Key Topics Archives - Falun Dafa Information Center

Western media coverage of persecution and overall view of Falun Gong changed its tone multiple times over time. When the crackdown started, Falun Gong was rather unknown practice in the West, and the media pieces were a mix of some great journalism (Pulitzer Winner) on one side, but also publishing CCP's anti-Falun Gong rhetoric on the other. Few months into the persecution the tone of major media aligned even more with CCP viewpoint of the practice. Then, suddenly for about the next 20 years, almost entire media blackout happened when it comes to Falun Gong. In the past decade CCP purchased spaces in American media for its propaganda "news". And reports of other CCP linked companies gained more financial holding and influence over American businesses. Reports of experts, journalists and influencers being offered money by the CCP... Lately, with only a few notable exceptions, pieces mentinoing falun gong voice CCP's new propaganda talking points -- that are tailored to the trigger western society. Financial investments -- China ownership, investments, buying propagand spaces in american media... ...Harrassing and Bribing Experts and Influencers — next text goes here: governments reaching across borders to silence dissent among Spreading Propaganda & Misinformation — From inserts in western media, to western jouornalists using CCPs talking points, to Avoiding & Killing Stories — After 2002 what happened could be described as media blackout when it comes to persecution of Falun Gong. For the past twenty years, the persecution was covered sporadically. On several occasions articles and news programs were stopped before being released. Is There Evidence? China: Leaked Documents from 610 Office Reveal Directives for Manipulation of Western Media — A 2017 document was leaked from the 610 Office, which clearly outlines the CCP’s strategy of mobilizing foreign journalists and international media to report on Falun Gong in a manner that more closely matches Beijing’s own demonization of the practice: “By … cultivating non-governmental forces, we can fight heretical religions such as “Falun Gong,” thereby mobilizing influential and friendly people such as experts, scholars, journalists, and overseas Chinese community leaders to speak up. We should strive to have foreign media take a tone more favorable to us .”France: ISRM -- medi passageHarvard Study on 50cent -- text here (Harvard Study)Argentina: Journalist come forward -- irsm rapport Youtube influencers come forward -- saying Chinese embassies reach out to them with money to promote CCP propaganda -- text here Mixed Early Reporting 1999: Falun Gong on Front Cover of New York Times — When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) first launched the campaign to eliminate Falun Gong, it did make headline news around the world. In 1999 alone, Falun Gong was featured on the cover of the New York Times on six separate occasions, including a top story about a secret press conference held by Falun Gong practitioners for Western journalists on the outskirts of Beijing. 2000: Wall Street Journal Articles Investigating Persecution of Falun Gong Win Pulitzer — Throughout 2000, the Wall Street Journal ran a series of investigative articles that exposed how Falun Gong practitioners were routinely imprisoned and tortured, sometimes to death, around China. These articles won the Journal a Pulitzer for investigative journalism.Most other reports published statements by the CCP's propaganda department — The Journal’s series was, however, the exception. Most early coverage was not in-depth, perhaps due to the fact that the spiritual practice was unfamiliar to most Western journalists. Furthermore, many reports continued to base reports around statements from CCP officials and other propaganda produced by China’s state-run media. Consequently, many Western media reports carried, to some extent, the CCP’s lies and false narratives about Falun Gong. The New York Times Coverage of Falun Gong 6 PHOTOS Timeline: Journalism, Propaganda, Silence & Money First Days: NYT front covers and WP pulitzer price --CCP Public Security Harasses Western Journalists in China — Chinese authorities began to harass foreign journalists who had been covering the unfolding crackdown on Falun Gong. Five foreign reporters who attended a secret news conference with Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing, had their credentials temporarily taken away by Chinese public security authorities. The following week, the Chinese Foreign Ministry called in these journalists to issue warnings. “Our members have been followed, detained, interrogated and threatened. Television reporters have had satellite transmissions interfered with and video shipments delayed. A number of members have had their press cards and residence permits indiscriminately confiscated, and some have been threatened with further, more serious action.” —The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China