"Women Above Ghost's Heads" Exposes Torture at Masanjia Labor Camp
- 11 years ago
"Under the ground are ghosts, above the ground are women in the camp." But it's the women who are living in hell in the Masanjia Labor Camp.
That's the horrific tale of just one survivor of the notorious Masanjia Women's Labor Camp interviewed in the new documentary "Women Above Ghost's Heads."
Masanjia is literally built on top of a graveyard, in northeastern Liaoning Province. For many years, it's been described by former inmates, rights group, and NGO's as being a hell on earth, where brutal torture is a daily routine.
[Du Bin, Director of "Women Above Ghost's Heads"]:
"I was deeply moved when they were talking about their sufferings during the horrendous torture. They were calm, like it happened to someone else. I was deeply touched because this kind of torture is beyond any normal person's tolerance, but they were still so calm. I think they are extraordinary".
New York Times photograph Du Bin interviewed 12 former Masanjia inmates. Many were adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, believed to be the main group targeted in Masanjia. After hearing the grisly torture these 12 women endured, Du was unable to stay silent.
[Du Bin, Director of "Women Above Ghost Heads"] :
"I wanted to let others know that torture like this should not happen to human beings. As a human being, I cannot accept this. That's why I made this film. I don't have any fear, or else I wouldn't have made it. I must point out that we are human beings, not animals. We can't be subjected to torture and attack arbitrarily."
Du Bin's documentary follows an exposé on Masanjia earlier this month by Lens Magazine, a relatively liberal Chinese media. The article was later pulled, but not before creating an uproar on the Chinese Internet.
The Masanjia Labor Camp was expanded under disgraced politician Bo Xilai. He has been sued overseas by former inmates for torture and crimes against humanity. Since his political downfall last year, cracks have sometimes appeared under the Chinese regime's strict control of information on labor camp abuses and Falun Gong's persecution.
But even as more details come to light about Masanjia, Liaoning authorities have officially denied it's involved in any abuse and torture.
"Women Above Ghost's Heads" will be released globally online on May 1st.
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That's the horrific tale of just one survivor of the notorious Masanjia Women's Labor Camp interviewed in the new documentary "Women Above Ghost's Heads."
Masanjia is literally built on top of a graveyard, in northeastern Liaoning Province. For many years, it's been described by former inmates, rights group, and NGO's as being a hell on earth, where brutal torture is a daily routine.
[Du Bin, Director of "Women Above Ghost's Heads"]:
"I was deeply moved when they were talking about their sufferings during the horrendous torture. They were calm, like it happened to someone else. I was deeply touched because this kind of torture is beyond any normal person's tolerance, but they were still so calm. I think they are extraordinary".
New York Times photograph Du Bin interviewed 12 former Masanjia inmates. Many were adherents of the Falun Gong spiritual practice, believed to be the main group targeted in Masanjia. After hearing the grisly torture these 12 women endured, Du was unable to stay silent.
[Du Bin, Director of "Women Above Ghost Heads"] :
"I wanted to let others know that torture like this should not happen to human beings. As a human being, I cannot accept this. That's why I made this film. I don't have any fear, or else I wouldn't have made it. I must point out that we are human beings, not animals. We can't be subjected to torture and attack arbitrarily."
Du Bin's documentary follows an exposé on Masanjia earlier this month by Lens Magazine, a relatively liberal Chinese media. The article was later pulled, but not before creating an uproar on the Chinese Internet.
The Masanjia Labor Camp was expanded under disgraced politician Bo Xilai. He has been sued overseas by former inmates for torture and crimes against humanity. Since his political downfall last year, cracks have sometimes appeared under the Chinese regime's strict control of information on labor camp abuses and Falun Gong's persecution.
But even as more details come to light about Masanjia, Liaoning authorities have officially denied it's involved in any abuse and torture.
"Women Above Ghost's Heads" will be released globally online on May 1st.
Subscribe to NTDonChina
☛ http://www.youtube.com/subscription_c...
For more news and videos visit ☛ http://ntd.tv
Follow us on Twitter ☛ http://twitter.com/NTDTelevision
Add us on Facebook ☛ http://on.fb.me/s5KV2C