11.03.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Sexual and physical abuse and extortion occurred in some detention centers ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2007") [ID 22761]

"Sexual and physical abuse and extortion occurred in some detention centers. Falun Gong activists reported that police raped female practitioners, including in 2005 at the Dongchengfang police station in Tunzhou City, Hebei Province, where two women were allegedly raped while in detention."

Document(s): Open document

10.10.2007 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Government has continued its campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, which it began in 1999 ("Annual Report 2007") [ID 21324]

see report for further details

"The government has continued its campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners, which it began in 1999. In its 2007 report on religious freedom in China, the U.S. Department of State noted past reports of deaths and abuse of Falun Gong practitioners in custody.135 Government officials have used both the Criminal Law and administrative punishment regulations as legal pretexts for penalizing Falun Gong activities.136 Citizens sentenced to prison terms under the Criminal Law include Falun Gong practitioners who demonstrated in support of Falun Gong in 1999, as well as practitioners who prepared leaflets about Falun Gong, including Wang Xin, Li Chang, Wang Zhiwen, and Ji Liewu.137 Authorities released Yao Jie in 2006 after sentencing her in 1999 to seven years' imprisonment for crimes related to organizing and using a cult and for illegal acquisition of state secrets. The charges stem from accusations that she organized an April 1999 rally of Falun Gong practitioners outside the central government's leadership compound.138 Falun Gong practitioners and rights defenders who advocate on their behalf, as well as on behalf of other communities, including house church members, face serious obstacles in challenging government abuses. In 2006, authorities intensified a campaign of harassment against lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has represented numerous activists, religious leaders, and writers, after he publicized widespread torture against Falun Gong practitioners. A Beijing court convicted him in 2006 to a three-year sentence, suspended for five years, for ``inciting subversion of state power.'' 139 Gao went missing immediately after an open letter that he sent to the U.S. Congress was made public at a Capitol Hill press conference on September 20, 2007. Authorities also have harassed members of his family.140 [For additional information, see Section II--Rights of Criminal Suspects and Defendants.] Overseas organizations reported that on September 29, 2007, unidentified assailants beat rights defense lawyer Li Heping, who had advocated on behalf of Falun Gong practitioners and house church members, among others.141 In 2006, courts in Shandong province rejected appeals from Liu Ruping and his lawyer that challenged Liu's sentence of 15 months of reeducation through labor for posting Falun Gong notices.142 In 2007, the government used possession of Falun Gong materials as a pretext for squelching a political activist. In March, a court in Zhejiang province gave a three-year sentence to Chi Jianwei, a member of the Zhejiang branch of the China Democracy Party, for ``using a cult to undermine implementation of the law'' after authorities found Falun Gong materials in his home."

Document(s): Open document

14.09.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Reliable estimates that hundreds of thousands of citizens practice Falun Gong privately ("International Religious Freedom Report 2007") [ID 21160]

"The Falun Gong is a self-described spiritual movement that blends aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, and the meditation techniques and physical exercises of qigong (a traditional Chinese exercise discipline) with the teachings of Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi. There are estimated to have been at least 2.1 million adherents of Falun Gong before the Government’s harsh crackdown on the group beginning in 1999. There are reliable estimates that hundreds of thousands of citizens still practice Falun Gong privately."

Document(s): Open document

11.07.2007 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response on the treatment of family members of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese authorities; situation of persons who unwittingly or knowingly assist Falun Gong practitioners; the treatment of such persons if they deny knowledge of having assisted Falun Gong practitioners, agree to cease such assistance, or denounce Falung Gong ("Treatment of family members of Falun Gong practitioners by the Chinese authorities; situation of persons who unwittingly or knowingly assist Falun Gong practitioners (e.g., by allowing use or rental of property, offices, office equipment, vehicles, etc.); the treatment of such persons if they deny knowledge of having assisted Falun Gong practitioners, agree to cease such assistance, or denounce Falung Gong [CHN102560.E]") [ID 21962]

Document(s): Open document

08.05.2007 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response whether a person detained at an underground church meeting would have his or her name placed in the Public Security Bureau (PSB) database ("Whether a person detained at an underground church meeting would have his or her name placed in the Public Security Bureau (PSB) database [CHN102493.E]") [ID 21970]

Document(s): Open document

06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Government continues to wage a severe campaign against the Falun Gong movement ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19093]

"The government continued to wage a severe campaign against the Falun Gong movement. Falun Gong practitioners were subject to close scrutiny by local security personnel, and their personal mobility was tightly restricted, particularly at times when the government believed public protests were likely. [...]

Public Falun Gong activity in the country remained negligible, and practitioners based abroad reported that the government's crackdown against the group continued. Since the government banned the Falun Gong in 1999, the mere belief in the discipline (even without any public manifestation of its tenets) has been sufficient grounds for practitioners to receive punishments ranging from loss of employment to imprisonment. Although the vast majority of practitioners detained have been released, many were detained again after release (see section 1.e.). Falun Gong sources estimated that at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners had been sentenced to prison, more than 100,000 practitioners sentenced to reeducation through labor, and almost 3,000 had died from torture while in custody. Some foreign observers estimated that Falun Gong adherents constituted at least half of the 250,000 officially recorded inmates in reeducation-through-labor camps, while Falun Gong sources overseas placed the number even higher. In March UN Special Rapporteur Nowak reported that Falun Gong practitioners accounted for 66 percent of victims of alleged torture while in government custody.

Falun Gong members identified by the government as "core leaders" have been singled out for particularly harsh treatment. More than a dozen Falun Gong members have been sentenced to prison for the crime of "endangering state security," but the great majority of Falun Gong members convicted by the courts since 1999 have been sentenced to prison for "organizing or using a sect to undermine the implementation of the law," a less serious offense. Most practitioners, however, were punished administratively. Some practitioners were sentenced to reeducation through labor. Among them, Yuan Yuju and Liang Jinhui, relatives of a Hong Kong journalist working for a television station supportive of Falun Gong, were sentenced to reeducation through labor for distributing Falun Gong materials. Apart from reeducation through labor, some Falun Gong members were sent to "legal education" centers specifically established to "rehabilitate" practitioners who refused to recant their belief voluntarily after release from reeducation-through-labor camps. Government officials denied the existence of such "legal education" centers. In addition, hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners have been confined to mental hospitals, according to overseas groups (see section 1.d.).

Allegations of abuse of Falun Gong practitioners by the police and other security personnel continued during the year (see section 1.c.). In addition, multiple allegations of government-sanctioned organ harvesting from Falun Gong prisoners surfaced. In April overseas Falun Gong groups claimed that a hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang, had been the site of a "concentration camp" and of mass organ harvesting, including from live prisoners (see section 1.c.). The government opened the facility to diplomatic observers and foreign journalists, who found nothing inconsistent with the operation of a hospital.

Police continued to detain current and former Falun Gong practitioners and place them in reeducation camps. Police reportedly had quotas for Falun Gong arrests and targeted former practitioners, even if they were no longer practicing. The government continued its use of high-pressure tactics and mandatory anti-Falun Gong study sessions to force practitioners to renounce Falun Gong. Even practitioners who had not protested or made other public demonstrations of belief reportedly were forced to attend anti-Falun Gong classes or were sent directly to reeducation-through-labor camps. These tactics reportedly resulted in large numbers of practitioners signing pledges to renounce the movement."

Document(s): Open document

01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Falun Gong ("World Report 2007") [ID 18572]

"The government also curtails religious freedom by designating some groups as cults, such as the Falungong. Leaders and those caught publishing and distributing Falungong literature face severe repression."

