September 30, 2001.

[Translated by Raphael Farrugia, a news editor for Net TV station in Malta]

Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) is an ancient form of qigong, a practice based on the doctrines of the Tao and Buddha schools. It has the power to transform the mind and body with simple exercises.

Like Tai Chi, qigong is an integral part of the life of Asian people, and one can see thousands of people practising these exercises early in the morning in China. In fact, within a few years after Falun Gong was introduced, it had become the most popular qigong in Chinese history.

The most important reason behind this is because the main teachings behind Falun Gong, places its emphasis on the value of human morality. This is unlike other forms of qigong, which only teach the physical exercise. This aspect is also recognised and respected by many entities and governments worldwide.

The "Fa" refers to the Laws of the Universe, and "Lun" means Wheel, and therefore Falun was translated as "The Law Wheel." Gong is a form of energy, which is gained by individuals who practise the cultivation of the mind and body. The effectiveness on health and its deeper principles have made Falun Gong very popular worldwide.

From the time when it was made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong has attracted millions of people from all walks of life, from more than 40 countries. The fact that most universities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe have Falun Gong participant groups shows how much this practice has flourished.

Mr. Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong in China in 1992. He taught the practice publicly for two years, during which the number of followers had grown drastically. Typically because of the Chinese culture, he is known as Master, or Teacher. [..]

Falun Gong exercises are very simple and consist primarily of five sets of basic exercises that include meditation. According to the Falun Gong practitioners, one can benefit quite a lot from the practice, and this varies from a healthy mind, a healthy life to stress relief. Falun Gong is based on the universal principle: Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, and these help the participants to become a better person in whatever they do.

PERSECUTION

Even though Falun Gong has no political agenda, the Chinese Government has regarded its followers as a threat, [...] to its communist ideology.

In July 1999, the Chinese Government publicly banned Falun Gong officially, and President Jiang Zemin started the persecution against, circa, 70 million Chinese people who practise Falun Gong. From then on, thousands (50,000 as quoted by Wenyi Wang) of followers had been arrested, were expelled from their workplaces, schools and universities and sent to labour camps without trials. Others had been sent to mental hospitals, and more than 260 Falun Gong members have been killed while in police custody. This has been done even after Li Hongzhi stated that they are not in any way against the Chinese Government, neither in the present time and nor in the future. "They can treat us wrongly, but we shall never treat anyone wrongly".

In December 2000, European Parliament members passed a resolution appealing to the Chinese Government to stop the persecution against Falun Gong members, release all those members held in prisons, release all charges brought against Mr. Li Hongzhi, and start dialogue with Falun Gong members to reach a peaceful solution for this crisis.

[..] The number of practitioners who are persecuted grows. The death toll of those in police custody also keeps growing. While the Chinese Government admits that there have been deaths, they say that the cause is either suicide or illness [standard accusations used by the authorities to cover up their crimes- editor ].

[..]

Practitioners believe that with practising Falun Gong, both mind and body can benefit. And there are those who regard it as the jewel of traditional Chinese culture.

The truth is that the intolerance that the Chinese Government is showing against this movement is wrong and everyone in the world should oppose the persecution. In today's world everyone has the right to practice any religion one wants.

Source:"Compassion", an official Falun Dafa review, number 2, 2001-09-30

• Falun Gong members regard President Jiang Zemin as the architect behind the brutal persecutions against them. They also accuse the police that organises squads against those who practise Falun Gong.
• According to Falun Gong members, women are abused by the police. They strip off the female practitioners' clothes and hit them on their breasts and vagina with a bamboo stick.
• In China, a lawyer cannot defend a Falun Gong member. The Public Security force in China, known as "6-10 Office", released a political document (not yet published officially), stating that "all social status of those who practise will be ruined and their wages stopped, to finally eliminate them.
• All those who abuse the practitioners to death will not be held responsible and the deaths will be declared as suicide.
• According to Amnesty International, the number of victims escalates everyday, and most of the victims die from brutality and torture, or by force-feeding during hunger strike.
• The founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2000. More than thirty prominent professors around the world recommended the Nobel Peace Prize Committee to consider his "peaceful teachings" that have influenced millions of people in the world.
• The Chinese Government is publicly destroying books, cassettes and other Falun Gong literature. The public burning of the materials has been going on since July of 1999.
• Another method being used against Falun Gong is that practitioners are being sent to mental institutions.
• Female practitioners have been forced to undergo abortions, while students have been expelled from colleges and universities.