(Minghui.org) Ms. Xu Fengliu, a herbalist of Fanchang County Pharmaceutical Company, has filed a criminal complaint against former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, and causing tremendous harm to her and her family.

For practicing Falun Gong, Ms. Xu has been detained twice and served two years in a forced labor camp, where she was also subjected to beatings, torture, and brainwashing.

She was taken away from her bed at midnight on January 19, 2001. Her mother was hospitalized after she heard that Ms. Xu would be detained for 15 days. Her younger brother and sister-in-law sought her release, but received threats from police instead.

Ms. Xu was arrested again on January 6, 2002 and detained for 115 days. Her younger brother abandoned his business for several months to try to secure her release. Her teenage son had to stay with his father (Ms. Xu is divorced).

Her third arrest happened on August 24, 2007. Police ransacked her home and seized a computer, a printer, and other personal possessions. Ms. Xu went on a hunger strike in the detention center and was force-fed.

Ms. Xu was taken to Anhui Women's Forced Labor Camp on September 13, where she was subjected to brainwashing, hard labor, and torture.

After being beaten on her head and lower abdomen, she felt dizzy and fell to the ground. However, guards and a doctor fabricated evidence, claiming that Ms. Xu hit the guard who assaulted her. Thus, she was put into solitary confinement.

The cell was tiny and surrounded by putty. Ms. Xu could only sleep on the cold floor. She was released from solitary confinement after six days, but put on “strict monitoring.” She was forced to do hard labor for over ten hours a day with insufficient food; meal times were shortened to increase production.

Ms. Xu was emaciated when she was released on September 23, 2009.

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.