Document(s): Open document

13.10.2006 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Accusations by Western countries that authorities kill jailed members of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement in order to sell their body parts for organ transplants ("Fears That Beijing Executing Falun Gong Detainees To 'Harvest' Organs") [ID 17824]

Document(s): Open document

20.09.2006 - Source: Congressional-Executive Commission on China

Government persecution of the Falun Gong movement continued ("Annual Report 2006") [ID 17388]

see report for further details - Chapter V(d)

"• Government persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual movement continued during the past year. Authorities use both criminal and administrative punishments to punish Falun Gong practitioners for peacefully exercising their spiritual beliefs. The state-controlled press has reported on at least 149 cases of Falun Gong practitioners currently in prison, but Falun Gong sources estimate that up to 100,000 practitioners have been detained since 1999. Manfred Nowak, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, reported after his November 2005 visit to China that Falun Gong practitioners account for two-thirds of victims of alleged torture by Chinese law enforcement officers. Tsinghua University student Wang Xin was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment in 2001 for downloading Falun Gong materials from the Internet and printing leaflets."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

USDOS: Falun Gong ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18172]

"Falun Gong blends aspects of Taoism, Buddhism, and the meditation techniques and physical exercises of qigong (a traditional Chinese exercise discipline) with the teachings of Falun Gong leader Li Hongzhi. Despite the spiritual content of some of Li's teachings, Falun Gong does not consider itself a religion and has no clergy or places of worship. Estimates of the number of Falun Gong (or Wheel of the Law, also known as Falun Dafa) practitioners varied widely; the Government claimed that prior to its harsh crackdown on the Falun Gong beginning in 1999, there might have been as many as 2.1 million adherents of Falun Gong in the country. Some estimated that the true number of Falun Gong adherents in the country before the crackdown was much higher. The number has declined as a result of the crackdown, but there were still hundreds of thousands of practitioners in the country, according to reliable estimates."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Public Security Administrative Punishment Law takes effect ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18178]

"After the revised criminal law came into effect in 1997, offenses related to membership in unapproved cults and religious groups were classified as crimes of disturbing the social order. A ban on cults, including the Falun Gong spiritual movement, was enacted in 1999. Under Article 300 of the criminal law, "cult" members who "disrupt public order" or distribute publications may be sentenced to three to seven years in prison, while "cult" leaders and recruiters may be sentenced to seven years or more in prison. Under the new Public Security Administrative Punishment Law, which took effect March 1, 2006. Falun Gong adherents could face five to fifteen days of administrative detention and fines of up to $125 (1,000 RMB) for using superstitious cults or qigong activities to disrupt public order or harm public health. Public security officials said the law would be used against Falun Gong."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Repression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement continues ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18324]

"During the period covered by this report, government repression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement continued. Membership in the Falun Gong and other groups considered cults was illegal. Distributing Falun Gong literature or encouraging others to join the spiritual movement was punishable by criminal and administrative sanctions, including reeducation. As in past years, foreigners who distributed Falun Gong materials were expelled from the country, including an Australian expelled in October 2005 after attempting to distribute the book Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. In January 2006 the Government released U.S. citizen Charles Lee after three years of imprisonment for Falun Gong-related activities. The authorities also continued to oppose other groups the Government considered "cults," such as the Xiang Gong, Guo Gong, and Zhong Gong qigong groups."

Document(s): Open document

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Treatment of Falun Gong practitioners ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18333]

"There were credible reports of torture and deaths in custody of Falun Gong practitioners in past years and overseas Falun Gong groups claimed that such incidents continued. In April 2006 overseas Falun Gong groups claimed that a hospital in Sujiatun, Shenyang, had been the site of a "concentration camp" and of mass organ harvesting, including from live prisoners. In response to the allegations, the Government opened the facility in question to diplomatic observers and foreign journalists. Observers found nothing inconsistent with the operation of a hospital.

In December 2005 a Beijing attorney sent an open letter to President Hu Jintao highlighting abuses of Falun Gong practitioners. The letter described the electric shock torture of Zhang Zhikui, a Falun Gong practitioner arrested for repeated petitioning in Beijing, and the October beating death in Changchun, Jilin Province of Liu Boyang and his mother Wang Shouhui. The letter, and a similar open letter sent by the attorney in 2004, referred to the extra-legal activities of the 610 office, reportedly involved in many of the abuses of Falun Gong. In 2005 the Government revoked the attorney's license to practice law, and the attorney has claimed repeated government harassment, including an automobile accident that he publicly described as an "assassination attempt." Foreigners attempting to meet with the attorney have been detained and harassed.

According to Falun Gong practitioners in the United States, since 1999 more than 100,000 practitioners have been detained for engaging in Falun Gong practices, admitting that they adhere to the teachings of Falun Gong, or refusing to criticize the organization or its founder. The organization reported that its members have been subject to excessive force, abuse, rape, detention, and torture, and that some of its members, including children, have died in custody. NGOs not affiliated with the Falun Gong documented nearly 500 cases of Falun Gong members detained, prosecuted, or sentenced to reeducation during the period covered by this report. Credible estimates suggested the actual number was much higher. In November 2005 police at the Dongchengfang Police Station in Tunzhou City, Hebei Province, reportedly raped two Falun Gong practitioners. Reliable sources indicated that Zheng Ruihuan and Liu Yinglan were detained in Shandong Province in July 2005 for practicing Falun Gong. In May 2006, Yuan Yuju and Liang Jinhui, relatives of a Hong Kong journalist who works for a television station supportive of Falun Gong, were sentenced to reeducation for using an illegal cult to organize and obstruct justice, relating to their distribution of Falun Gong materials. Some foreign observers estimated that at least half of the 250,000 officially recorded inmates in the country's reeducation-through-labor camps were Falun Gong adherents. Falun Gong sources overseas placed the number even higher. Hundreds of Falun Gong adherents were also incarcerated in legal education centers, a form of administrative detention, upon completion of their reeducation-through-labor sentences. Government officials denied the existence of such "legal education" centers. According to the Falun Gong, hundreds of its practitioners have been confined to psychiatric institutions and forced to take medications or undergo electric shock treatment against their will.
"

Document(s): Open document

29.08.2006 - Source: Amnesty International

Bu Dongwei was assigned to 2,5 years’ "Re-education through Labour" (RTL) on 19 June 2006 in connection with his activities as a member of the Falun Gong spiritual movement; he is detained in an undisclosed location ("Urgent Action 232/06") [ID 17825]

Document(s): Open document

10.08.2006 - Source: Frankfurter Rundschau

According to dissident and human rights activist, reports of concentration camps for Falun Gong members are false ("Menschenrechtler bezichtigt Sekte der Propaganda") [ID 17826]

Document(s): Open document

05.05.2006 - Source: World Organisation Against Torture

OMCT: Falun Gong practitioners threatened with death, persecution, labour camps, or detention in mental institutions, etc. ("An alternative report by OMCT reveals that Georgia’s policy to fight against crime leads to unacceptable abuse and torture") [#10068], [ID 3933]

"Freedom of association is not respected either in the religious field. Since July 1999, the Chinese government has forbidden the movement of Falun Gong practitioners and has launched a repression against them. They are victims of an increasing use of torture in order to force them to renounce being part of the movement and reeducation through labour is largely used in the brutal campaign against them.

According to the figures provided on 26 September 2002, by the Falun Gong through the Falun Dafa Information Centre, 485 practitioners have allegedly died since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. According to the same source, 100,000 people would have been arbitrarily detained, 20,000 would have been sent to labour camps without trial (for terms up to 3 years), 500 would have been sentenced to extended jail terms (some up to 18 years) 1,000 healthy practitioners are being held in mental institutions."

17.03.2006 - Source: Austrian Centre for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation

10th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Budapest, 1 - 2 December 2005: Final Report on China ("10th European Country of Origin Information Seminar Budapest, 1 - 2 December 2005: Final Report on China") [#46787], [ID 3917]

Document(s): Open document

08.11.2005 - Source: US Department of State

Government repression of Falun Gong movement continues ("International Religious Freedom Report 2005") [#38869], [ID 3918]

"The Government continued its repression of groups that it categorized as "cults" in general and of small Christian-based groups and the Falun Gong in particular. Arrest, detention, and imprisonment of Falun Gong practitioners continued, and there have been credible reports of deaths due to torture and abuse. Practitioners who refuse to recant their beliefs are sometimes subjected to harsh treatment in prisons, reeducation-through-labor camps, and extra-judicial "legal education" centers. Falun Gong adherents engaged in few public activities within China during the period covered by this report, perhaps due to the strength of the Government's campaign against the group. However, there were continuing revelations about the extra-legal activities of the Government's "610 office," implicated in most alleged abuses of Falun Gong practitioners."

