China’s Concentration Camps

Recently released video from NTD TV shows life on the inside of the notorious Masanjia Labor Camp, also known as “Ideology Education School of Liaoning Province”. 

Masanjia is the home to many House Christians and Falun Gong practitioners. There crime is their religious beliefs, or from the government point of view, improper political or spiritual beliefs. Forced labor, torture and little food is a way of life for prisoners at Masanjia. They are often held without official sentencing or trials. 

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, teaches purification of the mind and body and improvement of moral character through exercises, meditation and study. “Master Li” introduced Falun Gong to Beijing in 1992. 

On April 25, 1999 approximately 10,000 Falun Gong led a silent protest against the Chinese government in response to a government campaign against spiritual and religious groups, the Chinese government outlawed the practice of Falun Gong on July 22, 1999. 

Prisoners in Masanjia are often forced to work 19-hour days and sometimes more,and they are usually fed scraps of cornbread and sometimes a few vegetables. According to NTD TV the United Nations Human Rights Commission has reported on numerous incidents of rape and torture at the Masanjia labor camp. Many do not survive their stay. Those who escape are usually tortured to death if they are recaptured. This was the case with female Falun Gong practitioner Gao Rongrong. She escaped Masanjia in with the aid of other Falun Gong and was later recaptured. Pictures of her badly scarred face made there way onto the Internet showing the world the true nature of Masanjia; it was later reported by Amnesty International that she was tortured to death. On August 11, Cui Dejun also escaped and was recaptured; his family now fears that the same fate awaits him. 

According to the Falun Dafa Information Center thousands of Falun Gong where arrested in the months leading up to the 2008 Olympics under the guise of insuring peace for the Olympics. It is widely believed that there was no threat to the peace of the games and this was merely an opportunity to imprison the Falun Gong practitioners. 

This is only one of several prisons used for this purpose; prior to the 2008 Olympics the government ordered prisoners being help near Beijing to be moved to other camps. This move followed the release of a guide to the camps released by The Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong. The guide, "Torture Outside the Olympic Village: A Guide to China's Labor Camps," was intended to aid western journalist who wanted to investigate the camps. The coalition also sent an open letter urging all foreign journalists to look beyond the lights and glamour of the Olympics and discover the truth of persecution and human rights abuse in China.