A typical scene of political prisoners is doing hard labor. There are quarries at most settlements. Brutal beatings are common and prisoners often drop dead while working.

Many political prisoners are recruited for the “grand construction” of special projects such as a secret nuclear plant, tunnels, or a human biology laboratory under the control of the 3rd bureau. The prisoners are recruited under the false promise that they will be released if they work hard for the “grand construction.”

However, no one has survived the grand construction and returned to his family, dead or alive.