(Minghui.org) A total of 210 Falun Gong practitioners from Qidong County, Hunan Province have filed criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin since May 2015, according to reports compiled by the Minghui website.

The practitioners are charging the former Chinese dictator with initiating the brutal suppression of Falun Gong, and holding him responsible for the tremendous suffering inflicted upon them by this campaign. The criminal complaints were mailed to the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Many of these practitioners recounted how Falun Gong returned them to health and gave them a new outlook on life. Their dream to live healthier and happier lives, however, was shattered when Jiang Zemin launched the nationwide campaign to eradicate the practice in 1999.

For simply refusing to give up their belief, they were arrested, detained, tortured, and had their homes ransacked and personal belongings seized by the authorities. Many also saw their families blacklisted for the practitioners' belief, and some were also forced to pay huge fines.

Below, we profile a few of these practitioners:

Ms. Zhou Jiangping's Experience of Being Tortured

Ms. Zhou Jiangping was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison in May 2009, when she wrote the words “Falun Dafa is good” on a wall.

Her complaint stated, “I was taken to the Rigorous Control Unit in October 2011, because I refused to give up my belief. I was forced to stand at attention, like a soldier in the army, from 6:00 a.m. To 4:00 a.m. for a month. If I closed my eyes, they threw cold water on my face. The inmates also put a piece of paper between my legs. If the paper dropped on the floor I was made to stand longer. I was only allowed to use the toilet three times per day.

“A month later, my legs were seriously swollen. I could not squat when I used the toilet. However, guard He Pingzhu ordered three inmates to push me down. My legs were in excruciating pain. I was forced to squat for an entire day, but I still refused to renounce my belief. My hands were then cuffed behind my back, with one hand from below, and the other over my shoulder. I was then hung from a bunk bed for a week.”

Torture illustration: Hands cuffed behind the back

Ms. Deng Caiyun Sentenced to Seven Years for Handing Out Shen Yun DVDs

Ms. Deng Caiyun, 61, was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2006 for handing out Shen Yun DVDs and other Falun Gong informational materials.

She said in her complaint, “I was held in the Qidong County Detention Center for a month after being arrested, and was given bail after guards extorted 15,000 yuan from my family.

“In less than two months police from the local Domestic Security Division broke into my home and took me to the local county police department. I was beaten with a clothes hanger and kicked. The officers also pulled my hair, handcuffed me, and hung me up for seven days. In the end, I was sentenced to seven years in prison.

“I was forced to do hard labor and was deprived of sleep. I was given unknown drugs that were harmful to the central nervous system.”

Ms. Shi Jinhua Given One Year Forced Labor for Distributing Falun Gong Informational Materials

Ms. Shi Jinhua, 74, was arrested in March 2004, when she was distributing Falun Gong informational materials.

At the Qiyang Detention Center she talked about how good Falun Dafa was, for which she was shackled to another Falun Gong practitioner. They couldn't walk or use the toilet. Female guard Zhou Bingsheng kicked her in the back with her leather shoes.

“I was monitored around the clock by five inmates, and was not allowed to talk to others. Because I refused to give up my belief, I was forced to stand from 5:00 a.m. to midnight. I fainted a few times.

“One afternoon in May 2008, seven police officers burst into my home and ransacked my house. They confiscated my Dafa books, a TV, video player, DVD player, and 5,000 yuan in cash. They later took me and my husband to the local county Domestic Security Division. I was hung from the window frame until midnight. I lost consciousness, and was then let down. But they still held me for another 15 days in the local detention center.”

Torture illustration: Hung from window frame with feet barely touching the ground.

Mr. Liu Jianbao's Family Persecuted

Mr. Liu Jianbao wrote in his complaint, “Over the past decade of persecution, my daughter Liu Ying, 15, was detained for 18 months and extorted of 3,500 yuan for practicing Falun Gong. She lost the opportunity to go to school. My wife Peng Fubin was arrested many times and held for a total of two years and nine months. She was also extorted out of 7,350 yuan.

“I was arrested many times and was nearly beaten to death when in the detention center.

“The town party secretary Liu Yong broke into my house on September 20, 2003, along with seven officers. They ransacked my house and found some Falun Gong informational leaflets, then took me to the local police station. Officer Liu Yong ordered four officers to beat me. My upper legs were bruised. The police station director inserted bamboo sticks under my fingernails. They later put bamboo sticks under my toenails as well. My fingers and toes were bloody and I was in terrible pain.”

Mr. Jiang Dingxiong Needs Permission to Go Out

Mr. Jiang Dingxiong, 82, was a teacher. He began practicing Falun Gong in 1996. Due to the Chinese media's propaganda, attacks, and slander of Falun Gong after the persecution started in 1999, his friends, relatives, and neighbors were afraid to interact with him, and shunned him.

His home was ransacked soon after the persecution began. His Zhuan Falun book, exercise cassette, video, and ID card were confiscated.

He stated, “I was taken to the Guiyang Police Station and brainwashed. I was ordered to stay at home, and was not allowed to go out. I needed permission to go anywhere. One day, I was allowed to visit my eldest son, and stayed there one extra day. Police immediately called me and demanded that I return home.”

Background

In 1999, Jiang Zemin, as head of the Chinese Communist Party, overrode other Politburo standing committee members and launched the violent suppression of Falun Gong.

The persecution has led to the deaths of many Falun Gong practitioners in the past 16 years. More have been tortured for their belief and even killed for their organs. Jiang Zemin is directly responsible for the inception and continuation of the brutal persecution.

Under his personal direction, the Chinese Communist Party established an extralegal security organ, the “610 Office,” on June 10, 1999. The organization overrides police forces and the judicial system in carrying out Jiang's directive regarding Falun Gong: to ruin their reputations, cut off their financial resources, and destroy them physically.

Chinese law allows for citizens to be plaintiffs in criminal cases, and many practitioners are now exercising that right to file criminal complaints against the former dictator.