Police harass citizens
practicing their daily
Falun Gong exercises.

The Chinese government
destroys Falun Gong materials.


A Falun Gong practitioner's
room illegally ransacked
by the police.

Police brutally treat people
appealing peacefully in
Tiananmen Square for the
right to practice Falun Gong.
Chinese Citizens:

Practitioner from USA :

Practitioner from Toronto, Canada:



Falun Gong practitioners are
being tortured and murdered
in China simply for not upholding
their right to practice Falun Gong.

Torture Methods used on
Falun Gong practitioners.



Clarifying the truth of Falun
Gong, appealing for an end to the
persecution, and asking for support.



(signing petition to support)


Holding a candle light vigil
in memory of those persecuted
to death in China for practicing
Falun Gong.

You may have heard about a massive crackdown against Falun Dafa currently going on in China. Exactly what is happening, and why has the Chinese government unleashed its fury against a practice that is so obviously peaceful and non-threatening? We hope we can help shed some light on these questions for you.

Background

It must first be understood that the Chinese government, run by the Communist Party, is officially atheist, so anything of a spiritual nature is discouraged and often outlawed because it is not in keeping with Communist ideology. For us in nations with democratically elected governments, freedom of belief is considered to be one of the most basic universal rights, but in China, such fundamental human rights are rarely protected.

The Events

On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners held a legal, peaceful gathering in Beijing outside the Chinese leadership compound, Zhongnanhai. The assembly was prompted by reports of violence and harassment previously inflicted upon Falun Dafa practitioners by Chinese police in the city of Tianjin, as well as an unjustified ban on publishing Falun Dafa materials. The assembly was peaceful and orderly, and after participants presented their case before Mr. Zhu Rongji, Premier of the Chinese State Council, they quietly returned to their homes.

The event clearly shook the Chinese leadership because they hadn't anticipated that so many people could have gathered so quickly in the heart of the capital. Not since the Tiananmen Incident in 1989 involving many Beijing students had so many people gathered together to make an appeal to the government, and the government's reaction to that particular incident was, of course, swift and brutal.

On the night of July 19th, 1999, police raided the homes of hundreds of practitioners and dragged them off to prison.
The next day, Falun Dafa was officially declared illegal in China. From that moment forward, a massive government campaign was formed to suppress and destroy Falun Dafa. The state-controlled media worked overtime to spread false information to the public, and they also sent out their propaganda through the Chinese embassies stationed around the world. The purpose was to mislead the public and cover up their severe human rights abuses against Falun Dafa practitioners as thousands were rounded up and held in detention for interrogation, torture, and so-called "reeducation."

To date, the Chinese government has used any method available to terrorize and pressure people to renounce their faith. They have pitted society and family members against each other through threats and heavy fines, and thousands have lost their jobs and their homes. And the list goes on.

Millions of Falun Dafa books and tapes have been publicly burned and destroyed. Access to all Internet websites regarding Falun Dafa have been blocked or jammed in China, and those who send out accounts of the beatings and abuse they experience while in detention have been arrested and jailed for "leaking state secrets." Practitioners are denied legal representation and have received sentences up to 18 years in prison in show trials. Thousands of others are sent to forced labor camps with no trial at all.

Even worse, many Falun Dafa practitioners are being committed to psychiatric wards and forcibly medicated with powerful psychotropic drugs causing serious harm to their bodies. This is a tactic used in the Soviet Union under Stalin as a way to make the public think that the victims are mentally insane and therefore they deserve to be locked up.

To date (January 2006), there are 2,806 documented cases of otherwise healthy practitioners being beaten and tortured to death while in detention.

During these months of violence and torture, Falun Dafa practitioners have shown unparalleled kindness and forbearance. Not a single practitioner has struck back or physically retaliated against police. Worldwide, all practitioners have used only non-violent, peaceful, and legal means to appeal. This kind of conduct, in the face of such torment and injustice exhibited on such a large scale, has spoken eloquently to the world about the fundamentally peaceful and compassionate nature of Falun Dafa.

What Can You Do to Help?

The best way you can help is to let people around you know what Falun Dafa is. Let them know that it is a practice based on ancient philosophies that helps people gain better health and peace of mind. China's biggest weapon against all spiritual practices is to call them 'cults' because the derogatory connotations of that word is often enough to put people on guard, and in the case of Falun Dafa, it is a label that is completely inaccurate. Practitioners lead normal lives and participate actively in their communities. The practice is an individual choice and is centered on the improvement of one's self. There are no obligations, and everyone is free to come and go as they choose. Falun Dafa is more accurately thought of as a "cultivation practice," which is a concept that may be somewhat new to us in the West. Many other self-cultivation practices similar to Falun Dafa have been practiced in China for many centuries, as they have provided health, wisdom, and peace of mind to countless generations. As these arts become more familiar in the West, our vocabulary for them will expand.

Also let people know what is happening to Falun Dafa practitioners in China. Get copies of the two-part video "Falun Gong: The Real Story" and invite your friends and colleagues to screenings. Write to your government representatives so they know that their constituents are concerned about the human rights situation in China.

"We are not against the government now, nor will we be in the future. Other people may treat us badly, but we do not treat others badly, nor do we treat people as enemies.

We are calling for all governments, international organizations and people of goodwill worldwide to extend their support and assistance to us in order to resolve the present crisis that is taking place in China."

- Li Hongzhi, July 22, 1999

For further information and resources regarding the situation in China:
http://www.clearwisdom.net (daily news)
http://www.faluninfo.net