(Minghui.org) Mr. Si Deli, 64, a former associate professor at the Shihe District Cultural Center, was tried on August 29, 2016, at the Shihe District Court in Xinyang City. He was charged for filing criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party for initiating the persecution of Falun Gong.
Mr. Si's attorney refuted the charge and evidence. He stated that filing criminal complaints against anyone who committed a crime is a citizen's right and duty. He also pointed out that it is absurd to use the couplets illegally confiscated from Mr. Si's home as evidence.
The attorney pointed out that Article 41 of the Constitution states that Chinese citizens have the right to appeal, sue, or report the illegal activities of government officials. Suing Jiang Zemin is legal and should be protected by the law. Also, the persecution of Falun Gong has no legal basis.
Mr. Si told the court that he started to practice Falun Gong because of his severe stomach problem. His illnesses disappeared shortly afterward. Falun Gong also taught him basic human morality and he became a better person.
Since the persecution of Falun Gong started in 1999, Mr. Si has been arrested multiple times. He has been incarcerated in labor camps and prisons. His salary was taken away by 610 Office personnel. His home was ransacked several times and his personal belongings were confiscated. The persecution brought great harm to him and his family. He hoped to restore justice by filing a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin.
The court ended at 5:00 p.m. without any verdict.
Incarcerated in Prison and Labor Camps Multiple Times
Mr. Si was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison in 2011 for practicing Falun Gong and he was incarcerated in Zhengzhou Prison. He was subjected to various torture methods including solitary confinement for refusing to renounce Falun Gong.
He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2005.
He was given forced labor terms twice in July 2000 and March 2001. He was incarcerated in the Henan Province No. 3 Forced Labor Camp.
The long-term persecution has greatly harmed Mr. Si. His teeth fell out and his hair turned white, and he now has difficulty walking.
He filed the criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin in July 2015 for the persecution he and his family were subjected to.
Mr. Si was arrested at home by officers from the Xinyang City Domestic Security Division on March 17, 2016. He is being held at the Xinyang No. 1 Detention Center.
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 policy 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.
