Germany Sentences Chinese Spy Who Targeted Falun Gong, Mid-Autumn Festival Greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi from Across the World

Dear Reader,

A German court has sentenced former parliamentary staffer Guo Jian to four years and nine months in prison for spying on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

According to court findings, Guo had passed sensitive European Parliament information and intelligence to his CCP handlers between 2019 and 2024. Evidence presented in court revealed that he leaked internal EU documents related to the European Parliament’s January 2024 resolution condemning the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong and calling for sanctions against perpetrators, including those responsible for the illegal imprisonment of Mr. Ding Yuande, a Falun Gong practitioner in China.

The verdict, delivered on Sept. 30, marks one of the most serious known cases of Chinese espionage in Germany to date.

Also in this issue:

• Falun Gong practitioners and supporters worldwide conveyed thousands of heartfelt Mid-autumn festival greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the practice.

• A 70-year-old Falun Gong practitioner was persecuted to death in Gansu Province Prison in September.

• Falun Dafa practitioners from across Europe gathered in Sweden to mark the 30th anniversary of the spiritual practice’s introduction to the continent.

Finally, we are sharing an award-winning documentary titled Up We Soar, available to view for free at FalunInfo TV. Combining animation and live interviews, the film tells the true story of a family separated by persecution and how a young girl inspires her jailed mother, who manages to offer her daughter guidance even behind bars.   

FEATURE STORY

AfD politician Maximilian Krah (Left) with his former employee Guo Jian (Right). (Maximilian Krah/Facebook)

What’s new? 

On Sept. 30, Germany’s Higher Regional Court in Dresden sentenced Guo Jian, a German national of Chinese origin to four years and nine months in prison for spying on behalf of the CCP. He was a former aide to AfD politician Maximillian Krah. The court ruled that Guo’s actions constituted serious intelligence activity for a foreign power, and a federal prosecutor described the case as “the most serious known instance of Chinese espionage in Germany to date”.

According to German prosecutors, for years Guo had supplied Beijing with sensitive European Parliament documents and intelligence about Chinese dissidents in Germany. Court evidence showed that in January 2024, Guo repeatedly transmitted details of European Parliament negotiations to his Chinese handlers, including confidential information related to the EU resolution (2024/2504 RSP) condemning the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong.

Guo’s reports covered the resolution’s procedural steps and intent to sanction perpetrators involved in the imprisonment of Mr. Ding Yuande, a Falun Gong practitioner held in Shandong Prison and the father of a German resident.

Why does it matter? 

The verdict exposes the deepest known instance of Chinese espionage in Germany and highlights how the CCP’s influence has penetrated European political institutions.

European Parliament Member Miriam Lexmann, a member of the Committee on International Trade and Delegation for relations with the People’s Republic of China, warned that the CCP’s repressive reach “continues to pursue people across the world—its tyrannical claws spreading to our countries”.

Germany’s ruling serves as a warning that foreign interference and human-rights-related espionage remain an urgent security concern across democratic societies.

What else do you need to know?

Guo’s conviction fits a broader pattern of espionage and transnational repression targeting Falun Gong and other dissident groups.

In the United States, federal courts have sentenced several CCP agents for intimidating Falun Gong practitioners, reporting details of their lives to Chinese security forces back in China, and attempting to sabotage related organizations such as Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Earlier disclosures—like Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin’s 2005 revelation that Beijing maintained over 1,000 spies in Australia—show the CCP’s long-running global campaign to monitor and suppress Falun Gong overseas.

AROUND THE WORLD

Mid-autumn greeting cards to Mr. Li Hongzhi from across the world (Minghui)

As the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived on Oct. 6, Falun Dafa practitioners and supporters from around the world sent heartfelt greetings to Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of the practice. From 30 provinces and regions across China, practitioners expressed profound gratitude for Mr. Li’s compassionate guidance and for introducing the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

A couple and their two children from Fuzhou City, Fujian Province said in their greeting, “Falun Dafa has helped us become better people and our gratitude is beyond words. There is no way for us to return Master’s compassion and sacrifice. We will remain diligent on the cultivation path and help Master save more people.”

