2010 Annual Report

Developments in Hong Kong and Macau

Although technically part of the People’s Republic of China, unlike in the Mainland, Falun Gong is not banned in Hong Kong and Macau and practitioners are generally allowed to practice freely. The treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in these territories has thus emerged as a critical test for the “one country, two systems” arrangement under which the two former European colonies were returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999 respectively. Though not experiencing the harsh repression of their counterparts on the Mainland, since 1999, adherents based in these territories or traveling to them have encountered various degrees of harassment, surveillance, and travel restrictions. Several Hong Kong residents have also been detained and imprisoned on the Mainland.

Falun Gong In the News

Throughout 2009, a range of American and international media outlets reported on Falun Gong, with article topics ranging from accounts of human rights abuses suffered by practitioners in China to editorials calling for increased support of technologies designed by Falun Gong engineers for circumventing internet censorship. The following are selected excerpts from such reports, listed in chronological order

Selected Excerpts from United Nations Reports

United Nations (U.N.) Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups first began conveying communications and urgent appeals about Falun Gong adherents to the Chinese authorities in 2000. Since then, they have issued urgent appeals for dozens of adherents, transmitted hundreds of cases of concern to the Chinese government, and determined in formal opinions that Falun Gong adherents were detained arbitrarily. This section includes a selection of key excerpts from their reports and appeals.

Falun Gong's Peaceful Resistance

Falun Gong: Beliefs and Demographics

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice that belongs to the Buddhist school, though it is not related to the religion of Buddhism. It consists of a meditation, four gentle qigong exercises, and the moral teachings of founder Mr. Li Hongzhi.

In the Words of Chinese Human Rights Lawyers

PHOTOS Torture and Other Inhumane Treatment

Jailed for Their Beliefs

For many Americans, their first encounter with Falun Gong is to see its practitioners passing out fliers or newsletters. They might be in the vicinity of a visit by Hu Jintao, in front of a Chinese consulate, or on an ordinary street corner. Why would these people dedicate so much time trying to get the public’s attention?

Falun Gong Persecution and Activism in 2009

As China enters the second decade of the 21st century, to casual observers, its cities and towns are permeated with symbols of modernity from skyscrapers to 3G cell phones. And yet, as this report goes to print, tens of millions of ordinary citizens remain trapped in a decade-old nightmare more reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution than of what might be expected in a leading economic power. A significant body of evidence testifies to this reality.

Common “Transformation” Tactics