Jiang Zemin, Initiator of Persecution of Falun Gong, Dead at 96

(Minghui.org) Jiang Zemin, former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader, died on the morning of November 30. He was 96. Jiang rose to the highest position of power in Communist China for his role in suppressing the student democratic movement in 1989. He launched the persecution against Falun Gong, a peaceful cultivation practice, in July 1999. It is estimated that millions of Falun Gong practitioners have lost their lives to the persecution over the past 23 years. 

Jiang’s death was officially reported by the CCP mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency, and the news was soon covered by major news outlets including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, CNN, NBC, BBC, and VOA. 

There was a rumor circulating several years ago that Jiang had died, and people who believed it celebrated his “death” with fireworks. This time, after the CCP authorities confirmed his death, many are relieved that Jiang has indeed departed this world and started his journey of karmic retribution in the netherworld. Some lament that they are now deprived of the chance to see Jiang brought to justice while still alive. 

According to information collected by Minghui, Jiang’s major crimes include:

Treason

Jiang was a traitor at a young age. He was a former spy for the Soviet Union, and sold large areas of land to the Soviet Union for personal gain.

Corruption

Jiang increased corruption in an already corrupt military, garnerring loyalty by issuing titles and promotions (Jiang himself never served in the military). Jiang’s son Jiang Mianheng, a co-founder of the Shanghai-based Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, profitted enormously in business ventures using his father’s political influence.

The Persecution of Falun Gong

Jiang initiated a violent persecution of this immensely popular traditional mind-body cultivation practice, issuing the following directives: destroy their reputation, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically. These directives are carried out from the top down, through all levels of law enforcement and judicial departments. Jiang was also behind the ongoing propaganda campaign against Falun Gong, including the 2001 staged Self-immolation Incident on Tiananmen Square. 

Based on information obtained by Minghui, between May 2015 and October 2016 209,908 Falun Gong practitioners and their family members filed a total of 177,482 criminal complaints against Jiang for launching the persecution of Falun Gong. These lawsuits were submitted to the Chinese Supreme People’s Procuratorate and Supreme People’s Court. On October 25, 2016 alone, at least six cases were submitted against Jiang. Because of censorship and the CCP’s information blockade, the actual number of lawsuits against Jiang could be much higher. 

Many CCP officials who followed Jiang’s persecution policies have been taken down in recent years. It has become an open secret that the 610 Office, an extrajudicial agency launched by Jiang that operates similarly to the Gestapo or the KGB, is a “death position,” with many of its agents having died early of various causes, including illness and suicide.