Document(s): Open document

19.06.2005 - Source: Weggel, Oskar

On Falun Gong movement (expert opinion, in German) ("Stellungnahme vom 19.6.2005 an VG Leipzig - A 4 K 30104/01 -") [#37159], [ID 3919]

Document(s): Open document

04.2005 - Source: UK Home Office

Country Report April 2005 - Treatment of Falun Gong Practitioners ("Country Report - April 2005") [#31975], [ID 3920]

The report contains additional details on Falun Gong's Origins and Support, Guiding Principles, Exercises/Movements, the "610 Office", as well as on other Qigong groups: Zhong Gong (China Gong), Cibei Gong (Compassion Gong), Guo Gong (Nation Gong), Xiang Gong (Fragrant Gong), Bodhi Gong.

"Treatment of Falun Gong Practitioners

6.122 As reported by the Falun Gong website clearwisdom.net, accessed on 23 January 2005, “there are at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners who have been illegally setenced to prison. Over 100,000 practioners have been sent to labour camps… Large groups of Falun Gong practioners have been forcibly sent to local brainwashing classes, where they have been subjected to both physical and mental torture.” [11d]

6.123 According to the Falun Gong website’s Clear Harmony: Falun Gong in Europe and FalunInfo.Net, both accessed on 24 January 2005, practitioners are subjected to prolonged beatings, scalding with hot irons and long-term sleep depravation. Other forms of abuse can include being force-fed human faeces or being made to drink isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol used to disinfect wounds). In addition to this practitioners have been made to stand or squat in uncomfortable “stress positions”, have had irritants applied to their skin and have been sexually abused by guards or other prisoners acting on their instructions. [11f] [11g]

6.124 On 29 December 2004 Reporters Without Borders condemned the arrest of 11 Falun Gong practitioners for using the Internet to publish photographs of the torture some of them had undergone in prison. This report stated, “Reporters Without Borders calculates that at least 30 people are currently detained for posting or viewing documents on the Internet that support the Falun Gong or criticise the systematic torture its followers undergo in Chinese prisons.” [8gh]

6.125 On 22 January 2004, the same source reported that five “members” of Falun Gong were sentenced to between five and 14 years imprisonment on 19 February 2004 for posting information on the Internet about their mistreatment while in detention. [8gh]

6.126 According to AI in their January 2004 report, Controls tighten as Internet activism grows, of the 54 people detained and sentenced for Internet activism, 29 were Falun Gong practitioners/sympathisers (figures accurate up to 7 January 2004). [6h]

6.127 As reported by the Canadian IRB in a report dated 25 October 2001, the Chinese authorities had confiscated 1.55 million copies of Falun Gong material by the end of July 1999. The IRB also reported the arrest of a number of people for illegally printing, selling and publishing Falun Gong material. The latest of these arrests was in November 2000. Sentences ranged from six to ten year’s imprisonment. [3e]

Treatment of Falun Gong Practitioners’ Relatives

6.128 As reported by the US Citizenship and Immigration Service on 25 February 2004:

“According to outside observers, Chinese authorities at times have pressured family and relatives of Falun Gong practitioners to isolate the practitioners from other adherents, sometimes harassing family members who refuse to comply. At the same time, these sources tend to have little independent information on the extent to which Chinese officials resort to this tactic as they seek to repress the spiritual movement, which formally became state policy in 2001.” [5d]

6.129 The same source continued:

“The only specific reports of harassment of family members come mainly from the Falun Gong movement itself. The Falun Gong web site provides accounts of family members allegedly being arrested in order to pressure adherents who are wanted by authorities into surrendering, or otherwise punished for the adherents' Falun Gong activities. To the extent that these accounts are accurate, however, it is unclear whether they are part of a systemic national practice or are the work of zealous local officials.” [5d]

6.130 This report concluded by stating:

“A Canada-based professor who has studied the Falun Gong movement, but who lacks independent evidence of harassment of family members, said that the reports publicized by the movement appear to be credible. Still, the professor suggested that most harassment of family members of adherents is probably relatively subtle. "My impression is that the harassment of relatives consists less of torture and physical threats, and more of discrimination and threats to livelihood," the professor said in an email to the RIC (Professor 20 Feb 2004).” [5d]"

Document(s): Open document

29.12.2004 - Source: Reporters Sans Frontières

11 members of Falun Gong spiritual movement arrested by Chinese authorities for using the Internet to disseminate photos of the torture some of them have undergone in prison ("11 Falun Gong members arrested for posting torture photos on Internet") [#28027], [ID 3921]

Document(s): Open document

23.06.2004 - Source: BBC News

3 Roman Catholic bishops, one of them 84 years old, arrested in the past month ("Vatican condemns Chinese arrests") [#23478], [ID 3958]

Document(s): Open document

28.01.2004 - Source: BBC News

BBC: Four Falun Gong members have filed a lawsuit in Paris against visiting Chinese Culture Minister, who is said to be responible for "crimes of torture" against the group ("Falun Gong sues China minister") [#19067], [ID 3922]

"Falun Gong sues China minister
Four members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement have filed a lawsuit in Paris against visiting Chinese Culture Minister Sun Jiazheng.
The members said Mr Sun was responsible for "crimes of torture" against the group, which is banned in China.
Mr Sun is accompanying President Hu Jintao on a state visit to France.
The plaintiffs called for him to be detained before he leaves on Thursday, saying he was guilty of "incitement to massacre and persecution".
The four, three women and a man, said they had suffered detentions and torture in connection with their practice of Falun Gong. Three of the group are Chinese, and one of them - a woman - is French.
They said Mr Sun had called through the media for the "elimination" of Falun Gong practitioners, and demanded that he be taken in for questioning.

Protests
Hundreds of followers of Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China, protested outside the Chinese consulate on Tuesday as President Hu addressed the French parliament.
Dozens of French MPs boycotted the speech in protest against China's human rights record.
Falun Gong has been banned in China since 1999 after thousands of members demonstrated in about 30 Chinese cities against the arrest of group leaders.
Their beliefs blend the ideas of the founder, Li Hongzhi, with traditional Chinese exercises and the Taoist and Buddhist faiths.
Li Hongzhi is wanted by the Chinese authorities, but is currently living in the United States.
Falun Gong has said that more than 840 followers have been tortured to death in China.
The movement has previously filed lawsuits outside China against former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who it accuses of orchestrating the persecution of Falun Gong members in China."

Document(s): Open document

30.12.2003 - Source: BBC News

BBC: Falun Gong hacker died in jail ("Falun Gong hacker 'died in jail'") [#18564], [ID 3923]

"A Chinese man jailed for hacking into cable television and broadcasting footage of the banned Falun Gong spiritual movement has died in prison, according to the group's website. [...]
Liu was serving 19 years in prison in the northern province of Jilin for his part in the 2002 protest.
He was one of 15 Falun Gong members who illegally broadcast around 40 minutes of pro-Falun Gong material on a cable TV station in Changchun, capital of Jilin. [...]"

