LONDON, UK / AGILITYPR.NEWS / September 30, 2020 /  

As the attention of the global community is focused on combatting the threat of COVID19, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has increased its campaign against practitioners of the peaceful, spiritual practice of Falun Gong.

It has been reported that in the first six months of 2020, a total of 2,654 Falun Gong practitioners in China have been arrested for their faith, and a further 2,659 have had their homes ransacked or been otherwise harassed. At the time of writing, 1,246 (47%) of the arrested practitioners remained in custody[i].

According to Minghui.org, between January and May 2020, 107 Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced to an average of almost four-years in detention and two elderly women were given 11- and 12-year terms for their faith[ii].

Although many provinces in China were locked down in the early months of 2020, more Falun Gong practitioners were harassed than over the same period in 2019. There were also more practitioners arrested in February, March, May and June than in the same months last year.

Falun Gong is a peaceful, spiritual practice based on ancient Chinese traditions and Buddhist teachings of compassion. It became extremely popular in China in the late 1990s and initially it was a practice welcomed and celebrated by the Chinese regime. However, once the number of followers eclipsed the members of the CCP things changed.

Twenty-one years ago, the CCP set out to eradicate Falun Gong - the largest spiritual group in China to be persecuted. As with its other campaigns, the CCP began with a massive propaganda offensive that incited hatred and dehumanisation of the practice’s followers. Tens of thousands of practitioners are believed to have been killed and hundreds of thousands remain imprisoned by the CCP. Since Falun Gong practitioners refuse to give up their faith, they are subjected to abuse, torture and even the horrific practice of forced organ harvesting, which also brings in revenue for the CCP.

This is an accusation that was confirmed by the recent China Tribunal in London led by Sir Geoffrey Nice, QC. It concluded that "forced organ harvesting has been committed for years throughout China on a significant scale and Falun Gong practitioners have been one - and probably the main - source of organ supply." Many tens of thousands of people are killed each year to fuel the state-run organ transplant industry in China. The tribunal also concluded that organ harvesting continues today and found the CCP guilty of crimes against humanity.

Chairman of the Falun Dafa Association UK, Dr Wei Liu commented: “The problem of China is one that affects the entire world and we must not underestimate the lengths the CCP will go to in order to maintain control. Any faith or religion is seen as a threat to the doctrine of the Communist Party and must therefore be eliminated. It is difficult for Western societies to imagine a scenario in which followers of a peaceful philosophy that teaches tolerance and compassion could be the victims of such horrific crimes. This is because Western societies do not behave in this way. But the persecution is real, and it is continuing.

“Western democracies must unite to combat the very real threat of the CCP if they are to protect their freedoms and values. Falun Gong began as a celebrated philosophy in China and now people are murdered for following this peaceful practice. What will the CCP decide is dangerous to its survival next?”

The ability of the CCP to inflict fear and persecute followers of Falun Gong isn’t confined by China’s borders.

Most British Falun Gong practitioners grew up in China and still have family there. Often these family members receive threats from CCP security agents. The CCP monitors the actions of practitioners outside its borders, then bullies them through their families. These security agents have been known to threaten to kill family members still in China. Many practitioners in Britain do not feel they can visit China, for fear of being arrested, tortured, and possibly killed.

In its latest report, “The Persecution of Falun Gong in China and the UK”, the Falun Dafa Association UK documented cases detailing how the CCP has been systematically slandering and marginalising Falun Gong followers overseas.

675 lawmakers from 32 countries and across political party lines have now issued a joint statement calling on the CCP to immediately stop the “systematic and brutal campaign to ‘eradicate’ the spiritual discipline of Falun Gong.”

“The persecution of Falun Gong in China has been one of the harshest campaigns against a faith group in modern times,” said the joint statement. “Since July 1999, millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been arbitrarily arrested and jailed without due process and many have been tortured and even killed.”

“We … urge the Chinese government to respect international norms and … to immediately stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and to unconditionally release all detained Falun Gong practitioners and other prisoners of conscience.”

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China also issued the following statement: “. . . we highlight the plight of the Falun Gong together with all religious minorities who have suffered from repression under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party. We remind the world of the depravities they continue to suffer and urge the world to stand up and speak out for an end to such repression, an end to impunity, and for justice, accountability, human rights and human dignity for all the peoples of China.”

To view the latest report produced by the Falun Dafa Association UK, into the situation faced by practitioners in the UK, click here: www.zsr.org.uk/UK-FalunGong-Report.pdf

ENDS

For media information contact: Heather Astbury, heather@thereputationpeople.com, 07340158049

Notes to Editors:

About Falun Dafa/ Falun Gong

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is an ancient Buddhist practice that involves meditation, gentle exercises, and teaches the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance. Its adherents come from all cultures, genders, socio-economic classes and reside all over the world. They are united in this peaceful practice, wishing only to be kinder people and strive for a world where people are free and can practise the faith of their choice.

[i] https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2020/7/17/185913.html

[ii] https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2020/6/11/185467.html