Teacher Dies 11 Weeks After Suing Former Chinese Leader for Imprisonment, Torture

Mr. Xi Changhai from Shenyang City, Liaoning Province died on September 25th, 2015, less than three months after he filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin for launching the persecution of Falun Gong that led to his imprisonment and subsequent torture.

In 2008, the 68-year-old retired physical education teacher was sentenced to 11 years for practising Falun Gong. While imprisoned, Mr. Xi was forced to sit on a “small stool” for extended periods of time. The flesh on his buttocks festered. He was also subjected to various other forms of torture. As a result, he developed high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney and vision problems.

The prison eventually released him on medical parole in 2013, when he was on the verge of death. By the time he returned home, the once tall, burly, and imposing man had already lost his mobility. He remained wheelchair-bound in his last years of life.

Mr. Xi filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin on July 12th, 2015 for his ordeal. He had been arrested several times for his belief before the 2008 arrest. While he was held in a labour camp in 2001, his school suspended his salary. When he was released years later from the prison, the school revoked his pension.

Unfortunately, Mr. Xi was never able to recover from his torture-induced injuries and health problems. He passed away before having a chance to see Jiang brought to justice.

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 10th, 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.