letter of protest to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, November 10, 1999New York Times Publisher meets with CCP Leader Jiang Zemin, The Architect of Persecution of Falun Gong — In 2001, New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger traveled to China to meet with then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin. Within days, nytimes.com was unblocked in China (and remained so for some time), and a team was established to build a Chinese-language edition of the New York Times. And for the next two decades, the Times was suspiciously quiet on Falun Gong, even as rival media, including the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal continued to cover the story in-depth for at least another year or two. (Link)From Changing "Journalistic Tone" to Deafening Silence — A few months into the persecution, western media reports started to increasingly feature Chinese regime talking points in their Falun Gong coverage, often without any significant inquiry into the validity of the accusations made by the CCP. Beginning in 2002, however, the coverage fell off a cliff completely. Except a 2008 piece in New York Times and several articles in the last few years covering forced organ harvesting atrocities, there has not been a single significant article in any of the top five U.S. news outlets on the persecution of Falun Gong in China.CCP Propaganda Inserts in Major US Media Outlets -- WSJ, WaPo, NYT, LA Times, USA Today... all did it in the past. But they stopped. Right now, I think LA Times does it. I just asked ChatGPT. WaPo carried it from 2011 to Nov 2019. NYT from 2012 to Dec 2019. WSJ from 2016 to June 2020. LA Times from 2008 to Aug 2018. USA Today from 2017 to Aug 2019. Obviously US side ended the contract. So much pressure on these media from Trump admin. Xinhua Screen was installed in 2011 and removed in 2019.Many Western Media Owners have Significant Business Ties in China — It is also worth noting that many Western media companies have majority owners or parent companies with significant business ties with China. At the very least, this represents a significant conflict of interest between profits and candid, fair reporting on the Falun Gong human rights crisis. (Video)CCP Tailors Its Anti-Falun Gong Message to Strike a Nerve with Host Countries — The implementation of 610 Office's directive has appeared to tangibly impact reports by Western media that echo the CCP’s propaganda against Falun Gong: the exact same phrases, heretic slurs, and defaming language used by Chinese state-run media have been included in some Western media reports, and like their Chinese state-run counterparts, pay little heed to reality. For example, in an October 24, 2020 New York Times article, the author propagates the false claim that Falun Gong belief “forbids interracial marriage.” Even the most basic exploration of Falun Gong communities throughout the United States, and indeed around the world, prove this to be false. On the contrary, interracial marriages and families are quite common.misinformation likely stems from English-language Chinese government websites and other official sources, which tailor their anti-Falun Gong messaging according to the narratives that have the best chance of striking a nerve in the host country. As racial tensions have soared in the United States in recent years, these Chinese government websites moved “racial discrimination” accusations to the top of their anti-Falun Gong propaganda pages.NYT reporter: Kills story on Falun Gong Organ Harvestin -- Former New York Times Beijing correspondent Didi Kirsten Tatlow’s testimony to the China Tribunal suggests not only that forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience did take place in China, and that it was an open secret among transplant surgeons, but notably, that the New York Times actively discouraged her from reporting on this fact.UK: Goeffrey Nice QC -- BBC killed story.... . . A Deafening Silence For the past 20 years, there has been a significant silence on the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Besides a 2008 piece in the New York Times, and several articles in the last few years covering forced organ harvesting atrocities, for the past 20 years, there has not been a single significant article in any of the top five U.S. news outlets on the persecution of Falun Gong in China. This, despite the fact that the annual reports by human rights groups and governments around the world have documented millions of Falun Gong practitioners detained, imprisoned, tortured or killed by Chinese authorities. At the same time, the Center has documented many cases of media outlets killing Falun Gong stories, cancelling Falun Gong interviews, and dubious meetings between CCP officials and major media leaders/publishers (learn more at: Why haven’t I heard about this?) -------- OLD CONTENT ---------- Public Evidence of CCP's Espionage on Falun Gong: Global Pattern of Attacks on Falun Gong Attacks