Document(s): Open document

10.2003 - Source: UK Home Office

Country Assessment - October 2003 - Falun Gong ("Country Report - October 2003") [#49232], [ID 3924]

"Overview

6.76. The Falun Gong is a faith group that does not readily fit in with established faith groups, in or outside China. [23a] The Chinese authorities have formally branded Falun Gong as an "evil cult" (xiejiao) and draw parallels to new religious movements outside the PRC that have presented problems to other governments. However, Falun Gong cannot be understood in terms of a "cult" in the Western understanding of the term, lacking a number of key essential features; nor as a religious faith, in Western terms. It is a phenomenon that makes sense in its Chinese context, while attractive in its all-encompassing vagueness and strangeness to Western practitioners and potential converts. It is still a debatable point as to whether it is a religion in terms of the 1951 Convention, though strong arguments have been produced that the Falun Gong are a "social group". Falun Gong is best described as a PRC cultural and now political phenomenon with religious aspects. [23a]

6.77. The official reason for banning Falun Gong was that it was held to be a cult, undermining the ancient spiritual discipline of qigong (See, Beliefs and practice) and posing as a religious organisation. [11h] According to one academic “The Falun Gong's ideological cogency and organizational virtuosity combined to make it a potent social force... Within the regime it was never a question of whether to respond to the Falun Gong's challenge, only how.” [9gaj]

6.78. Senior government officials have called on mainstream religious organisations to unite and help prevent the spread of cults such as Falun Gong. [X3.] Falun Gong has in the past been compared to terrorist organisations; exhibiting “terrorist like features” were the words used. [4tl][4tr]

6.79. During the SARS crisis (see, Medical Services, Current Situation) the authorities accused Falun Gong followers of obstructing the efforts to control the spread of the disease by refusing to be examined or treated. They also accused some practitioners of deliberately trying to infect themselves so as to spread the disease and undermine the government in the process. [20aw.][20ax.] A number of activists were also arrested accused of trying to recruit new members with false promises of immunity to SARS. By the end of May 2003 a total of 249 Falun Gong followers had been arrested in Hebei and Jiangsu provinces. [20ay.][15ad.][15ac.]

Beliefs and Practice

6.80. Falun Gong was founded in 1992 in China by Li Hongzhi and developed from the traditional form Chinese martial arts known qigong (pronounced "chee-gong"). [3g] In addition to martial arts (exercises) qigong also comprises elements of philosophy, emphasising self-realisation and spiritual development. Falun Gong blended these components with elements of Buddhist and Taoist teachings. [3g][20h]

6.81. Traditionally, qigong masters have been accredited with extraordinary powers. Some "gongs" particularly emphasis this miraculous element, but it is not a defining feature of Falun Gong. Falun Gong promises better health and happiness, but not extraordinary powers. [15e]

6.82. Many terms such as Falun Dafa, Falun Gong, and Falungong are used in relation to the movement. The Canadian IRB document CHN33180.DOC details how and where these terms have been used. [3g] The term Falun Dafa is preferred by practitioners themselves. [3g]

6.83. There are five main exercises (encompassing about twenty movements) undertaken by followers of Falun Gong. These are as follows: -

1. Buddha showing a thousand hands - Fozhan Qianshou Fa

2. The Falun standing stance - Falun Zhuangfa

3. Penetrating the two cosmic extremes - Guantong Liangji Fa

4. The great heavenly circuit - Falun Zhoutian Fa

5. Strengthening divine powers - Shentong Jiachi

[22g]

6.84. The symbol of the Falun Gong is the Wan symbol. The Wan of Falun Gong is a golden-yellow right-hand swastika-like symbol on a red circular background, within a larger circle with further wan at the cardinal compass points followed by taiji (Yin-Yang) symbols in between. [22f]

Overview of Organisation

6.85. Li Hongzhi is the key figure in Falun Gong. As re-discoverer of the Way, he has a unique status as the principal teacher and final arbiter of doctrine; his pronouncements are taken as guiding principles. His life story is a battleground for propaganda, with the authorities seeking to portray him as a confidence trickster with an inflated ego. [3g][11h] Li was sighted in July 2000 in New York State, and is said by Falun Gong activists to be in hiding in the US. [4nn][22as]

6.86. Technically there is no formal organisation amongst the Falun Gong. However, standardisation of websites, information flows and the nature of protest, indicate a high level of co-ordination between followers. [23a]

6.87. Membership in terms of organisation is held by the Falun Dafa Institute to be non-existent. Anyone can practice Falun Gong exercises. Followers are held to exercise together because they enjoy each other's company. Conferences are portrayed as the efforts of enthusiastic volunteers. [3co][22a]

6.88. There are no known membership lists, but there have been press reports claiming the Chinese authorities have assembled a list of a thousand names of activists and organisers operating outside the PRC. [9j] The Falun Gong also maintain a site where mainland practitioners, having been forced to recant as part of their re-education can make a "solemn declaration" pledging their allegiance once more to Falun Gong, with 208 declarations as of 14 March 2002. [22an]

6.89. Practitioners reportedly eschew medical treatment, and use faith healing. Most are middle-aged and middle-class. Until the crackdown they gathered in parks and open spaces to practice traditional meditation and breathing exercises. [4an][11f][10t][10u]

6.90. The Falun Gong Institute, claim that the elderly, pregnant women, women with children, children and the infirm have taken the brunt of the authorities' brutalities. A survey by the Institute, of 12,000 practitioners in Guangdong province (1998) found that that over 70 per cent (72.1) of followers were women and over 50 per cent were over 50 years in age. [22a]

6.91. Human Rights Watch (Jan, 2002 Report) paints a slightly different picture of the typical profile of Falun Gong followers, emphasising the appeal of the movement (pre-ban) to members of professional elites, many of who were co-incidentally members of the CCP. Another groups attracted by the movement were computer-literate technocrats and students, who have facilitated Falun Gong's quick spread and leap overseas by use of the Internet. [12i] The ability of Falun Gong followers to hack into state run television channels within the PRC underlines the enduring appeal of the movement to this group. [20bc.][20be.]

6.92. Falun Gong has been identified as a major beneficiary of the Internet. After Li Hongzhi left the PRC in February 1997, websites maintained by his followers have been at the forefront of publicising the “benefits” of Falun Gong. [3g] Prior to Li's relocation to The United States information was passed directly to followers by Li himself then, as the popularity of Falun Gong grew via word of mouth and low cost literature. [5q]

6.93. Print licensing restrictions severely restrict the distribution of Falun Gong materials in the PRC. [3bg][3bm][4sn] Most reports of arrests and detentions for printing Falun Gong materials relate to the period in 1999, shortly after the July ban [3bm] After this date the authorities have tended to concentrate on incidents relating to use of the Internet and electronic media [4sk][4tb]

Key Events

6.94. Key dates are as follows:
13 May 1951 - Date of birth of Li Hongzhi (Falun Gong)
7 July 1952 - Date of birth of Li Hongzhi (PRC authorities)
22 May 1992 - Li Hongzhi founds Falun Gong
August 1993 - Falun Gong accepted as an associated sub-group into the China Qigong Science Research Association
1995 - Li Hongzhi stops teaching Falun Gong, authorities in Hangzhou take action to stop the spread of Falun Gong
24 July 1996 - Chinese government bans Zhuan Falun and other publications
February 1997 - Li Hongzhi formally expelled from the China Qigong Science Research Association
February 1997 - Li Hongzhi and family apply for asylum in New York, leaving at apparent urging of the authorities
18 April 1999 - Tianjin protests
22 April 1999 - Beijing protests
25 April 1999 - Zhongnanhai protest.
22 July 1999 - Falun Gong banned
29 July 1999 - Arrest order for Li Hongzhi issued
30 October 1999 - Law outlawing cults passed
February 2000 - Zhong Gong declared a cult and banned
25 April 2000 - First anniversary of the Zhongnanhai protests - 100 protesters arrested in Beijing
26 June 2000 - period of increased protest by Falun Gong - 1,200 practitioners arrested in 1 week
23 January 2001 - The Beijing immolation's and subsequent crackdown
25 April 2001 - Second anniversary of the Zhongnanhai protests - some public protest in Beijing. Mainly protests outside PRC
21 September 2001 - first reports of actions taken against "terrorists" in China, in the wake of 11 September
1 October 2001 - National Day: no reported protests
5 March 2002 - Falun Gong interrupt cable signal in ChangChun, broadcast pro-Falun Gong programmes for an hour
13 March 2002 - Police orders allegedly escalated to shoot Falun Gong protesters on sight
13 May 2002 - Tenth anniversary of Falun Gong passed with little protest in Hong Kong and none in PRC
15 August 2002 - First Hong Kong cases come to court.
[3h][5q]

Demonstrations

6.95. The nature of Falun Gong protest has developed since the first protests in 1999, with an escalation of tension and desperation now evident in protesters. Well co-ordinated foreign protesters now make up the active face of Falun Gong, with Chinese practitioners all but disappearing. The authorities have changed tact too, moving away from their earlier heavy-handedness (often as a result of being caught off guard) and adopting a far more vigilant stance, unremittingly hostile in tone and action. [10af][10ah][9do][22ax] There have been no reports of protests by foreigners in Tiananmen Square since February 2002.

