Ottawa: Victim Speaks Out on Chinese Regime’s Transnational Harassment During Peaceful Protest to Mark 26 Years of Persecution

(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners held a peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, Canada on July 20, 2025. They called for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 26-year-long persecution of Falun Gong.

Among the participants was 26-year-old Liu Zhiyuan, a Chinese international student, who shared the story of how his family suffered under the persecution.

Practitioners peacefully protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, Canada on July 20, 2025, calling for an end to the CCP’s 26-year persecution of Falun Gong.

Liu Zhiyuan said, “Today, I stand here because I can no longer stay silent. Today, I speak out so the truth is no longer hidden.”

Standing alongside other practitioners in Ottawa, Liu made a heartfelt appeal, “We urge the CCP to immediately stop persecuting Falun Gong and release all practitioners who are illegally detained. We call on Canada and the international community to include Falun Gong human rights issues in their diplomatic discussions. We call on the Chinese people to see through the lies and rediscover their conscience. And we call on kind-hearted people around the world to speak out and help end this persecution that has already lasted 26 years.”

International student Liu Zhiyuan described how his family suffered under the persecution for the past 26 years.

Father Released but Still Under Surveillance

Liu Zhiyuan’s father, Liu Zhoubo, is a petroleum engineer. He has been repeatedly and illegally sentenced and tortured because of his faith. He has been held unlawfully for a total of more than 13 years. Although he was recently “released,” he is still closely monitored by the police and must report to the local police station every week.

While in illegal detention, police and prison guards often forced Liu Zhoubo to undergo medical exams. Liu Zhiyuan suspects these exams were related to forced organ harvesting. In prison he was forced to do hard physical labor late at night. He was under constant surveillance and faced various threats, including bullying which was directed by the prison guards.

Liu Zhoubo was also forced to renounce his belief in Falun Gong, but he refused. He was threatened that if he refused, he would be put on a blacklist, making it difficult to find work or even to travel without reporting to the authorities.

Anonymous Threats After Speaking Out Abroad

Liu Zhiyuan, who now lives in Canada, is also a victim of the CCP’s cross-border harassment and intimidation. Two years ago, he spoke publicly at the Chinese Embassy in Canada and on Parliament Hill, calling for his father’s release and exposing the truth about the persecution.

He subsequently received threatening, anonymous emails from the address [e-mail]. He described the threat, “The sender claimed to be a friend of my mother, and demanded that I remove my speeches and interviews from The Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television. Otherwise, my father would face even harsher punishment.”

Liu’s mother confirmed via WeChat that prison guards and their superiors were aware of this and have tried to pressure the family through personal contacts. This shows how the CCP’s harassment extends across borders.

Liu Zhiyuan said, “This is the CCP’s ‘guilt by association’ intimidation, using family members as weapons of persecution. But what keeps me from staying silent is not only the suffering we have faced, but also what I have witnessed firsthand... Falun Gong is the right path, and my family has benefited greatly from practicing it.”

“I Have to Speak Out”

As a practitioner, Liu Zhiyuan emphasized that speaking the truth is not about confrontation. It’s about staying true to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He recalled peaceful childhood moments spent reading Falun Gong’s teachings and doing the exercises with his parents. He also remembered a small but meaningful event, how his father once scratched another person’s car and immediately apologized and offered to pay for the damage. That kind of kindness, he said, was something that Falun Gong brought into his family’s life. Yet, under the CCP’s persecution, such goodness has been ignored and suppressed.

According to the Minghui website, at least 5,238 practitioners are confirmed to have died as a result of persecution since the CCP launched its campaign against Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. Because of the CCP’s strict information control, the true number is likely much higher. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Liu Zhiyuan said in his speech, “I know I have to speak out. Because staying silent means allowing it to happen. Avoiding it means accepting it.”

He added, “This persecution is ongoing. It is a systematic form of state violence. From spreading lies, to torture, to forced organ harvesting, practitioners in China are facing a human rights crisis that is beyond words.”

A Firsthand Account of July 20, 1999

Wang Yang, a software professional at a multinational company, was one of the practitioners who peacefully appealed on July 20, 1999, the day the CCP began its nationwide crackdown. He recalled that many practice site coordinators were suddenly arrested. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, many practitioners went to the central government’s Petition Office in Beijing to appeal.

