(Minghui.org) Three van loads of Jishan County residents were arrested and given 5-15 days of detention for trying to attend the trial of a local man who had been repeatedly targeted for his faith.
Mr. Jia Guojie, 43, was arrested on December 31 of last year for filing a criminal complaint against Jiang Zemin. He accuses the former Chinese dictator of initiating the persecution of Falun Gong, which resulted in him being twice sentenced to prison for his faith.
Many local Falun Gong practitioners went to the courthouse on June 15 to show support for Mr. Jia. Instead of being allowed inside, they were arrested.
Shi Yongguo, head of the Jishan County 610 Office, directed the arrest.
The arrested practitioners were interrogated separately and had their blood forcibly drawn.
Mr. Jia remains detained and it is unclear when the judge will issue a verdict.
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.