(Minghui.org) A Falun Gong practitioner in Changchun who was tortured to the verge of death multiple times for her belief is suing former Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin. Jiang initiated the brutal persecution of Falun Gong sixteen years ago.

Ms. Xing Guiling (邢桂玲), 57, mailed her criminal complaint against Jiang to the Supreme People's Procuratorate and the Supreme People's Court on June 12, 2015.

Ms. Xing was brutally tortured in police custody and detention facilities. The tortures she experienced included forced-feeding, the “tiger bench,” beatings, injection of nerve-damaging drugs, and exposure to freezing temperatures. She was sent home on the verge of death several times.

When Ms. Xing returned home, police and neighborhood officers would repeatedly harass her in attempts to force her to stop practicing Falun Gong. Her front door was damaged many times, and on one occasion the police even threatened her son with a gun.

To avoid further persecution, Ms. Xing left home. The police stayed in her house, planning to arrest her when she returned. This put tremendous mental pressure on her husband, Mr. Ji Jingchang (戢景昌), who also practiced Falun Gong. Mr. Ji became bedridden and unable to take care of himself after numerous arrests and detentions.

Mr. Ji's health deteriorated quickly with the police staying in their house. He passed away on August 26, 2002, at the age of 52.

Narrowly Escaping Death

Ms. Xing and her husband had many severe illnesses before they turned to Falun Gong in 1998. Their maladies were cured through practicing Falun Gong.

After Jiang launched the persecution campaign, Ms. Xing went to Beijing many times between July 1999 and 2001 to petition the government for her right to practice Falun Gong. Each time, she was arrested and tortured.

After one arrest, she went on a hunger strike for a month at the Chongwen District detention center and was brutally force-fed as a result. She was released in critical condition.

Ms. Xing was held at the Heizuizi Women's Labor Camp for one year after being arrested and detained for 15 days in April 2001. At the labor camp, she was allowed to sleep for only two to three hours a day. In her waking hours, she was subjected to brainwashing.

Ms. Xing was arrested and detained at the Tiebei Brainwashing Center in March 6, 2002. She was given an injection that damaged her nervous system, paralyzing her and decreasing her mental functions. The guards threw her out on the street in front of the brainwashing center the next day.

Arrested and detained at the Changchun No.3 Detention Center on October 24, 2002, Ms. Xing went on a hunger strike and developed a severe heart condition. She was again left near her home on November 1, 2002.

Ms. Xing was arrested by the Luyuan Police Department at the beginning of 2003. She was tied to a tiger bench, choked with belts, and repeatedly beaten by police.

Freezing Torture

Ms. Xing was arrested and taken to a secret torture room in Jingyueshan on November 30, 2003.

After tying her to a tiger bench, the police punched and kicked her. Later, officers called in hired thugs, who proceeded to beat Ms. Xing with wooden clubs.

Her head and face became swollen. The beatings stopped when she was about to lose consciousness. The police then handcuffed her arms behind her back and lifted her hands over her head, forcing her to hold this painful position.

In the middle of the night, the police stripped her down to her undergarments, and then poured ice cold water on her neck and back throughout the night.

The temperature was below freezing. Even the officers themselves, who were wearing heavy coats and winter hats and boots, couldn't stand the cold. They had to take turns torturing Ms. Xing, who soon became stiff and frozen.

The police carried her to their break room and started to interrogate her. She refused to cooperate, so the police brought her outside again and continued pouring cold water on her.

The torture lasted one day and two nights. She was released from the tiger bench after she was close to death. The police attempted to send Ms. Xing to the Nongan Detention Center, which refused to admit her in such a precarious condition. She was taken to a hospital that night.

Police sent Ms. Xing to Xinglongshan Brainwashing Center a few days later, where over 70 policemen interrogated her. They stabbed her with a large metal key, causing extreme pain. This round of interrogation, brainwashing, and sleep deprivation lasted 41 days. She was also fed very little during this period.

Ms. Xing developed heart disease and symptoms of uremia during the ordeal. She struggled to breathe and often twitched violently. Her face became stiff. No blood pressure or pulse could be detected when she was taken to the hospital. The doctors refused to treat her, so the police sent her home.

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.