(Minghui.org) A total of 1,196 Falun Gong practitioners from Jixi, Heilongjiang Province have filed criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin between May 24 and August 22, 2015, according to reports compiled by the Minghui website.

The practitioners charge the former Chinese dictator with initiating the brutal suppression of Falun Gong and hold him responsible for the tremendous suffering inflicted upon them by his campaign. The criminal complaints were mailed to the Supreme People's Court and Supreme People's Procuratorate.

Many of these practitioners recounted how Falun Gong returned them to health and gave them a new outlook on life. Their dream to live a healthier and happier life, however, was shattered when Jiang Zemin launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate the practice in 1999.

Simply for refusing to give up their belief, they were arrested, detained, tortured, and had their homes ransacked and personal belongings seized by the communist authorities. Many also saw their families implicated for their belief, while some were also forced to pay huge fines.

Selected Profiles of Practitioners Who Sued Jiang

Wang Qi (王琪), 24, is sad to see her father remain in prison, after being jailed for more than eight years. Her mother was once given one year of a suspended forced labor sentence. Wang Qi took care of her grandmother, who was paralyzed on one side of her body, until the grandmother passed away in 2012. She was alone because both her parents were held by Chinese Communist agents. Officers monitored the young girl and harassed her at school, which forced her to quit school.

Su Zhong (苏忠), 80, endured severe pressure and anxiety because of the persecution. Three of Su's relatives experienced the same and passed away.

Mr. Jiang Yabin (姜亚彬), 56, was arrested six times, sentenced to three years in prison. He was directly taken to a brainwashing center ,where he was held for more than 40 days, after he was released from prison.

Mr. Li Yongsheng (李勇胜), was arrested three times. He was given one year of forced labor in 2000 and sentenced to four years in 2008. He was tortured. He and his mother had to leave their home following his release in 2012 to avoid further persecution. They went to Bamiantong and opened a small business. He was again arrested in March 2015. Police confiscated computers and printers, more than 10,000 yuan, and his mother's 1,800 yuan. He is still being held in the Bamiantong Detention Center.

Ms. Zhao Xiuyan (赵秀艳), was detained in detention centers for a total of 289 days, and was held a total of three-and-a-half years in labor camps, where she was tortured and force-fed. While she was detained, her husband took a job in another city to support the family, leaving their two teenagers home alone. Her husband and daughter were arrested because of the Communist regime's guilt by association policy in 2008 and their home ransacked. Her husband was tortured during nine days of detention. Police extorted over 20,000 yuan from him for his daughter's release.

Mr. Xue Chengyu (薛成玉) and his wife began to practice Falun Gong in 1998. He could not bear the threat and intimidation, and stopped practicing after the practice was banned in 1999. When the couple was arrested in 2000, Mr. Xue was tortured and threatened. He developed heart disease and high blood pressure. Officials extorted over 2,000 yuan, and their car, valued at more than 25,000 yuan, was confiscated. His wife was given two years of forced labor, and he was forced to leave home to work in another city.

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.