(Minghui.org) Many Falun Gong practitioners are now exercising their legal right to sue Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution of Falun Gong and causing them great harm and tremendous suffering during the past 16 years. The momentum of this new wave of lawsuits against the former Chinese dictator is on the rise.

The Minghui website receives copies of criminal complaints against Jiang from many practitioners daily. In this report, we present a snapshot of some of the practitioners whose copies of lawsuits were received by Minghui on October 24-25, 2015.

These lawsuits are mailed to the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate, which are required to process all criminal complaints filed by citizens, as of a recent ruling by the Supreme People's Court.

A teacher, Mr. Zhao Yongcai, was tortured in a small confinement cell for ten days, where handcuffs tore his skin open to exposed the bones. His wife died at 33 out of worry for his safety, leaving behind a five-year-old son. The persecution also claimed the lives of his parents.

Ms. Ding Xiangying was held in a forced labor camp twice, for a total of 1,335 days; he was detained in a detention center for 66 days, and placed under house arrest for 150 days. Her husband, a production safety expert, was so traumatized from the persecution that he passed away in 2013.

A farmer, Ms. Zhang Yongli, and her ex-husband were sentenced for attending an international press conference in 1999, and the entire family harvest was confiscated. They suffered torture and repeated detention, and were forced to divorce. The persecution also traumatized her son and mother-in-law, who passed away in 2004.

Self-employed Ms. Zhou was detained five times, taken to brainwashing sessions three times, and put into a forced labor camp for one year. She was tortured so badly that she was in critical condition.

1. Mr. Zhao Yongcai (赵永才)

Profession: TeacherHometown: Zhouqu County, Gansu ProvinceDate filed: August 2015

Key FactsMr. Zhao was arrested in Beijing in October 1999, sent back to Zhouqu Detention Center and held for over seven months. The officers' travel expenses to escort him back were deducted from his wages, and he was forced to pay for the cost charged for being detained.

He was arrested again on February 24, 2001 and held at Zhouqu Detention Center for ten months before he was given one year of forced labor, which was later extended by two months. He was forced to do hard labor, was placed under 24-hour surveillance, and was held for two months beyond the term.

Mr. Zhao was locked in a small confinement cell for ten days and nights. His hands were cuffed behind his back continuously, until the bones of his wrist were exposed; blood was everywhere on his clothes. He was shocked with electric batons three times a day until the battery was used up.

His wife, Ms. Yang Fenfang, was also a Falun Gong practitioner. Because she refused to give up her belief, she was sent to a brainwashing center, and her workplace threatened to fire her and evict her from her apartment. Officers even attempted to get her to divorce him. She could not bear the attack, fell ill and passed away at 33, less than two months before Mr. Zhao's release in December 2002.

The couple's then-5-year-old son lost his mother, grew up amid rumors about his parents, and grew to be gaunt and sullen. The child was entitled to a pension, but the payment was withheld.

Mr. Zhao's parents were also threatened and lived in fear. His father died from illness at 66 in 2005, and his mother died at 69 in 2013.

Details of complaint in Chinese

2. Ms. Ding Xiangying (丁项瑛)

Profession: UnknownHometown: Jiaozuo City, Henan ProvinceDate filed: September 4, 2015

Key FactsMs. Ding was placed under house arrest twice in 1999 for a total of 98 days.

She was sentenced to three years of forced labor in December 1999, subjected to force-feeding and severe torture. Her right arm was dislocated, and the pain lasted for eight months.

Ms. Ding was placed under house arrest for 52 days for refusing to attend a brainwashing session in 2004. Officers then broke in and detained her for more than a month.

Ms. Ding was put into a forced labor camp again in June 2004. She was beaten daily, causing her to have loose teeth and bruises everywhere. She suffered from high blood pressure, and was bailed out for treatment five months later.

Her husband Mr. Zhang, a production safety expert, was so traumatized from the persecution that he passed away in 2013.

Related Report(s)Ding Xiangying and Other Female Practitioners from Jiaozuo City Are Abused in the Shibalihe Forced Labor Camp, Zhengzhou City, Henan Province"Beat Her until She Cannot Walk and Make Sure Nobody Will Be Able to Recognize Her!" - Zhengzhou Women's Forced Labor Camp

Details of complaint in Chinese

3. Ms. Zhang Yongli (张永丽)

Profession: FarmerHometown: Jidong County, Heilongjiang ProvinceDate filed: July 2015

Key FactsOn October 28, 1999, Ms. Zhang and her ex-husband Mr. Qu attended an international press conference regarding Falun Gong, attended by the Reuters News agency and the Associated Press. They were both arrested shortly afterwards. Mr. Qu was sentenced to three years and six months and put in Harbin City. Ms. Zhang was sentenced to one year and held in Qiaozhuang Detention Center in the Tongzhou District of Beijing. She was shocked with 7-8 electric batons.

Her 9-year-old son was under house arrest at the hostel, while her mother-in-law worried for all their safety at home. Ms. Zhang returned home in November 2001, but before she could reunite with family after 16 months apart, she was arrested the following day and detained for a month.

Ms. Zhang was again detained for two months in 2002 and 2003. Her harvested soy beans were robbed by a villager, who also bribed the officers to keep silent about it. The family's over 20 acres of grain were confiscated and auctioned by the authorities in 1999.

Her mother-in-law was getting an IV when officers broke into their home in 2003. She was so petrified from the experience that the anxiety contributed to her passing away twenty days later.

Her ex-husband was again sentenced to six years in 2004 and was forced to divorce her the following year. As one court official put it, “It is not up to you; you must divorce her.”

Related Report(s)Falun Gong Practitioner Mr. Qu Dehong Recounts Years of Severe Torture and Persecution by the CCPMr. Qu Dehong from Heilongjiang Province Force-fed Nerve-Damaging Drugs

Details of complaint in Chinese language

4: Ms. Zhou Kailan (周开兰)

Profession: Self-employedHometown: Chongqing CityDate filed: August 2015

Key FactsMs. Zhou was arrested a total of eight times between 1999 and 2011. In particular, she was sent to brainwashing centers three times, and given one year of forced labor in 2004. When she was not in detention, she was forced to leave home for three years to avoid further arrests.

She was interrogated by torture for four straight days following her fourth arrest in June 2000. Several officers took turns beating her and shocking her with electric batons, leaving bruises all over her body. She was detained for a month and asked to pay 300 yuan in living costs.

She was again arrested three months later. Her jaw bone was badly injured, and she could not close her mouth or talk. Two officers took turns kicking her shins and stomach. She suffered from fractures in both legs, and was forced to pay the authorities 2,000 yuan.

Ms. Zhou was given one year of forced labor in 2004. The guards subjected her to various forms of torture, including sleep deprivation and holding a military posture for long periods of time.

Her latest arrest took place on July 25, 2011, with her being taken to a brainwashing center. She started a hunger strike to protest the arrest and was barbarically force-fed. She fainted, lost control of her bowels and became critically ill. Officers secretly sent her home five days later after realizing that she might die.

Related Report(s)Ms. Zhou Kailan from Chongqing City on the Verge of Death Due to Force-feeding

Details of complaint in Chinese language

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.