on falun gong have global pattern ... tadyda, text here... visiting prominent CCP officials, big events held by falun gong practitioners... Cases below cover only xyz type of espionaz and attacks. Further cases of transnational suppression are covered under Diplomatic & International pressure, and Propaganda & Media Silence. Featured cases of CCP's spying and attacks on Falun Gong around the world:FOR JAN: https://freedomhouse.org/report/transnational-repression/china#footnote43_4pwqcqx United States: New York City: Consul General in NYC Instructs Chinese Communities to Attack Falun Gong — Over the course of several days, pro-Beijing mobs harassed and physically assaulted Falun Gong practitioners in the streets of Flushing, New York City. Threats of killing, physical attacks and other violence was caught on camera during those days. Then-PRC Consul General in NYC, Peng Keyu, later, during interview with a journalist, admitted on tape that he instructed Chinese “community” groups to carry out the attacks. 16 of the attackers were arrested. (May 2008)Atlanta: Asian Men Armed with Gun and Knife Beat Information Technology Specialist in his Home, Steal Computers — Peter Yuan Li was assaulted and robbed by armed Asian men in his Atlanta home in February 2006. Li was an information technology specialist who had been active in Falun Gong human rights advocacy for over six years. Two men had forced their way in Li’s house, pulled out a gun and knife, and wrapped him up in a blanket. They then used duct tape to cover his mouth, eyes, and ears, and an extension cord to tie up his arms and legs. The men beat him severely about the head and face, probably with the butt of the gun, Li said. He bled profusely. Half an hour later, they left. They had overturned his file cabinets and stolen two laptop computers and potentially other important documents, Li says, but no valuables. The wounds on Li’s face required 15 stitches. (Photos in gallery, Link)San Francisco: attack in the streets -- UPDATE: New York: Physical Assaults, Vandalizing events -- 2015, 2022 -- text goes here UPDATE: New York City: (2023) - Text here.... (Link) UPDATE: (2022) A man was charged with a hate crime for attacking multiple Falun Gong information booths in New York over a span of four days. (Photos, Link)New York City: Breaking into Homes of Practitioners — Between 1999 and 2003, the apartment of Falun Gong spokeswoman Gail Rachlin was broken into five times. The only items taken were her contact book, tax records, and Falun Gong-related materials. No valuables were stolen. (Link) New York: Tapping phones of Practitioners — Nearly every active Falun Gong practitioner overseas has first-hand evidence of being spied on using electronic devices. One example is that of Dr. Sen Nieh, who reported that his private conversations were recorded and then played back to him on his answering machine when he returned home, supposedly as a form of intimidation (Washington Post 2001). Many active practitioners during that time had similar experience as Emily Meyer described in her testimony. These cases were reported to the FBI.Chicago: Members of Organization with Close Ties to Chinese Consulate Assault Practitioners — In 2003, five Falun Gong practitioners were assaulted while distributing leaflets outside the Chicago Chinese Consulate. The two assailants, who were convicted of battery, were members of a Chinese-American organization with close ties to the consulate.New York: Breaking into secure email accounts — One Infocenter researcher, had his “secure” email broken into from distinct unknown IP addresses for months. These are pgp encrypted accounts run from private servers. As no changing of passwords or switching computers could stop it, the hacking continued on a daily basis until the account had to be shut down. Upstate New York: — Chinese embassy agents trespassing on falun gongs campus property, FBI agents called ...New York City: Local Pro-Communist Chinese Leader Arrested for Assaulting Falun Gong Practitioners — On June 25, 2003, Mr. Guan Jun Liang, a Pro-Communist leader and chairman of the Unified Organization of Overseas Chinese Associations, was arrested by New York City police for his leading role in a group assault against Falun Gong practitioners near a local restaurant. (Photo, Link) Canada: Chinese Security Forces Threaten Family of Canadian Miss World to Silence Her — In May 2015, the newly crowned Miss World Canada Anastasia Lin received a distressed phone call from her father in Changsha, Hunan Province, telling her he had been visited by Chinese security forces. Chinese authorities have moved quickly to silence Ms. Lin, threatening her father who lives in China that if she keeps up her human rights advocacy he and the rest of her family in China will pay for it. Lin campaigned for the title of Miss World Canada on a human rights platform, including the persecution of Falun Gong. (Link)Death Threats and Intimidation to Investigators of Organ Harvesting David Matas