put someone through the wringer (or the mangle)

The Economist
A verdict is expected today in one of the longest-running financial-whistleblower cases. Rudolf Elmer, a former executive with Julius Bär, was arrested in 2005 after exposing details of offshore tax evasion carried out through the Swiss bank. Since then, he has been through the legal wringer

Life is getting better for whistleblowers. But companies continue to fight back

From December

ECONOMIST.COM

wringer 

Pronunciation: /ˈrɪŋə/ 

NOUN

A device such as a mangle for wringing water from wet clothes, mops, or other objects.

Example sentences

Phrases

put someone through the wringer (or the mangle)

informal Subject someone to a very stressful experience, especially a severeinterrogation:he has no papers so they put him through the wringer

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