In addition to people in China, practitioners from more than 60 countries and supporters of Falun Gong also sent their greetings, expressing enduring respect for Mr. Li and sharing remarkable improvements in health, peace, and happiness after recognizing the goodness of the practice. Together, practitioners and supporters conveyed a united message of gratitude: “Thank you, Master Li, for your boundless compassion. We wish you a joyful and peaceful Mid-Autumn Festival.”

PERSECUTION IN CHINA

Ms. Li Qiaolian, a 70-year-old retired worker from Baiyin City, Gansu Province, died on Sept. 12, while serving a three-year-nine-month prison term in Gansu Province Women’s Prison for practicing Falun Gong.

Ms. Li began vomiting blood in April 2025 and was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer that had spread to her spine. Despite her family’s repeated pleas, the prison denied her medical parole because she refused to renounce her beliefs. She was allowed limited visits, and officials declined to issue a critical condition notice until she passed away—just one month before her scheduled release.

Ms. Li’s death underscores the continuing danger that millions of Falun Gong practitioners face across China, especially the elderly who have been increasingly targeted by the regime’s security forces in recent years.

NEWS

Falun Dafa practitioners from across Europe gathered to mark the 30th anniversary of the spiritual practice’s introduction to Europe. (Minghui/Edited by Faluninfo)

Falun Dafa practitioners from across Europe gathered in Gothenburg, Sweden, in September to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the practice’s introduction to Europe. The festivities included two parades on Sept. 20, a Nordic cultivation experience sharing conference on Sept. 21, and candlelight vigils honoring victims of the persecution in China. The parades featured traditional Chinese performances, exercise demonstrations, and colorful banners promoting the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

At the Nordic Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference, attendees shared stories of personal growth and spiritual transformation through the practice. Martin Lindell shared his cultivation experience: “Cultivation has made me stronger and wiser. I’ve learned to not be distracted by the outside world and I’m able to remain peaceful.” He began practicing Falun Dafa more than 25 years ago.

The celebrations concluded with solemn candlelight vigils at Gothenburg’s Gustaf Adolfs Torg and Götaplatsen, where participants and locals paid tribute to those persecuted in China for their faith.

Ms. Wang Huijuan and her family

This story on Faluninfo.net recounts how a Chinese family—teacher Wang Huijuan, her husband Li Zhenjun, and their daughter Fuyao—was torn apart by the Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Gong. Wang was imprisoned and tortured for her faith; Li was repeatedly detained; and their daughter grew up amid fear and stigma. After years of separation and suffering, the family finally reunited in the United States in 2014, beginning a new life free from oppression yet still haunted by the trauma of their past.

Their reunion is a powerful reminder, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday season, of the meaning of family and freedom. For them, the ability to share a peaceful meal together represents a victory over unimaginable cruelty. Yet, their story also highlights those still missing from such tables—countless Falun Gong practitioners and others unjustly detained in China, as their families still fight for their loved ones’ releases.

As many Chinese families gather in warmth and gratitude, Wang’s family reminds us to cherish those moments—and to remember the many who remain separated by persecution, awaiting the day that they, too, can be reunited.

Up We Soar is a 50-minute-long award-winning film based on the true story of the family mentioned above. After Ms. Wang is jailed for distributing flyers and DVDs about Falun Gong, human rights abuses, and the distortions told by Chinese state media, seven-year-old Fuyao is separated from her mother.

But this is not the story of a child who helplessly struggles in the cracks of society. Instead, Fuyao becomes a key source of inspiration for her scared mom, who is surrounded by murderers, drug dealers, and brutal prison guards. As her mom gradually regains her inner strength, she nurtures and safeguards her daughter Fuyao during her turbulent teenage years, using extraordinary means.

Combining animation and live interviews, Up We Soar brings to life a true story of courage, love, and perseverance in the darkest of times. The film, which won Best Feature at the Los Angeles Animation Festival after its 2020 release, is available to view for free at FalunInfo TV.