Falun Gong[1] (also called Falun Dafa) is a spiritual practice in the Buddhist tradition that espouses the core tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance (in Chinese, Zhen 真, Shan 善, Ren 忍). It was first introduced to the public in 1992. In just 7 years, 100 million people in China had taken up the practice – making it the fastest growing religion in the history of the world.[2] With roots in traditional Chinese culture, Falun Gong was celebrated and embraced throughout Chinese society. It was also praised by many Chinese government officials for its moral teachings and proven and significant health benefits.

 

In 1999, witnessing its soaring popularity, a few leaders in the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a systematic campaign to “stamp out” the religion of Falun Gong, and violently suppress the tens of millions of people who practice it.

 

For the past 23 years, millions of Falun Gong practitioners in China have been subjected to police harassment, abduction, imprisonment, torture, and killing in custody. And untold numbers have been killed and their organs extracted to fuel a booming, multibillion-dollar organ transplant industry.[3]

 

All the while, vilifying propaganda inside China as well as several instances of questionable reporting in the West by media with CCP ties, have succeeded in marginalizing Falun Dafa to some extent, and give pause to would-be defenders of human rights.

 

The persecution campaign against Falun Gong inside China is widely documented. The Wall Street Journal’s Ian Johnson won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for exposing how Chinese police regularly torture Falun Dafa practitioners to death.[4] The Washington Post followed up with ground-breaking reporting on how central authorities mandated the use of propaganda and torture to “break” Falun Gong. The persecution campaign is regularly featured in annual reports and special reports by Amnesty International[5], Freedom House[6], and the U.S. State Department[7].