(Minghui.org) A retiree in Huichun City sued former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong that resulted in her repeated arrests. Ms. Xu Guixia, 66, filed her criminal complaint against Jiang in May 2015.

Ms. Xu credits Falun Gong for returning her to health and restoring her failing marriage. Having had firsthand experience with Falun Gong—a spiritual discipline based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance—she feels compelled to seek justice for Falun Gong and to tell the public that Jiang’s campaign against the practice has lacked legal basis from the outset.

Her efforts to stop the persecution were met with repeated arrests and brutal torture. In her suit, Ms. Xu detailed how she benefited from Falun Gong and how she was targeted for telling people about her experiences.

Falun Gong Gave Me Back My Life

I used to suffer from a myriad of health problems, including a heart ailment, insomnia, stomachaches, and chronic bronchitis. My family spent a fortune trying to find cures for me, but nothing helped. My husband became so frustrated that he began to blame me for ruining our family.

When I was in the depths of despair, a friend introduced me to Falun Gong. I remember vividly that it was October 13, 1997, when I received a copy of Zhuan Falun, main text of Falun Gong.

I read the book and did the Falun Gong exercises. Before I knew it, my ailments were gone and my body felt light. I never knew being illness-free was such a wonderful feeling! Good health also gave me a new outlook on life and left me in a better mood. I became kinder and more considerate.

My husband was elated to see how I had improved and no longer complained about me all the time.

Five Arrests for Standing Up for Falun Gong

I was first arrested on September 23, 1999, for going to the capital city of Changchun to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong.

The local police broke into my home on September 11, 2008, and arrested me again. They covered my head with a plastic bag for the entire trip to the police station. It was suffocating! They beat me savagely as soon as we arrived.

I was detained for 15 days before being taken to a forced labor camp. They had to release me, though, when the local labor camp refused to admit me because of my poor health.

The police came for me again on January 12, 2011, as I was having breakfast at home. They kept me restrained in a metal chair for three days straight. My legs became extremely swollen and my blood pressure shot up.

I passed out and was rushed to a hospital. Only then did they release me on bail.

My fourth arrest came only eight months later. The police took me to a local brainwashing center, where they tried, unsuccessfully, to make me give up my belief in Falun Gong.

I was most recently arrested on November 13, 2013. The police didn’t let me use the restroom for several hours straight, and I had to relieve myself on the floor. They yelled at me.

The local detention center guards strip searched me the moment I was brought in. They didn’t let me to put on my own coat and gave me a jacket that was too small for me. It was November and the room was unheated. I soon developed high blood pressure and heart problems. The police released me on bail on November 19, 2013.

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

Related Report:Sixty-Year-Old Falun Gong Practitioner Ms. Xu Guixia Tortured on Tiger Bench for Three Days in Huichun City