Wang described what happened next, “Soon after, many empty buses arrived, and soldiers came out. They violently dragged or threw practitioners into the buses. They didn’t care who it was, women, even children, some were dragged by their hair. The soldiers were extremely rough.”

Wang, who was later detained for holding firmly to his faith, described the conditions in the labor camp, “In the labor camp, the CCP used torture and brainwashing against practitioners. Every day, we were crammed into a tiny room and forced to sit on small, hard stools for hours at a time. We were made to repeatedly watch videos that slandered Falun Gong, and then pressured to ‘transform’ which means giving up our belief.”

Years of Peaceful Resistance

At the gathering, Hector Reyes, a Mexican-Canadian nutritionist, recalled that 26 years ago he had just started practicing. When he learned about the persecution in China, he came to the Chinese Embassy to peacefully protest. At the time, he was deeply confused. “I couldn’t understand why such kind and peaceful people were being targeted in China. At that time, over 100 million people were practicing Falun Gong. The CCP saw it as a threat and tried to wipe it out.”

Practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa on July 20, 2025, calling for an end to the 26-year-long persecution. Hector Reyes spoke at the event.

Now a grandfather, Hector shared how practicing Falun Gong transformed his life. He said that after he began practicing, his body became lighter, his illnesses went away, and he found a calm and balanced state of mind. Falun Gong helped him become a better husband, father, and grandfather, and made him more considerate of others.

“Before doing something, I now think about other people first. That’s very precious.”

Since that first protest 26 years ago, Hector has returned to the Chinese Embassy every year on July 20 to peacefully call for an end to the persecution.

“We are here again to raise our voices: Stop the persecution.”

Transnational Repression Shows the CCP is Near Collapse

According to the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI), since March 2024 there have been 154 incidents of anonymous violent threats linked to the CCP targeting practitioners around the world. These threats have been directed at Shen Yun Performing Arts, theaters hosting its shows, practitioners, and even elected officials who support Falun Gong. The threats include bombings, shootings, sexual violence, murder, and cyberattacks.

Wang Yang said that the CCP’s tactics not only target Falun Gong and Shen Yun performers, but also pose a threat to public safety in the West. He believes these incidents help the international community see the CCP’s true nature.

“When a regime is on the verge of collapse,” he said, “it becomes desperate, and resorts to illegal and extreme measures to try to cling to power.”

Wang emphasized that these transnational acts of repression are a direct challenge to core Western values such as freedom of speech, freedom of belief, and public safety. He added, “The persecution model the CCP uses inside China is now being exported abroad. By ignoring the law and undermining order, the CCP is showing that its behavior overseas mirrors the same brutal tactics it uses at home.”

Hector Reyes added, “The CCP doesn’t just persecute Falun Gong in China. It extends its suppression overseas.”

He gave the example of Shen Yun Performing Arts, a company that promotes traditional Chinese culture and raises awareness about human rights abuses in China.

“Shen Yun has been repeatedly targeted by the CCP with threats to theaters and even bomb scares. It’s heartbreaking. The CCP is trying to stop people from learning the truth, and stop beauty from being shared with the world.”

He called on governments worldwide to stand together and oppose the CCP’s global repression, “The world must see clearly what the CCP is doing and work together to protect kindness and freedom.”

G7 Speaks Out Against Transnational Repression—Public Voices Support for Falun Gong

The Group of Seven (G7) nations recently issued a joint statement opposing transnational repression. Hector Reyes said, “This is a very positive step, especially because it comes from countries with major economic and social influence. It gives people hope.”

He said he believes that international cooperation is key to ending the persecution, and praised the collective effort. “It’s incredibly encouraging to see countries stand together and work together. That’s powerful.”

Elizabeth Finlay, a retired educator who often passes by the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, shared her impressions of Falun Gong practitioners who regularly hold peaceful protests there. “I usually see two or three people here. The music is pure and peaceful,” she said. “It creates a calming atmosphere.”

She added, “I’ve never seen such sincere, peaceful, and determined people. In difficult times, most protests are filled with anger, but this group feels like a glimpse of heaven.”

Elizabeth was especially touched by the yellow T-shirts often worn by practitioners. She said, “Yellow makes me feel happy. It’s like the sun, and it symbolizes life.”

When she learned that Falun Gong is based on the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, she responded warmly, “Truth, compassion, and forbearance is exactly what the world needs.”

She noted that practitioners have been holding peaceful vigils in Ottawa for over a decade. “They’ve truly inspired me,” she said.