(Minghui.org) Nineteen Falun Gong practitioners from Sanhe City, Hebei Province filed individual criminal charges against Jiang Zemin, former leader of the Chinese communist regime who ordered the persecution of Falun Gong in 1999, under which practitioners are wrongfully imprisoned, tortured, and forced out of work.

The complaints were submitted to the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

The practitioners also mailed copies of the complaints to local government agencies that have carried out Jiang's directives, including the procuratorates, courts, the 610 Office, and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee.

Receipt of registered mails to government agencies in Sanhe, Hebei

Sanhe is only 40 miles from Beijing, and the persecution there is relatively more severe than in other county-level cities in China. Since 2005, 33 practitioners have died as a result. Of those who lived, three became disabled from torture, ten were sentenced to prison, 24 were taken to forced labor camps, and 109 were sent to the Langfang Brainwashing Center. Numerous arrests, home invasions and ransackings, and cases of harassment by police have also been reported.

The 19 practitioners who filed criminal charges against Jiang included doctors, farmers, and homemakers. Some started practicing Falun Gong before the persecution started, and some began only recently. Their ages span from 32 to 75.

One practitioner wrote, “I'm not trying to take revenge on anyone for the persecution. I just hope the evildoers can be brought to justice. I hope for a peaceful society where we can freely practice Falun Gong, and follow its principles to be good people. I hope the 16 years of persecution will soon end.”

Below are excerpts selected from their complaints.

The Plight of a Doctor's Family

Mr. Kang Jingtai

Kang Jingtai, 43, a family doctor, has been arrested six times, sent to brainwashing centers twice, and subjected to forced labor for two years for his belief. His family was harassed, threatened, and extorted by police several times. His family suffered financial losses of around 300,000 yuan.

The persecution was a direct cause of his parents' passing. Dr. Kang's father passed away in October, 2013. The elder Kang felt intense ongoing fear, which became unbearable. Mr. Kang's mother became depressed, and her health declined. He visited his mother every day to took care of her. When he was arrested on April 22, 2014, she was overwhelmed with worry and couldn't eat or sleep well. She passed away only ten days after his arrest.

Dr. Kang's wife, Ms. Fang Chunyan, 39, was arrested twice. As a teacher, she was harassed by her superiors at school shortly after she gave birth to her son.

Related report:Dr. Kang Jingtai Arrested, His Wife Appeals for Help

Doctor Tortured, Beaten to Deafness

Dr. Zhou Zaitian

A doctor for 37 years, Zhou Zaitian, 64, lost his practice because of the persecution. Over the past 16 years, he was detained in brainwashing centers three times and sentenced to three years in prison. He suffered over twenty forms of torture while in detention.

A guard at Jidong Prison struck his face more than 20 times in July 2008, causing him to lose his hearing.

He was struck with shoes, suffocated with a plastic bag over his head, had his head immersed in water, beaten and kicked, and not allowed to use the restroom.

Police ransacked his home and harassed him numerous times. He and family live in extreme fear. His parents and uncle passed away as a result of the persecution.

Related report:Falun Gong Practitioner Dr. Zhou Zaitian of Sanhe City, Hebei Province Taken to a Brainwashing Center Again

Multiple Detentions and Physical Restrictions

Ms. Zhao Shuying, 63, has been repeatedly taken to brainwashing centers, detention centers, and forced labor camps for practicing Falun Gong. She was once detained her at a mental hospital for two months.

Ms. Zhao experienced tremendous physical and mental suffering, as well as economic damages, because of the persecution.

Plaintiffs

The 19 practitioners who filed criminal complaints are:

Mr. Kang Jingtai (康景泰), 43Ms. Fang Chunyan (方春艳), 39Ms. Li Fengxia (李凤侠), 58Mr. Liu Fenggang (刘凤刚), 53Ms. Cao Xiujuan (曹秀娟), 59Ms. Zhao Shuying (赵淑英), 63Mr. Zhou Zaitian (周再田), 64Ms. Zhang Zhenqin (张振琴), 64Ms. Wang Jinfeng (王金凤), 58Ms. Zhang Qiaozhen (张巧珍), 58Ms. Li Suling (李素伶), 67Ms. Xu Shaojing (徐少敬), 50Ms. Deng Yufang (邓渝芳), 71Mr. Zhu Shunchang (朱顺昌), 75Ms. Liu Lixin (刘立新), 32Ms. Zhan Baohua (詹宝华), 53Ms. Wu Shuping (吴淑平), 53Ms. Yu Xuelan (于雪兰), 68Ms. Xu Shuxia (许淑霞), 60

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 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.