Crackdown
During the first years of the introduction of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi was granted several awards by Chinese governmental organisations to encourage him to continue promoting what was then considered a wholesome practice. From 1992 to 1994 he lectured regularly all over the country in important Chinese cities before large audiences. The practice was then further spread widely in mainland China for 7 years mainly by word of mouth.
In July 1999 the government decided to put a stop to its popularity and the practice of Falun Gong has been persecuted in mainland China ever since. On June 10, 1999, the government established the "6-10" office, an extra-constitutional body, to facilitate the crackdown. Most political analysts believe that this was the direct result of events that occurred in April 1999. In Tianjin, as a result of a critical article in a local paper written by a member of the Chinese Academy of Science, about a thousand Falun Gong practitioners went to the newspaper office seeking rectification. Some practitioners were arrested and were, according to reports, beaten by the police. Several days later, for 12 hours on April 25, about 10,000 people gathered at the Central Appeal Office at Foyou street, outside Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of Chinese Communist Party and lined up along a 2 km stretch. Premier Zhu Rongji met with some representatives of the practitioners and promised to resolve their grievances within three days. Despite the fact that the practitioners dispersed peacefully after they received words that Zhu Rongji has agreed to their requests , it was widely reported by the Chinese media that Li's ability to allegedly organize a protest in the heart of the Chinese Communist Party is said to have alarmed many senior leaders, particularly Jiang Zemin.
Other factors may include the (disputed) claim that the number of Falun Gong practitioners in China is larger than membership of the Communist Party of China. Others claim that there were practitioners amongst high officials of the government and that several high ranking army officers had embraced the practice as well and that this was a cause of grave concern for others in power.
Most observers believe that the crackdown was due more to
Falun Gong's organizational ability and potential to challenge the Communist Party of China rather than because of its ideology. This view is bolstered by the fact that groups similar to Falun Gong have suffered less or little persecution, while 12 Christian churches which have beliefs radically different from Falun Gong are currently banned and labeled as "evil sects."
This persecution is currently the subject of protest by many worldwide human rights groups. In 2000, Ian Johnson of the Wall Street Journal investigated the reports of abuse, and published a series of investigative articles that won him the Pulitzer Prize the following year.
The PRC government claimed that Falun Gong is an evil cult. There are many disputed reports allegedly claiming that some believers hurt or kill themselves after reading the books by Li Hongzhi. Some scientists in China claim that there is no scientific evidence to show Falun Gong is beneficial for health (despite believer's reports and a previous government survey to the contrary). A frequent argument made by Chinese scientists is that followers avoid, by practice, most conventional medicine, which means that minor illnesses are left untreated and can result in death.
There is no evidence that Li has ever advocated overthrow of the PRC government, nor opposed the government before the government's policy reversal in 1999. Some contend that Li did not even write the books himself. Many concepts of Falun Gong seem to be superficially derived from other schools of Qigong, Buddhism or Taoism. The concept of "Falun" itself also has long existed in Buddhism.
The campaign of government criticism begun in 1999 was considered by most observers to be largely ineffectual until January 2001, when persons claiming to be Falun Gong practitioners, among them a thirteen-year old child, allegedly doused themselves with gasoline and set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square. Gruesome videos of the incident were widely broadcast on Chinese state television, as were interviews with the thirteen-year old who was horribly burned and whose mother did not survive the incident.
Falun Gong practitioners strongly denied that the persons could have been actual Falun Gong practitioners, since killing, especially in the form of suicide, is strictly forbidden by the principles of Falun Gong. In addition, some people have suggested that the incident was either a hoax or staged, pointing out several strange clear inconsistencies that is present on the video footage of the incident broadcasted by Xinhua News Agency. Independent, third-party investigations continue to be denied by the PRC government. Many people compare this incident to the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
Nevertheless, observers believe that the incident helped turn public opinion in China against the group and has had the effect of helping the government in intensifying its crackdown. In addition there were reports that Li's distancing of the movement from the Tiananmen incident disillusioned some Falun Gong supporters who were disappointed that Li "abandoned the immolators".
Some claim that today Falun Gong is no longer influential in mainland China and that only outside of China are there still many believers. It is impossible to accurately determine the number of practitioners in mainland China, due to government efforts to suppress information on its existence.
Some cult watchdogs in North America have compared Falun Gong activities to those of other groups such as the Church of Scientology, others stop short of making a judgement. See Purported cults.
Nevertheless, the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has been regarded in a West as a major international human rights issue. According to the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI), there are, as of 2004, 955 verified cases of death of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China. The report also states that hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained, with more than 100,000 sentenced to forced labor camps. Moreover, there are more than 30,000 documented cases of persecution.
As of January, 2004, 16 lawsuits in 12 countries have been filed around the world charging the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and several other senior officials with genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity, for their roles in the persecution of Falun Gong in mainland China.
Falun Gong is currently present in more than 60 countries across the world.
References
- Li Hongzhi, Zhuan Falun: The Complete Teachings of Falun Gong (Yih Chyun, Fair Winds Press edition 2001) ISBN 1931412537
- Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong (Law Wheel Qigong) (Yih Chyun, 1993)
- Li Hongzhi, Essentials for Further Advancement (Yih Chyun, 2000?)
- Danny Schechter, Falun Gong's Challenge to China (Akashic Books, 2000) hardback ISBN 1888451130, paperback ISBN 1888451270
- Ji Shi, Li Hongzhi & His "Falun Gong": Deceiving the Public and Ruining Lives (New Star Publishers, 1999) ISBN 7801482387
External links
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Falun Dafa was introduced to the general public in