Filing Criminal Complaints Against Police Officers to Stop Them from Doing Wrong

(Minghui.org) Hui and his wife Hong are practitioners in my area. The police arrested them three times for telling people about Falun Gong and the ongoing persecution being carried out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), most recently last August for handing out information on overcoming the internet blockade to access uncensored overseas information.

The police ransacked their home and took them to the station. The couple explained the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong at the police station and returned home that day. When they heard later that the police were planning to submit their case to the procuratorate, the couple decided to move away for a while.

Lei, another practitioner in the area, met the couple and shared his thoughts. Referring to an online forum hosted by practitioners who were legal experts, he gave several examples of how practitioners opposed the persecution using legal measures. In these cases, detained practitioners were released and persecution was lessened.

Lei asked the couple if they would consider this. After all, as practitioners we need to help police officers learn the truth about Falun Gong and, if they choose to stop doing wrong, that would also be good for their futures. Both Hui and Hong agreed.

In mid-October last year, the couple went to the procuratorate to submit a criminal complaint against the police for illegal arrest, detention, and home ransacking. A staff member said this was not their responsibility and referred them to the commission for discipline inspection and the police inspector, so Hui and Hong submitted their complaint to three district agencies: the commission for discipline inspection, the supervisory committee, and the police inspector.

When the couple was out for a walk in late October, the police called their son to say the couple was on the wanted list. When they returned home, the couple saw a police van at the community entrance. When they went to the procuratorate again to submit their complaint, a female officer took out a stack of documents for them to sign. Seeing that it said “crime suspect xxx” on the document, neither Hui or Hong would sign.

The couple then wrote a letter to the procuratorate “seeking advice:”

1) Our son told us the police said we were on the wanted list. Could you tell us how the police could do something to innocent, lawful citizens like us?2) One police officer said they had found amulets that read “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” to use as an evidence against us. But isn’t Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance important for our society?3) A clerk at the procuratorate told us to sign documents as “crime suspects,” indicating that the materials submitted by the police on October 29 had been reviewed. But before that, we had filed criminal complaints with three district agencies (the commission for discipline inspection, the supervisory committee, and the police inspector) on October 17. Failing to review these complaints violates Article 110 of “Criminal Procedure Law” which states:

Any workplace or individual discovering facts of a crime or a criminal suspect has both the right and also the duty to report it to a public security organization, the procuratorate, the court, or their superiors.

Victims have a right to report crimes or suspects that violate their rights in respect to their person or assets to a public security organization, the procuratorate, or the court or to make an accusation.

Public security organizations, procuratorates, and the courts shall accept reported cases, accusations, and internal reports. Those not within their own jurisdiction shall be transferred to the organization with principal jurisdiction for disposition, and the person reporting the case, making the accusation, or reporting internally shall be notified; in those not within their jurisdiction that need to have emergency measures taken, emergency measures should be adopted and it should then be transferred to the organization with principal jurisdiction.

4) One police officer said we were against the Party instead of saying we had violated laws. But doesn’t that mean we follow the laws?5) To protect law and order, we will continue to file criminal complaints level by level. Officials can ignore us, but our complaints will be documents and we believe one day they will be revisited.6) When Zhou Yongkang, former minister of Public Security and former secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission was investigated, all files related to him were reviewed. Many people were indicted, including former Sichuan Province governor Li Chengyun. We know our efforts will not end in vain.

When the police later submitted materials to the procuratorate attempting to frame Hui and Hong, they were told, “The two practitioners have sued you. You two parties need to settle the case.”

Later on, the police called the couple many times, asking them to come to the police station. When they did, the police were still unrepentant.

“You know, you are the defendant and I am the plaintiff,” Hong said.

Noticing another officer was also reckless, Hui told him, “The laws not only apply to us ordinary citizens but also to you to police officers. Let’s see what the law says.”

Both officers stopped to think. After a while, one of them said to the couple, “Okay, then. We will not sue you and you will not sue us. Will that work?”

Since then, the police have not harassed the couple again.