(Minghui.org) “Because of the brutal persecution of Falun Gong, my family and I have lived in fear for the past 16 years. My former life and my career have been all but destroyed,” said Mr. Xu Youping, a resident of Lhasa in the Tibet Autonomous Region, in the criminal complaint he filed against Jiang Zemin in August 2015.
Former Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin initiated the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. Since then, many practitioners have been killed or sent to prison. But for Mr. Xu, the troubles started even before that.
In 1998, he was nominated for a promotion to assistant director due to his excellent work record. But the Communist Party Committee of Lhasa passed him over because he practiced Falun Gong.
Then Mr. Xu's wife, also a Falun Gong practitioner, lost her job and was illegally arrested and sentenced to 3 years in prison in 2002. A year later, Mr. Xu was arrested and sentenced to 5 years in prison. He was fired from his job.
“This persecution has caused me great pain physically and mentally, as well as economic losses, not to mention the great harm done to my elderly parents and child. The psychological trauma my child suffered will be difficult to overcome,” Mr. Xu said.
Below is Mr. Xu's personal account.
Illegal Detention and Arrest
Police from the State Security Bureau of Lhasa broke into my home on April 14, 2003. Without showing an arrest warrant, they took me to a detention center. All of my Falun Gong books and tapes were confiscated. Two weeks later, I was transferred to another detention center.
Because I refused to write a statement guaranteeing to give up the practice of Falun Gong, I was charged with “undermining law enforcement by using a cult organization” and sentenced to five years in prison on September 11, 2003. I appealed my sentence, but the High Court of Tibet Autonomous Region dismissed my appeal and upheld the original verdict.
The conditions in the detention centers were horrible. There was no hot water in the winter, and we were not allowed to take showers in the summer. I was searched and humiliated on many occasions.
Tortured in Prison
In April 2004, I was sent to prison. I was stripped naked in front of everyone on the first day. Seven or eight guards surrounded me and demanded that I write a statement guaranteeing that I wouldn't practice Falun Gong anymore. When I refused, I was tortured.
I was forced to stand facing the sun without moving all day for many days. The skin on my face and hands quickly burned and then peeled off, layer after layer. I was also forced to squat for long periods of time out in the sun. My feet and legs were in severe pain due to lack of circulation. By the time I was allowed to stand up, I couldn't move.
Two inmates monitored me 24 hours a day. Many times my family was not allowed to see me on visiting days. I was often verbally abused and beaten.
I became severely malnourished and lost almost 30 lbs during my incarceration. Many of my teeth fell out and I had difficulty eating. I was finally released on April 13, 2008.
Enticements and Nonstop Harassment
From the time I was arrested to the time I left the prison, many officials “talked” to me. They promised me that, if I gave up Falun Gong, I could have my job back, be promoted, etc.
When I left the prison, the police even tried to cancel my residential registration. Fortunately, I was able to stop them.
With only my wife working and an elderly parent and a child to support, we were financially strapped. When I finally found a job with the help of a friend, the local police threatened me and told my employer to fire me, even though my manager was very satisfied with my work. I eventually reasoned with officials at the local 610 Office and was able to keep my job.
For the past 16 years, the police have targeted me, keeping me under constant surveillance and harassing me. They “visit” me on sensitive dates. Even when I visited my parents in Sichuan Province in 2008, the local police and 610 Office followed me around, which put my parents and family members under tremendous stress.
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 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.
