(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 over 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 thousands of practitioners daily. Between the end of May and August 27, 2015, more than 166,000 Falun Gong practitioners and their family members have filed the complaints.

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.

This report is a snapshot of selected complaints received by Minghui on August 24, 2015. It provides a glimpse into the brutality of the persecution – some practitioners were persecuted to death, some were given heavy sentences, many were tortured, and some were deprived of income and suffered endless threats and harassment from the police.

The practitioners themselves weren't the only victims. Some young children lost one or both of their parents. Because many of the practitioners were the primary breadwinners in their families, their being persecuted also resulted in tremendous financial struggles for their family members.

Mr. Li Zaiji: His Wife, Ms. Zu Chunrong, Filed a Complaint on His Behalf

Husband's Death from Force Feeding

Ms. Zu Chnrong detailed the death of her husband in her criminal complaint.

She wrote, “It has been 15 years since I lost my husband because of the genocide committed against Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese Communist regime.

"Life has been extremely difficult for me without him. Being a single mother without an advanced degree, I had to work many dead-end jobs, so that my son could get a higher education.

“There is a rising tide of criminal complaints being filed against Jiang Zemin, the perpetrator of the unprecedented persecution against practitioners. I want to see him brought to justice.”

Her complaints seeking justice for her husband's death were delivered to the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Mr. Li Zaiji, her husband, died in a forced labor camp when a veterinarian-turned doctor force-fed him with a highly concentrated salt water in July 2000. His organs were removed before the camp guards hastily cremated him. He was 45.

Wedding picture of Mr. Li Zaiji and his wife Ms. Zu Chunrong

Details of complaint in Chinese

Mr. Xiao Guobing: His Mother Filed a Complaint on His Behalf

5-year-old Boy Loses Father

Mr. Xiao Guobing, 31, a high school teacher, was sentenced to two years of forced labor in 2000 for practicing Falun Gong. The labor camp guards savagely beat him, shocked him with electric batons, and held him in solitary confinement.

Because he refused to give up his belief in Falun Gong, the guards extended his term by a year. When he went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution, the guards force-fed him.

After he was released, the 610 Office did not allow him to go back to work. They also ordered police to monitor and harass him.

Mr. Xiao was arrested again on May 26, 2004. While seven police officers ransacked his home, he fell from a window on the 6th floor and died on impact. His family members suspect that the police murdered him.

“My grandson was only 5 when his father died. His death was senseless,” said Mr. Xiao's 65-year-old mother. She filed the complaint to seek justice for her son.

Details of complaint in Chinese

Mr. Wu Baoku, Complainant

Water Conservancy Bureau Deputy Chief Tortured

Mr. Wu Baoku refused to give up Falun Gong despite the unprecedented persecution of this cultivation practice. The police frequently ransacked his home and harassed him. They monitored him and his phone. He had to report to the police twice a day.

Mr. Wu was arrested in October 2004. He was sentenced to seven years in prison after eight months of detention. He was tortured in prison. For example, he was hung up by his wrists, was tied to a tiger bench, had his fingers and toes burnt, had salt rubbed on his wounds, and had a plastic bag put over his head. He was close to death many times.

His employer fired him while he was imprisoned, despite the many awards he had won. Facing financial hardship, his wife sold their house, so she could pay for their son's school. She moved from place to place to avoid the nonstop harassment by police.

The harassment and home-ransacking terrified his father, who passed away in 2003.

Because of Falun Gong, Mr. Wu experienced great health improvements. He no longer was bothered by heart problems, kidney infections, or stomach problems. He became more gentle and considerate.

Details of complaint in Chinese

Ms. Fu Huiya, Complainant

Taking Advantage of Mentally Handicapped Daughter to Fabricate Evidence

Ms. Fu Huiya was repeatedly arrested and her home was ransacked for not giving up her belief in Falun Gong. She was arrested in December 2003 and imprisoned for four years.

The police deceived her mentally handicapped daughter and told her to repeat whatever they said, so that they could fabricate evidence to persecute her mother.

“It was outrageous that the police took advantage of my daughter and made her provide false testimony against her own mother,” said Ms. Fu in her complaint.

“As a special child, she needs extra care and love from me. But the police deprived her of that and sentenced me to prison. She was sad and scared all the time. She became more introverted and didn't like to talk to strangers, which made it even more difficult for her to develop the ability to take care of herself.”

Ms. Fu's repeated arrests and the police's harassment also caused tremendous mental pressure for her other family members, especially her husband and parents.

Her husband had a stroke, was in a hospital for two years, and passed away. His death caused further financial difficulty for Ms. Fu and her family.

When she took care of her cancer-stricken sister, the police from her hometown Hangzhou traveled to Shanghai and arrested her in 2010. They claimed that they did this because Shanghai was going to hold the international expo. In Hangzhou, the police ordered the neighborhood committee to monitor her around the clock.

She was an award-winning teacher, who credits Falun Gong for her health improvements.

Details of complaint in Chinese

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 during 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.