6.96. On Tuesday 23 February 2001, on the eve of Chinese New Year, four women and one man set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square. The group had doused themselves with petrol. One woman died: the flame on the others was smothered and they were rushed to hospital, badly injured. A twelve-year-old girl was identified later as one of the injured. [9bm] [9bo]

6.97. It is still possible for Falun Gong practitioners to demonstrate in Hong Kong (SAR) due to the high degree of autonomy afforded to its under the "one state, two systems" approach to governing the former British colony (see, Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region). [20bf.]

Arrests

6.98. The Human Rights Watch, as with other commentators previously, found that with regards to information about arrests, detentions, and deaths in custody, there were no sources other than the Falun Gong's and the Chinese authorities' accounts. Their January 2002 report attempts to take a cautious line on available data. [12i] Key demonstrations have the advantage of being staged, initially at least, to a primed and alert media. The actions of the Chinese authorities can therefore they can be viewed first hand. [5q] When this has been possible police have been seen hitting, punching and throwing demonstrators to the ground before the arrest is completed. Their actions have not been moderated on the basis of gender, age or the presence of children. [5q]

6.99. The Human Rights Watch has concluded that after September 2001 Falun Gong had been forced totally underground. [12i]

6.100 The Amnesty International (AI) annual report for the year 2002, puts detentions in the “Tens of thousands” with the number executed at around 500. [6t] And earlier report from June 1999 recorded nearly 2300 cases of detention, arrest or sentencing of Falun Gong practitioners from June 1999 to March 2000. [6s] News reports dated 28 June 2000 reported that police had detained 1,200 suspected Falun Gong members after Falun Gong protests in nine provinces. [4gx]

6.101. A Hong Kong based group, the Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (ICHRD), has produced their own estimates of Falun Gong arrests. They put the number detained since June 1999 at over 35,000 (report published in June 2000). With a further 500 sent to re-education through labour camps. Another human rights group estimated that the number of people in labour camps, in June 200, was over 1000 with an unspecified number of people in short term detention.

6.102. The Chinese authorities claim that the figures misrepresent the situation as they include instances where protesters are escorted away from demonstration or turned back. They claim arrest on criminal charges amounts to 111 key Falun Gong activists, with 150 arrested under the anti-cult law (its unclear whether the 111 arrests are part or separate to the 150 arrests). [5q][4hi]

6.103. The Falun Gong community outside the PRC has monitored how Falun Gong has been included in the Chinese anti-terrorist clampdown, post 11 September. It claims that there have been sharp increases in anti Falun Gong activity, particularly in relations the number of deaths in custody. [4sy][22an]


Trials and Sentences

6.104. Trials are rare (see numbers below), when Falun Gong followers are brought before the courts it is usually to face charges of belonging to a banned organisation and/or cult. They can also face further charges related to public order offences under the Criminal Code, while some have their reputation tainted by dubious allegation of rape or fraud [3ay][6t][6s]

6.105. The Amnesty International (AI) annual report for 1999 (published in 2000) reiterates the 111 cases of criminal charges by 4 November 1999, and the trial of the four key figures in Hainan, also in November 1999. [6t] The authorities stated on 29 January 2000 that 242 core Falun Gong activists have been prosecuted. The actions of the authorities were "... we strike, according to law, harsh blows at an extremely few Falun Gong disciples who commit crimes." [4lp]

6.106. The official figures released in late August 2000 stated 151 criminal convictions in Falun Gong cases by the 15 August 2000. [4ic] Since then, the number of sentences given other than administrative sentences has been about 300 [12i] but the sentences handed out have been between seven and twelve years. Sentences that been pronounced on Falun Gong detainees convicted of "crimes against the state" have been held by commentators to be harsh compared to non Falun Gong convicted prisoners. [5q]

Prison Camps, Torture and Deaths in Custody

6.107. Falun Gong detainees are subject to standard 'prison' conditions, though there are graphic reports of further degradation and routine torture from ex-prisoners, with women held to be particular targets. [22][22][22][5q][22h]

6.108. In October 1999, reports started to mention that Falun Gong activists had been sent to psychiatric institutions. [10ab][2e][2g] Concerns have been expressed about the use of inhumane punishments and degrading practices in psychiatric hospitals. [11c][9cv]

6.109. The first reported death was of an 18-year-old adherent of Falun Gong who died on 20 October 1999 from injuries sustained when she jumped from a train while under police escort. Falun Dafa alleged, via their US spokesperson, that she was intimidated and abused to the point of self-harm while in police custody. The police denied this claiming instead that she wanted to be a martyr. [4eg][2e] The number of death has increased over time since the first death in October 1999. [4hg][4hh][4hi][4ho][4hp][4hs][4il][4iw][6t][9v][22g][22m]

Other Unregistered qigong Groups

6.110. Qing Yang and Tain Tang Baolian are qigong groups that purportedly operated in Liaoning province between 1993 and 1998. The Canadian IRB was unable to find information about these groups. The research report however reiterated that there were many qigong groups [3000 registered groups] operating before 1998 under that auspices of the Qi Gong Science Research Society; that qigong was encouraged by the Chinese government from the early 1980s onwards as a unique cultural asset and health-promotion system. [3al]

6.111. Qing Yang and Tain Tang Baolian qigong groups are listed in the Amnesty International (AI) list of targeted groups (March 2000). [3al][6u] Qigong groups listed in the report, besides Falun Gong and Zhong Gong, are Guo Gong ("nation gong") and Cibei Gong ("Compassion gong"). [6u]

6.112. Guo Gong emerged in reports in November 1999, with the arrest of alleged leaders in Sichuan province, founder given as Liu Jineng. [6u]

6.113. Cibei Gong was reported after the arrest of the alleged founder, Xiao Yun, in Wuhan City, Hunan province. Allegedly in 1997, Xiao Yun set up five practice stations in the provinces of Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi provinces, attracting 900 followers. Cibei Gong teachings are reportedly largely copied from Falun Gong teachings. [6u]

6.114. Not a qigong group, but akin as a meditation practice, the "Guan Yin Method" was founded in 1988 by "Supreme Master Ching Hai" and introduced to mainland China in 1992. Stresses vegetarianism and five "noes" - no killing, no telling lies, no stealing, no lewdness and no drinking. Claims 500,000 followers in 20 municipalities in at least seven provinces. Ching Hai is now based in Taiwan. In 1996, the PSB in Sichuan province discovered a list of several thousand members, alarmed by the number of cadres involved the authorities labelled the Guan Yin Method a "reactionary religious organisation". It was latter redefined as an “evil cult” after the Falun Gong ban of July 1999. [3aw]

6.115. Another qigong group has come to light in 2001, courtesy of the Canadian IRB, namely, "Human Body Science". The leader, Shen Chang, was arrested in 2000 for "using an evil cult to breach the law", a cult "with many anti-scientific elements" and held by the prosecutors to be as dangerous as Li Hongshi. He was sentenced under tax evasion and illegal business practices in September 2001 (sentence unknown). [3bn]

6.116. The IRB were unable to find reports relating to another purported group the Hui Ling Qigong masters. [3bn]

Asylum Cases

6.117. Reuters reported in January 2001, that “membership” of Falun Gong was the fastest growing claim amongst Chinese asylum applicants in the US. Jack Lin of the U.S. INS Asia desk said: "Four years ago, they used reasons such as the one child policy most often. Later on, they thought that was not too feasible... so they changed it to Falun Gong... Some of them don't even understand the meaning of political asylum. Nine out of ten cases, they are coached." [4ld] The Chinese government agreed that illegal immigrants were becoming adept at using "hot button issues" to secure asylum. [4nj]

