarcerated at the brainwashing center. It was rumored that Ms. Liu was force-fed and her mouth opened with a tool, and she was also tortured.

4. Ms. Li Xihui is 46 years old. She was a cadre at the Sichuan People's Broadcasting Station, and has been illegally detained at the brainwashing center for nearly three years.

5. Ms. Xu Yourong is 51 years old. She was a senior Teacher at the Jincheng Foreign Language School in Chengdu City. On August 1, 2007, she was arrested during a mass arrest of practitioners by Chengdu officials. She was detained at the Jinhua Brainwashing Center in Wuhou District for more than one year. Then, she was transferred to Xinjin Brainwashing Center and not been released yet.

6. Ms. Liu Gongli is a retired employee. On March 3, 2008, she was arrested by 610 Office agents at her place of work and officers from the Shengdengsi Police Station at home. She is still detained at the brainwashing center and is suffering torture.

7. Ms. Zhu Xia, 34 years old, from Guangrong District, Chengdu City. In 2001, on her son's first birthday, she was arrested and detained at the Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp in Sichuan Province for more than 18 months. After that, she was arrested by He Yuanfu, the Head of the 610 Office in Guangrong District and detained at the Bi County Brainwashing Center. Then Ms. Zhu was taken to Xinjin Brainwashing Center. In February 2004, because of appeal by the international community, she was rescued and released. However, a beautiful young woman had become disfigured and now suffers from a mental disorder. She was raped at Pi County Brainwashing Center.

8. Ms. Liu Ying is from Qinglongchang in Chengdu. From September 2005 to January 2006, she was detained at the Chenghua District Brainwashing Center by Zhang Fumin, the person in charge of the Qinglongchang Armed Forces. She was cruelly beaten and given toxic drugs. Her legs were beaten and broken. Ms. Liu was several times near death. Her family members were not given any news about her. Later, after her father repeatedly asked officials about her whereabouts, she was released. She suffered a mental collapse due to her abuse in detention.

The crimes perpetrated in the brainwashing centers have by far exceeded the boundaries of decent human behavior and are a black mark on humanity.