and David Kilgour — David Matas: "There has been active attempts to intimidate researchers on this file, to shut us up and shut us down, me and my colleagues working on the file. In our published works, we give many such examples. When I spoke at a forum in Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Australia August 4, 2008, after the formal presentation was over, the local as well as the internet participants had space to ask questions. Chinese government police official asked me: "Are you afraid of death? You are brutally interfering in our Party’s internal policies. Are you afraid of our revenge? Our revenge against you, we’ll take revenge against you, are you not afraid of that?”" (Link)Confucius Instutute in Canada - hiding / firing of practitioner or smoething... film about itCEO of Ottawa's Festival Pressures Falun Gong Practitioners to Take Off Shirts and Leave — In June 2019, during the annual Dragon Boat Festival in a public park in Ottawa, the festival’s CEO ordered practitioner Gerry Smith to take off his shirt with words ‘Falun Dafa’ and the principles of the spiritual practice: ‘Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance.’ The CEO of the event said the Chinese Embassy was a sponsor of their event and that his shirt was an “inappropriate political statement.” The CEO also said seven to eight other Falun Gong practitioners who were doing the meditation exercises in the same park needed to leave.CCP Police Threatening Family of Canada Refugee — William Wang, an aircraft design engineer who experienced persecution in China, said that even after he found refuge in Canada in 1999, he could still feel the pressure of the persecution. The CCP police often called and threatened Mr. Wang’s father. They said he would lose his job and have no career if he ever returned to China if he continued to practice Falun Gong in Canada. Australia: Sydney: Chinese Consul Reveals 1,000 Spies Operate in Australia Alone — In 2005, Chen Yonglin, the former first secretary and consul for Political Affairs at the Chinese Consulate-General of Sydney, made headlines when he dramatically defected and revealed that the People’s Republic operates a network of about 1,000 spies in Australia alone. According to Mr. Chen Yonglin, one of the functions of each Special Anti-Falun Gong Working Group is to compile a complete list of all Falun Gong practitioners in local areas and collect as much information as possible about them so that the consulate or embassy could assign Chinese students and CCP supporters in the local Chinese business community to maintain surveillance on their movements. Perth: Chinese Consulate Attempts to Stop Falun Gong Activities in the City — According to a report by the local WAtoday newspaper in February 2020, the Chinese Consulate frequently contacts the city’s executive management team, attempting to persuade officials to stop the city from issuing permits to Falun Gong practitioners for their activities and demonstrations. The city of Perth has continued to issue permits for Falun Gong practitioners’ activities because they have always complied with the law.Perth: Falun Gong Forbidden to Participate in Christmas Parade — In 2018, the Chinese Consulate made another attempt to have Falun Gong barred from participating in the Perth Christmas parade, but was exposed by Australian media. Falun Gong practitioners have participated in every annual parade since 2008, but for the first time they were forbidden from wearing any outfits that would identify them as “Falun Gong.” Following this incident, in December 2021, the Falun Gong community in Perth was banned entirely from participating in the Perth Christmas Pageant. South Africa Johannesburg: Gunmen Open Fire on a Practitioners Serving Lawsuit Against Chinese Officials — In June 2004, gunmen opened fire on a car of visiting Chinese Falun Gong adherents. The shooting disabled the car and the bullets seriously injured driver's feet. The group of practitioners had just arrived in Johannesburg with intent to serve Chinese officials Zeng Qinghong and Bo Xilai with a lawsuit over crimes against humanity. This incident sent a message that the CCP will commit any felony in their attempts to silence Falun Gong. (Story, Film) Argentina Buenos Aires: Falun Gong Practitioners Assaulted after Serving a Lawsuit Against Visiting Chinese Official — In December 2005, ethnic Chinese assailants punched and kicked a group of Falun Gong adherents in Buenos Aires in front of national media. The attack came the day after a visiting top Chinese official, Luo Gan, was served with a lawsuit for torture and crimes against humanity. Buenos Aires: 30 Chinese Men Assault Protestors During Hu Jintao's Visit — In 2004, during a visit by Party leader Hu Jintao, thirty Chinese men attacked Falun Gong practitioners, cutting their banners with knives. Several members of the Falun Gong group were injured in the assault. Banners and poster displays documenting rights violations in China were wrestled