6.118. Two cases of asylum granted by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), one reported on 8 November, and other reported on 17 November. The first was granted in New York to a 17-year old practitioner. [2a] The second was granted to a female applicant in San Francisco. [9i] The reaction of the Chinese authorities was swift after the first case, viewing the acceptance as an affront. They alleged the U.S. INS had disregarded "the basic facts" that "the Chinese government's handling of the Falun Gong problem has earned staunch support from the people across the country and the understanding of the international community". [4ew]

6.119. There are other, general allegations of torture, including the case of an applicant for asylum in the US, in August 2001. This is the first report to be found in the semi-official China News Service commenting on such asylum cases; talking about the case the police from Guangdong and Guangxi provinces are quoted as saying that they have no record of holding the claimant, and deny the torture. [4qx] There are Falun Gong activists in the UK who have made similar accusations of mistreatment whilst in detention. [9cf]

6.20. In Japan, in April 2001, six members of Falun Gong who tried to return to the PRC were turned away by immigration officials, and forced to travel back to Japan where they applied for political asylum. [4ql]

Update: April to September 2002

6.121. The tenth anniversary of Falun Gong's "founding" in 1992 was marked on 13 May 2002, with some protests in Hong Kong, but none in mainland China, bar a very brief attempt by an individual to unfurl a banner in Tiananmen Square. [9es][4vs] Falun Gong activists in the US are particularly concerned by the increasing influence of the Chinese Government over other government's treatment and attitude towards Falun Gong. [22br] They alleged in June 2002 that Falun Gong members were being impeded and turned away at many airports, particularly in Iceland, purportedly because the members were on a "blacklist" circulated by the Chinese Government as part of international efforts to limit terrorism. [22br] The first prosecutions of Falun Gong members in Hong Kong - for obstruction during demonstrations - were reported on 15 August 2002. [9ex]

Update: October 2002 to March 2003

6.122. Academic reports published during this period examined the organisation on Falun Gong prior to its banning in July 1999 and the financing of Li Hongzhi's operations. [11w] The other reports looked at the campaigning side of Falun Gong, with special emphasis on raising awareness of human rights abuses with in the PRC. [11y]

Update: April to September 2003

6.123. Reports began to emerge in July 2003, of a Falun Gong practitioner being arrested in connection with the poisoning of 16 vagrants in Wenxhou City, Zhejiang province. The state news agency (Xinhua) reported that he told police that killing could improve his own power to reach the ideal state [of mind) in the Falun Gong teachings. [20x.][20bq.]

6.124. On the 20 August 2003, the Belgian Falun Dafa association announced plans to sue former President Jiang Zemin (1993 - 2003) under a recently enacted law covering genocide. The Chinese government accused Falun Gong of trying to damage the good relations between the two countries. [21r.][20br.]

6.125. On 12 September 2003, a federal judge in the United States dismissed a lawsuit brought against Jiang Zemin by an attorney acting on behalf of US-based Falun Gong practitioners: the suit was dismissed on the grounds of sovereign immunity. [14g.]"

Document(s): Open document

01.08.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Information response: Indications for spys on Falun Gong practitioners in Germany ("Stellungnahme vom 1.8.2003 an VG Mainz - 2 K 517/03.MZ -") [#14942], [ID 3926]

"Frage 1: Gibt es in Deutschland ein Spitzelsystem, das sämtliche oder nur die Personen, die chinesischer Nationalität sind und die Falun Gong praktizieren (auch solche, die nur die Übungen ausführen und keinen Bekanntheitsgrad erreicht haben) identifiziert oder dies versucht?

amnesty international liegen über die Maßnahmen chinesischer Behörden, Informationen über die in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland lebenden chinesischen Staatsbürger zu erlangen, keine gesicherten Erkenntnisse vor. Es gibt jedoch Indizien, die dafür sprechen, dass derartige Maßnahmen in einem relevanten Umfang vorgenommen werden:

- Es sind (mündliche) Berichte bekannt über den Versuch chinesischer Auslandsvertretungen, hier lebende chinesische Staatsbürger für Informationsaktivitäten zu gewinnen.

- Reaktionen chinesischer Behörden gegenüber in der VR China lebenden Personen, deren im Ausland lebende Angehörige sich an regierungskritischen Aktivitäten beteiligen oder beteiligt haben, lassen darauf schließen, dass sie über im Ausland erworbene Informationen verfügen.

- Bei verschiedenen Vorfällen wurde chinesischen Falun Gong-Anhängern aus Europa bzw. Nordamerika die Einreise nach Island bzw. der Sonderverwaltungszone Hongkong verwehrt (siehe Antwort zu Frage 11.). Es muss als sehr wahrscheinlich gelten, dass die jeweiligen Behörden nur deswegen so reagieren konnten, weil sie Zugriff auf Listen mit den Namen von im Ausland lebenden Anhängern von Falun Gong vorliegen hatten, die von den Behörden der VR China erstellt wurden.

Frage 2: Gibt es ein solches System für die Stadt Mainz und/oder Frankfurt am Main?

Außer den in diesem Verfahren erhobenen Vorwürfen sind uns keine konkreten Fälle von Spitzeltätigkeiten aus den Städten Mainz und Frankfurt bekannt. Auf Grund der beachtlichen Anzahl der in der Rhein-Main-Region lebenden chinesischen Staatsbürger ist es allerdings nicht unwahrscheinlich, dass auch dort Spitzel tätig sind.

Frage 3: Gibt es einzelne Spitzel die dies tun?

Es sind uns keine Einzelpersonen bekannt, die eine solche Spitzeltätigkeit nachweislich ausgeübt haben.

Frage 4: Versuchen die chinesischen Sicherheitsbehörden Daten über in Deutschland praktizierende einfache Anhänger von Falun Gong zu erhalten?

Da die Falun Gong-Bewegung über keine festen organisatorischen Strukturen verfügt und damit eine Unterscheidung zwischen einfachen und führenden Anhängern schwierig ist, ist es wahrscheinlich, dass die chinesischen Behörden versuchen, die Namen aller Personen zu ermitteln, die sich öffentlich zu Falun Gong bekennen.

Frage 5: Werden die Daten den chinesischen Sicherheitsbehörden bekannt gegeben?

Es muss davon ausgegangen werden, dass die chinesischen Auslandsvertretungen Informationen an die Behörden in der Volksrepublik China weiterleiten, weil die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse für die Tätigkeit der Auslandsvertretung selbst kaum relevant sein dürften.

Frage 6: Wird jeder Falun Gong Praktizierende, der den chinesischen Sicherheitsbehörden bekannt geworden ist, in China festgenommen und/oder verhaftet (Auskunft des Auswärtigen Amtes vom 17.05.00 Gz: 514-516.80/35960)? Sowohl solche, die China nie verlassen haben als auch solche, die zurückkehren?

Auf Grund der großen Anzahl von Anhängern der Falun Gong-Bewegung kann davon ausgegangen werden, dass nicht jeder Anhänger auch festgenommen wird. Nach eigenen Angaben verfügte die Bewegung 1999 über ca. 70-100 Millionen Anhänger allein in China. Die chinesische Regierung ging zum damaligen Zeitpunkt von etwa zwei Millionen aus. Die chinesischen Behörden reagierten nach dem Verbot dieser Bewegung zwar mit einer großen Anzahl von Festnahmen (schätzungsweise wurden mehrere Zehntausend Anhänger seit Juli 1999 festgenommen), setzten aber insbesondere auch auf Abschreckung. So wurden einige Anhänger in Prozessen, über die die chinesischen Medien ausführlich berichteten, zu drakonischen Haftstrafen verurteilt. Ferner wurden inhaftierte Anhänger der Bewegung in der Haft offensichtlich besonders hart und grausam behandelt. Berichten zufolge sind Hunderte von Anhängern der Falun Gong-Bewegung in der Haft an den Folgen von Folter und Misshandlung gestorben.

