25th Year Anniversary
For 25 years, people who practice Falun Gong in China have been the victims of the Chinese regime’s campaign to eradicate the spiritual practice. They regularly face harassment by authorities, arbitrary detention, unthinkable forms of torture, and even death in custody. Moreover, the campaign is increasingly reaching beyond China’s borders, with practitioners around the world facing physical attacks, disinformation campaigns, and censorship of Falun Gong-related events.
Despite these abuses, tens of millions in China and hundreds of thousands worldwide continue to hold onto the practice’s principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance as they peacefully resist persecution. With loved ones lost and families separated, Falun Gong practitioners have demonstrated astounding courage and resilience.
A quarter century after the persecution’s onset, we reflect on these atrocities and ask: what more can we do to stop this?
Calendar of Events
April 21
Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the April 25 Appeal
Location: New York City, New York
Parade: 12:00 pm - 38th Ave to Kissena Bld.
Rally: After parade to 3:00 pm - Queens Public Library at Flushing
Candlelight Vigil: 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm - 42nd street & 12 Ave. near Chinese Consulate
April 25
Webinar: Religious Dissent in China
and the Legacy of April 25
3:00 pm - 4:30 pm ET
REGISTER HERE
Calendar of Notable Dates from 1999
Feb 14
100 Million People
An official from China’s National Sports Commission, speaking with U.S. News & World Report, intimates that as many as 100 million may have taken up the practice. The official highlights the costs the practice is saving China’s national health care system, declaring that, “Premier Zhu Rongji is very happy about that.”
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April 25
Over 10,000 Appeal to Government
In response to the wrongful arrest of several Falun Gong practitioners in nearby Tianjin, over 10,000 go to Beijing's Appeals Office to request the government to step in and resolve the problem. What most don't know is that Falun Gong practitioners were told by government officials to go to Beijing to make their appeal...
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June 10
Formation of the 610 office
In preparation for the persecution, Jiang Zemin ordered the formation of an extralegal police force tasked with eradicated Falun Gong. The office is referred to as the 610 office as it was formed on June 10, 1999.
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August 16
First death of Falun Gong practitioner
Chen Ying, a 17 year old girl from Heilongjiang Province, was arrested for appealing in Beijing for the right to practice her faith and died attempting to flee police custody on August 16, 1999.
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October 25
CCP Leader Deploys False 'cult' Label
After months of struggling to explain the crackdown on Falun Gong and with international pressure mounting, then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin initiated a propaganda offensive aimed at convincing the international community that Falun Gong was a 'cult' -- a label China experts say is false and used as a political tool.
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October 29
Underground Press Conference
On October 29, 1999, Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing held a secret
press conference for western media. Most who spoke out at the press conference later disappeared.
Ding Yang, who displayed for media
how she was treated it detention, was later tortured to death. Interpreter Cai Mingtao was killed too.
December 26
Lengthy Sentences of Practitioners
On December 26, 1999, a Chinese court sentenced four people who organized Falun Gong practice sites to long prison terms of up to 18.
Read more
Videos
The following short videos highlight key aspects of the Falun Gong story that has emerged over the last 25 years.
Take action
Help lend a voice to those silenced. By calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong on social media with #25YearsTooLong, you spotlight the enduring injustice and help galvanize global attention.