from the Falun Gong and stolen by the assailants. (Story) Brazil During Xi Jipings Visit to the Brazil Police Arrested four Accomplices of the Chinese Embassy — Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, and Cuba from July 14 to 23 Falun Gong set up peaceful appeals. During the visit to Brazil, the officials of the Chinese embassy feared that Xi and his entourage would see Falun Gong's appeals and messages, so they set up barriers everywhere to block and snatch the banners of Falun Gong practitioners. During the process, four CCP accomplices were arrested by the police. (Link) United Kingdom Ethan Gutman -- threats?London, Chinatown: He Renyong Threatens to Kill Practitioners — Over the course of April and May 2021, He Renyong came to the Falun Gong booth in London’s Chinatown with several other people, threatening to kill and beat up the volunteer practitioners. Witnesses who saw He Renyong’s violent behavior called the police. When they arrived, the instigators with He ran off, leaving He to be handcuffed and taken away alone in a police vehicle. During hearing of the case in a local Westminster court on February 3, 2022 recording of He’s assault in Chinatown was played. The Westminster court in the U.K. sentenced He Renyong to 16 weeks in prison for assaulting and harassing Falun Dafa practitioners in Chinatown. He was charged with threatening, abusive, humiliating speech, and action, harassment, beating, and assault. France FROM CYNTHIA: On Aug 23, 2022, when Falun Gong practitioners held activities to raise awareness of the persecution (with approved permit from Paris police) on China street in the 3rd district of Paris, an ethnic-Chinese man violently disrupted the event by tearing down a Falun Gong practitioners’ banner. He also moved trash cans to be in front of practitioners’ other banners. He yelled: “you can’t be here. The Chinese embassy is here.” Finland National Media Publishes How CCP is Spying on Ex-pats in Finland — Yleisradio, Finland’s national radio company, published an article on May 21, 2020, outlining some of the ways the Chinese Communist Party is spying on Chinese ex-pats in Finland, titled “Under the Watchful Eye of China” (Kiinan Valvonvan Silmän). Spying activities by a foreign power against its former or current citizens are referred to as “refugee espionage.” The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO) have documented incidents of Chinese spies monitoring and harassing Falun Gong practitioners among other groups.Lapland: Practitioner Harrassed by People Affiliated with Chinese Embassy. — Jin Zhaoyu, a Falun Gong practitioner who lived in Lapland in northern Finland since 2008, campaigned in Finland against the human rights violations in China for years, especially when her mother was jailed in China because of her Falun Gong practice. Because of her activities, she has been on the receiving end of harassment by people affiliated with the Chinese Embassy in Finland. Yle said that Jin’s efforts to rescue her mother and other detained practitioners garnered media attention. Her story was run in Helsingin Sanomat, the largest subscription newspaper in Finland. Amnesty International also showed support for Jin’s rescue efforts and considered her mother a prisoner of conscience.Lapland: Defamation of Practitioner's Business by CCP Consulate Affiliated Companies — Jin Zhaoyu's tourism company, which provides experiences including trips to see Northern Lights, has been attacked online by employees of mainland Chinese companies. The largest of them is Arctic China. Finnish media contacted Arctic China CEO Tang Chao about the alleged defamation of Jin’s business. Tang said he did not know Jin and ended the call. The Yle report said that, according to the Chinese Embassy in Finland, Tang has been the contact person for the Chinese Consulate in Rovaniemi since 2017. Russia Moscow: Authorities Ban Falun Gong's Spiritual Texts — Following years of improving relations between Moscow and the CCP, Russian authorities have made various moves to restrict the activities of local residents who practice Falun Gong, including banning spiritual texts and attempting to designate Falun Gong as “extremist,” under problematic local laws used to suppress civil society. Siberia: Court Disbands Local Group of Believers — On July 8, 2021, a court in the Siberian region of Khakassia designated Falun Gong as “extremist” and disbanded a local group of believers. The U.S. Department of State quickly condemned the decision, noting that it effectively serves to “criminalize the peaceful practice of their spiritual beliefs. Russian authorities harass, fine, and imprison Falun Gong practitioners for such simple acts as meditating and possessing spiritual texts.” Germany text to be added Hongkong Bomb scare at four-star hotel hosting Falun Gong event sees 1,600 guests evacuated — A group of five, some with suspected triad links, were allegedly hired to disrupt Falun Gong's annual conference by planting fake explosive