Frage 7: Hat auch der lediglich praktizierende einfache Anhänger von Falun Gong nach seiner Festnahme mit Freiheitsbeschränkung oder Haftstrafe oder anderen staatlichen Eingriffen zu rechnen?

Unter den Zehntausenden von Festnahmen von Anhängern der Falun Gong-Bewegung, die Berichten zufolge seit Juli 1999 erfolgt sind, soll es sich in den meisten Fällen um praktizierende einfache Anhänger gehandelt haben.

Diese wurden in der Regel auch nicht vor Gericht gestellt, sondern auf administrative Anordnung hin für mehre Wochen oder Monate festgehalten.

In dieser Zeit unterlagen die Inhaftierten harten Haftbedingungen und in vielen Fällen Folterungen und Misshandlungen. Freigelassene Anhänger der Falun Gong-Bewegung berichten, dass von ihnen erwartet wurde, dass sie sich von der Bewegung lossagen.

Frage 8: Was geschieht, wenn er erklärt, kein Falun Gong mehr zu praktizieren?

Personen, die bereit sind, unter Umständen auch öffentlich zu erklären, dass sie sich von Falun Gong losgesagt haben, werden kaum mehr mit Festnahme oder sonstigen Freiheitsbeschränkungen rechnen müssen. Es besteht aber eine gewisse Wahrscheinlichkeit dafür, dass sie weiterhin von Repressionen betroffen sind, wie etwa den Verlust des Arbeitsplatzes sowie Behinderungen bei der Suche nach Arbeit.

Frage 9: Werden in China systematisch Falun Gong Anhänger ermittelt, z.B. durch Beleidigungen des Gründers Li Hongzhi oder die Anweisung an Passanten auf öffentlichen Bahnhöfen über das Bild des Falun Gong Gründers zu gehen oder durch ein Aussagegebot zu Falun Gong bei Einstellungen?

Derartige Berichte sind amnesty international bislang nicht bekannt. Es sind allerdings regional und lokal große Unterschiede bei der Wahl der Methoden zur Durchsetzung des Verbots der Falun Gong-Bewegung und der Intensität der Verfolgung erkennbar, sodass nicht ausgeschlossen werden kann, dass örtlich von derartigen Methoden Gebrauch gemacht wurde.

Frage 10: Gelten die Bewohner der Provinz Liaoning und der beiden anderen Ostprovinzen als besonders verdächtig Falun Gong zu praktizieren und hat deshalb jeder dieser Bewohner bei einer Einreise nach China mit besonders intensiven Ermittlungsmaßnahmen unter Einschluss von Misshandlungen zu rechnen?

amnesty international liegen keine Informationen vor, die eine solche Schlussfolgerung nahe legen würden.

Frage 11: Gibt es "schwarze Listen" über im Ausland lebende Falun Gong Praktizieren-de?

amnesty international liegen eine Reihe von Berichten vor, die darauf schließen lassen, dass derartige "Schwarze Listen" existieren:

- Im Ausland lebende chinesische Anhänger von Falun Gong gaben an, dass ihnen im Juni 2002 die Reise nach Island mit dem Hinweis verweigert wurde, sie stünden auf einer derartigen Liste.

- Am Flughafen von Hongkong wurden Berichten zufolge im Mai 2001 mindestens 15 Anhänger der Falun Gong-Bewegung, die von Europa, USA bzw. Australien kommend in die Sonderwirtschaftszone einreisen wollten, abgewiesen. Damit sollten offensichtlich Proteste gegen den damaligen chinesischen Staatspräsidenten verhindert werden, der Hongkong wenige Tage später besuchen sollte.

- Mindestens 90 Anhängern von Falun Gong soll Ende Juni 2002 im Vorfeld des fünften Jahrestages der Rückgabe von Hongkong an die Volksrepublik China die Einreise in die Sonderwirtschaftszone verweigert worden sein. Aus diesem Anlass sollte der damalige chinesische Staatspräsident Jiang Zemin Hongkong besuchen.

- Laut einem Bericht der Hongkonger Zeitung South China Morning Post wurde im Juli 2002 eine Frau aus Taiwan am Flughafen von Hongkong festgehalten und die Einreise verwehrt. Sie vermutet, dass dies geschah, weil sie mit einem Anhänger von Falun Gong gleichen Namens verwechselt wurde.

- Im Jahr 2001 soll einer Anhängerin von Falun Gong aus Hongkong die Einreise in die Sonderverwaltungszone Macau verweigert worden sein.

Frage 12: Werden den Behörden in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland solche Listen von chinesischen Sicherheitsbehörden bekannt gegeben, um z.B. Aktivitäten der dort Genannten bei chinesischen Staatsbesuchen zu verhindern?

amnesty international ist nicht bekannt, ob den Behörden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland derartige Listen übergeben wurden. Die o.g. Berichte über die Verhinderung von Reisen von Falun Gong-Anhängern nach Island wären aber ein Indiz dafür, dass chinesische Behörden Informationen über Falun Gong-Anhänger an ausländische Regierungen weitergegeben haben.

Frage 13: Werden solche Listen an andere Staaten übergeben?

Siehe Antwort zu Frage 12.

Frage 14: Liegen darüber hinaus Erkenntnisse über die Verfolgung zurückkehrender einfacher Falun Gong-Anhänger vor, die in Deutschland an Aktionen und Veranstaltungen von Falun Gong z.B. bei Demonstrationen vor der chinesischen Botschaft oder Info-Tagen teilgenommen haben?

amnesty international sind bisher keine Fälle von Falun Gong-Anhänger bekannt geworden, die in Deutschland an Protesten gegen das Vorgehen der chinesischen Behörden gegen diese Bewegung beteiligt waren und nach China zurückgekehrt oder abgeschoben worden sind.

Frage 15: Wie hoch ist das Risiko einer Verfolgung dieser Personen durch die chinesischen Sicherheitsbehörden?

Chinesische Staatsbürger, die sich im Ausland aktiv als Anhänger von Falun Gong zu erkennen gegeben haben, stellen aus Sicht der chinesischen Behörden eine große Gefahr für die Bemühungen dar, diese Bewegung vollständig zu unterdrücken. Zum einen können die Behörden davon ausgehen, dass diese Personen über Kontakte zu anderen Anhängern von Falun Gong verfügen, die sie auch nach Rückkehr in die Volksrepublik China pflegen. Moderne Kommunikationstechnologien, wie etwa das Internet, bieten, obwohl mit Risiken verbunden, dafür entsprechende Möglichkeiten. Ferner können die Behörden davon ausgehen, dass sich Anhänger von Falun Gong auch nach Wiedereinreise mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit zu dieser Bewegung bekennen werden. Dafür spricht, dass es den chinesischen Behörden trotz massiver Verfolgungsmaßnahmen nicht gelungen ist, die Falun Gong-Bewegung innerhalb der Volksrepublik China zu unterdrücken.

amnesty international geht daher davon aus, dass chinesische Staatsbürger, die sich im Ausland offen und aktiv, beispielsweise in Form von Beteiligung an Demonstrationen oder der Formulierung von an führende chinesische Politiker adressierte Protestbriefe, als Anhänger von Falun Gong zu erkennen gegeben haben, mit Repressalien rechnen müssen. Sie werden zwar nur mit einer eher geringen Wahrscheinlichkeit mit einer sofortigen Festnahme allein auf Grund ihres Verhaltens im Ausland rechnen müssen. Es kann aber davon ausgegangen werden, dass sie unter Beobachtung stehen.

Allerdings ist mit gravierenden Repressalien bis hin zur Festnahme zu rechnen, falls die betreffende Person anschließend weiterhin Falun Gong Übungen praktiziert oder sich in sonstiger Weise für die Bewegung einsetzt.

Sofern es sich bei dem chinesischen Staatsbürger um eine Person handelt, die innerhalb von Falun Gong eine herausgehobene Rolle gespielt hat, so ist allein deshalb nach einer möglichen Rückkehr in die Volksrepublik China mit einer Festnahme zu rechnen."

