(Minghui.org) If you’re not familiar with the Minghui.org website, this article may help you understand the website’s role.
Minghui (full name: Falun Dafa Minghui) was established on June 21, 1999 and began formal operation on June 25. It is Falun Dafa’s (Falun Gong’s) primary online portal and plays multiple roles.
Minghui’s core mission is to report the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong, clarify the truth about Falun Gong, and tell people about the deaths of Falun Gong practitioners in China due to the persecution, using first-hand information from China. Since the CCP’s persecution started in July 1999, Minghui has become the essential platform for Falun Gong practitioners around the world to record persecution cases and human rights violations. The website posts persecution cases from China, such as illegal detention, torture, and so on, and has documented and verified more than five thousand deaths due to the persecution. International human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Freedom House, and government organizations such as the U.S. State Department, often reference Minghui reports as evidence, demonstrating its impact on the international human rights circle.
Minghui not only focuses on the persecution, but also provides resources for Falun Gong practitioners, including Master Li Hongzhi’s most recent articles, cultivation experience sharing articles, links to where people can learn the exercises, and global events related to Falun Gong. Master Li, the founder of Falun Gong, told practitioners that on main issues they should follow Minghui’s stance. This shows that the website is a core source of information for Falun Gong practitioners. In addition, Minghui also posts notices from Feitian Academy of the Arts and Shen Yun Performing Arts when they wish to invite new students or performers. It plays an imperative role in introducing the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and promoting mankind’s culture.
Minghui has established vast connections in China, forming a bridge between Falun Gong practitioners abroad and in China. It posts cultivation experience-sharing articles and provides information about the persecution. It offers Chinese people up-to-date information via Minghui Radio (operated since December 30, 2005), Minghui Weekly, Heaven and Earth, Minghui International, Truth, Wise Voice, Golden Seeds, Blessing from Heaven, Minghui Calendar, cartoons, and other magazines. The content of these radio programs, journals, and books mainly include practitioners’ cultivation articles, current affairs reports, persecution cases, and statistics. These help Chinese practitioners and non-practitioners to access the true facts despite the CCP’s information censorship.
Mingui’s reports are widely used by international authoritative organizations. Its English book, Minghui Reports: The 20-Year Persecution of Falun Gong in China, won a silver award in the category: “Bill Fisher Award for Best First Book: Nonfiction” from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) in its annual Benjamin Franklin Award, in recognition of the book’s milestone significance in documenting firsthand accounts of the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. This further demonstrates Minghui’s authority in global human rights issues.
Due to its role in exposing the persecution, Minghui.org has become a key target of the CCP’s information censorship. In 2002, statistics from Dynaweb showed that Minghui.org was among the top ten websites blocked by the CCP. In 2011, a China Central Television program revealed that Minghui.org was a target of cyberattacks, suggesting that the Chinese military may have launched a cyberattack against it. Furthermore, official Chinese media outlets such as China.com have criticized Minghui.org for its “biased and inaccurate” reporting. However, organizations such as Amnesty International have verified the authenticity of Minghui.org’s reports on China’s human rights violations, including reports on the CCP’s brainwashing camps.