device. Experts and robots from the police Explosive and Ordnance Disposal Bureau were deployed. All five were arrested. (Link)Hong Kong News-Press Forced to Suspend Printing After Rounds of Violent and Arsonist Attacks — The Hong Kong printing plant has suffered a slew of attacks over the past 15 years. On one occasion four men smashed printing press equipment and tossed construction debris on the equipment before fleeing in a white van. Among the items damaged were multiple computers and the printing press’s central control panel. They also stole a computer as they left. On another occasion the thugs proceeded to throw a flammable liquid onto one of the printing machines and its paper roll and set them on fire, before running off. Epoch Times, originally started by group of Falun Gong practitioners, is one of the last free media in Hong Kong. The paper also often carries persecution stories of Falun Gong. (Link)Journalist Assaulted with Softball Bat — On May 11, 2021, Ms. Sarah Liang was assaulted by an unidentified man wielding an aluminum softball bat. She suffered multiple bruises on her legs, and told the media that the same man had tried the assault before on May 8 at the same location in front of her home. Liang is a long-time reporter for the Epoch Times, one of the last few beacons of free media in the country. The incident is the latest in a string of attacks on Epoch Times facilities and its reporters in Hong Kong— all suspected of being organized by the Chinese regime as part of its campaign to silence the outlet’s uncensored and pro-democratic coverage.Man destroys Practitioner's Stalls and Computers — On December 13, 19, and 20, 2020, Hu Aimin, a 47-year-old man, physically assaulted three Falun Gong practitioners who were legally operating street stalls in different locations in Hong Kong. He destroyed the stalls, damaging also his victims’ computers. On December 24, 2020, he was arrested and subsequently charged. During the trial in 2022, the CCP’s legal and propaganda maneuvers tried to compel the judiciary to declare that Hu did not commit any crimes by vandalizing the booths. Mr. Hu claimed the booths are illegal, and in order to “defend national security,” he “has the right to enforce the law on his own.” (Link)Two Masked Man Severely Injure Practitioners — Ms. Liao Qiulan and two other Falun Gong practitioners visited the Cheung Sha Wan police department on September 24, 2019, to discuss an upcoming October 1st parade. When they left the police station two masked men dressed in black attacked Ms. Liao. One hit her head, and the other struck her body. Ms. Liao suffered severe bruising and a gash to her head that bled profusely. After being taken to a hospital, she needed five stitches to close the two-inch gash on her head. On January 26, 2022, Ke Yanzhan was sentenced to two years and nine months for acting as a lookout during the attack. Two suspects believed to be the assailants Mr. Ke was helping have been charged but have not been convicted.Falun Gong Adherents Denied Entry to Hong Kong — In March 2008, shortly before the arrival of the Olympic torch, several Taiwanese Falun Gong adherents were denied entry, as they sought to join a Human Rights Torch Relay, according to Hong Kong’s Falun Dafa Association spokesman Kan Hung-cheung. Taiwan Taipei: CCP Association Members Assault Practitioners and Police — Assailants Zhang Xiuye, Gao Shumei, and Yu Gangsheng from the pro-CCP Concentric Patriotism Association verbally abused and physically assaulted Falun Gong practitioners and Taiwanese police officers. Zhang even shouted in front of Taipei 101 on January 19, 2015, “I’m a thug sent by the CCP. So what?”Ganzhou: Taiwanese citizen Abducted by Chinese Agents — June 2012, 53-year-old Taiwanese citizen Mr. Chung Ting-pang, was abducted by Chinese security agents as he was preparing to board a plane at Ganzhou airport in southern China after visiting relatives for three days. Sources in China indicate that Zhou Yongkang, the highest-ranking Communist Party official leading the campaign against Falun Gong, may have ordered Chung’s arrest himself. “His relatives drove him to the airport and watched as he walked into the passenger-only area, but he didn’t arrive at the airport in Taiwan,” the Chung’s wife said at a press conference at Taiwan’s parliament on June 22. “We contacted his relatives in China immediately; they went to check and told us that he was taken away from the airport to ‘assist in an investigation of Falun Gong activities.’”