Document(s): Open document

01.08.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Information response: Attatchment: Report of the South China Morning Post ("Stellungnahme vom 1.8.2003 an VG Mainz - 2 K 517/03.MZ -") [#14942], [ID 3927]

"[...]
Artikel aus der South China Morning Post (Hongkong) vom 13.7.2002:

Visitor refused entry 'mistaken for sect member'

A Taiwanese visitor claims she and her two young children were held at Chek Lap Kok airport for 20 hours and refused entry after she was apparently mistaken for a Falun Gong member.

Lai Shu-lin, 34, claims she was under close surveillance and was not allowed to even close the toilet door during her detention, according to her husband, Mr Choy, who is from Hong Kong.

In a telefone interview from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Mr Choy, who would not give his full name, told the South China Morning Post that his wife took their son, aged five, and daughter, seven, to Hong Kong on June 30 to visit relatives.

But on arrival at about 7pm the family was taken to a separate room by immigration officers.

Mr Choy claimed immigration officers refused to explain to his wife why she was denied entry and detained, but asked the family to take a 10am flight back to Taiwan the next day.

Mrs Lau was told by another person detained in the same room that she had probably been mistaken for a Falun Gong member who shared the same name.

The family was finally sent back on an afternoon flight at 3pm.

Mr Choy, who moved to Taiwan 10 years ago, accused the Hong Kong government of failing to carry out a thorough investigation before deporting innocent people.

"How can someone be refused entry or detained only because they share the same name of the people blacklisted by the government? That is ridiculous," he said.

Officials have always insisted there is no blacklist of Falun Gong members.

Mr Choy said he would not allow his family to visit Hong Kong in future unless immigration officials cleared his wife's name from the list.

The Immigration Department yesterday said it refused to comment on individual cases, but insisted nobody had been refused entry on religious grounds.

The number of people denied entry at Chek Lap Kok last year rose by almost 28 per cent on the previous year, despite a drop in travellers flying into the SAR.

Among those refused entry were 13 overseas Falun Gong members who wanted to join the group's SAR conference in January. More than 100 sect members were turned away in May during a visit by President Jiang Zemin."

Document(s): Open document

01.08.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Information response: Attatchment: Report of the press agency AFP ("Stellungnahme vom 1.8.2003 an VG Mainz - 2 K 517/03.MZ -") [#14942], [ID 3929]

"[...]
Bericht der Nachrichtenagentur AFP vom 9.4.2003:

Taiwan Falungong Group Sue Hong Kong over Human Right Abuses

TAIPEI, April 9 (AFP) - A group of Taiwan Falungong practitioners said Wednesday they were filing a lawsuit against the Hong Kong government over what they said was the "inhumane treatment" they had received there.

Theresa Chu, one of the four Taiwanese plaintiffs, told AFP she believed it was the first time ever foreigners had taken the Hong Kong government to court.

"We are doing this because we want it to be known to the world that the Hong Kong government had suppressed the freedow of religion entitled by its own laws," Chu said.

The four Taiwanese and another activist in Hong Kong have lodged the suit through a lawyer in the territory.

It relates to an incident in February when 80 of 450 Taiwanese Falungong practitioners flew to Hong Kong to attend a meeting and demonstration only to be refused entry on arrival.

At least nine of those who returned home alleged they were treated violently when they argued with immigration officials, the group said.

Chu claimed that the move by Hong Kong authorities contravened Hong Kong's Basic Law, the mini-constitution introduced after the 1997 handover, and the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights.

"We hope the Hong Kong legal authorities would hand down a punitive punishment to their government for the illegal detention of the four plaintiffs, including the use of violence to two of them," Chu said.

The Falungong spiritual group, which combines meditation with Buddhist-inspired teachings, was banned by China in July 1999 as an "evil cult" but remains legal in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China since 1997."

Document(s): Open document

01.08.2003 - Source: Amnesty International

AI: Information response: Attatchment: Press release of the Falun Gong Information Center in Germany ("Stellungnahme vom 1.8.2003 an VG Mainz - 2 K 517/03.MZ -") [#14942], [ID 3937]

"Pressemitteilung des Falun Gong Informationszentrums Deutschland vom 2.7.2002:

Hongkongs Gesetze durch Pekings "Schwarze Listen" in Frage gestellt

Mehr als 100 Bürger aus etwa 11 Ländern wurden ohne Erklärung abgewiesen

Am Abend des 29. Juli wurden auf dem Flughafen von Hongkong mehr als 100 Falun Gong-Praktizierende aus über 11 Ländern an der Einreise gehindert. Am selben Tag übergaben Praktizierende in Hongkong einen Brief an die Regierung der SAR, mit der Aufforderung, die "Schwarze Liste" des Jiang Zemin-Regimes abzulehnen und Praktizierenden die Einreise nach Hongkong auch während des Staatsbesuches von Jiang Zemin zu gestatten.


Unter den abgewiesenen Falun Gong-Praktizierenden befanden sich Australier, Japaner, Franzosen, Schweden, Schweizer, Koreaner, Indonesier, Inder und mindestens 70 Taiwanesen. Sie alle wollten an einer friedlichen Mahnwache und einem Appell gegen die Verfolgung von Falun Gong in China teilnehmen.

Unangemessen harte Behandlung und starke Bewachung auf dem Flughafen Hongkong

Nach Berichten aus Hongkong behandelten die Beamten des "Immigration Department" die verhafteten Praktizierenden mit ungewöhnlicher Härte. Ihr Gepäck wurde mehrfach kontrolliert und sie standen unter starker Bewachung von bis zu acht Polizisten pro Person.

Sophie Xiao, Sprecherin von Falun Gong in Hongkong, sagte dazu: "Auf diese Weise empfängt eine offene Gesellschaft Menschen, die durch ihren Appell das Leben von Tausenden in China retten wollen? Falun Gong hat in aller Welt friedliche, ordentliche, gesetzeskonforme Appelle durchgeführt. Was könnte Hongkong fürchten, wenn nicht den Zorn von Jiang?"

Viele Beamte in Hongkong drückten den Falun Gong-Praktizierenden gegenüber ihre Sympathie und ihr Verständnis aus: "Wir folgen nur den Befehlen von oben", sagten sie entschuldigend und: "Ihr habt eine Menge durchgemacht, es tut uns Leid."

Inzwischen haben Falun Gong-Praktizierende in Hongkong während Jiang Zemins Besuch eine friedliche Mahnwache mit Kerzenlicht abgehalten. Zwar wurden sie hinter Absperrungen und Häuser verbannt, aber die internationale Presse hat sie sehr wohl wahrgenommen. Der Appell richtete sich an die chinesische Regierung, die Verfolgung zu beenden und er rief die Regierungen und Menschen in aller Welt zu Mithilfe auf, um die wachsende Zahl von Grausamkeiten durch Jiangs Regime zu stoppen.

Der lange Arm der Kommunistischen Partei macht Demokratien zu Komplizen des Unrechts

Die "Schwarze Liste" Chinas mit Namen von Falun Gong-Praktizierenden verschiedener Nationalitäten geht um die Welt und führte bereits im Januar 2001 zum ersten Mal zu Einreisebeschränkungen nach Hongkong. Auf Grund dieser Liste, die auch in europäischen Ländern bekannt ist, wurde im Juni 2002 während des Besuches von Jiang Zemin etwa 80 Falun Gong-Praktizierenden die Einreise nach Island verweigert. Dort stellten sich allerdings sowohl die Bevölkerung als auch die Medien schützend und mit Demonstrationen neben die Falun Gong-Praktizierenden.

Andrea Fischer vom deutschen Falun Gong Informationszentrum: "Wenn eine bekanntermaßen friedliche Gruppe irgendwo in der Welt einen öffentlichen Appell an einen Diktator richten will, der für den Tod von Hunderten wenn nicht sogar Tausenden Falun Gong-Praktizierenden verantwortlich ist, und demokratische Regierungen sich seinen willkürlichen Anordnungen beugen, machen sie sich dann nicht zu Komplizen des Unrechts? Wo wird das hinführen? Wie viele unschuldige