(((??? wasnt in Cynthias, keep???))) A 2004 Taipei Times report tells of a suspected spy arrested in Taiwan. The man collected information about Falun Gong practitioners while working as a cab driver. Using his information, Party authorities blacklisted many Taiwanese Falun Gong adherents, later barring them from entering China and even Hong Kong. (http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2004/09/16/2003203087) South Korea Ansan City: 100 Pro-Communist Thugs Attack Participants in Korea's ‘Quit the CCP Parade’ — In September 2009, a parade organized by Falun Gong practitioners that celebrated 60 million Chinese who have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations was held in South Korea. Soon after participants of the parade broke up, more than 100 thugs suddenly showed up and ravaged the site where the gathering was held. Some carried weapons such as a three-section staff, attacking whomever they came in contact with. More than 10 participants of the parade were reported to have been injured. The thugs also damaged participants’ equipment, banners, and posters. They did not stop the violence when police were called to the scene. Many witnesses told the newspaper that some of the thugs shouted, “The Chinese Embassy is behind us and we have nothing to be afraid of. The Korean police cannot do anything about this.” (Link) Other Asian Countries Thailand: Multiple Falun Gong practitioners in Thailand have also faced detention, including a Taiwanese man involved in uncensored radio broadcasts to China. 46Thailand, 2019: Asylum Seeker Arrested by Thai Police Fears Being Sent Back to China. Leng Tao, 64, was arrested by Thai police on November 4 allegedly over his immigration status and then ordered by a local court to leave the country. Leng, a Falun Gong practitioner who suffered persecution in China, is a Youtuber with following of 30,000. The police took his phone during interogation. Mr. Leng said: “The people in immigration detention cente) who are familiar with these operations said that my mobile phone was taken to the Chinese Embassy”. (Photos, Link)Thailand, 2016: https://time.com/4207428/li-xin-journalist-thailand-return-china/ Other European Countries Czechia, 2014: Chinese Embassy Official Physically Assaults Falun Gong Practitioners -- Czech Republic police arrested a Chinese embassy official and two members of the “welcome group” on August 28, 2014, in Prague, during a Chinese delegation visit. As the Chinese delegation’s motorcade approached, the Chinese embassy official and members of the welcome group arranged by the CCP physically assaulted protesting practitioners and tried to snatch their banners. The police arrested the official and another two men. (Photos, Link)Czechia, 2005: Embassy Affiliated "Welcome Group" Attacks Protesters During Prime Minister Visit — In 2005, during the visit of Wen Jiabao, the protesters stationed themselves in front of hotel where Wen was staying as well as infront of Chinese embassy. The Chinese consulate would dispatch 2 buses full of "greeters" with red flags — mostly Chinese students — to cover the protestors' presence and message. The "greeters" would often attack and steal practitioner's banners. During one event the students came to ask how much are practitioners were paid to protest. They were puzzled by that, and disclosed that they were paid 400 CZK (around $20) each. These events were covered and photographed in detail in Reflex magazine and other national media. Slovakia, 2009: Falun Gong — (maybe find place for these points) (China) Bribery: Falun Gong adherents who have returned to China since 1999 have reported that after they arrive local police will contact them for “a friendly chat.” During these conversations the officers ultimately ask (using persuasion methods ranging from bribery to threats) that after they return overseas the individuals provide periodical “reports about the situation” (qing bao) in the alleged service of the motherland. USA: Infiltration of student organizations: While Party espionage takes many forms, one final type brought to light since 2007 is the infiltration of student organizations. Ostensibly created for facilitating acclimation and cultural exchange, Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) groups in America and Europe work closely with their embassies and consulates. They spy on classmates, lobby foreign governments, and disrupt campus activities about rights abuses in China. Former CSSA presidents have testified that these student groups basically serve as overseas front organizations for the Party. ++++ DanDan case Ms. Wang Xiaodan, for instance, told of how she was singled out at her University of Minnesota Chinese student club (http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-6-26/56872.html). The elderly Ms. Huang Daiming won a lawsuit after an Ottawa Chinese seniors club revoked her license because she practices Falun Gong (http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/resources/news/e_bg_falun-gong/view). But while the FBI has been compiling evidence about these activities, unlike the uproar over the stealing of military secrets, the international outcry over this form of espionage remains muted, allowing it to continue fairly unchecked.

Propaganda & Silence in Western Media (wip)

Husband of You Ling

Xu Na

Fang Bin

Transnational Repression

Mother of Steven Wang

Civil Disobedience

Falun Gong Health and Wellness

Mother of Simon Zhang

Persecution of Women