27 Years of Persecution of Falun Gong: STP Condemns Expansion of Chinese Repression Abroad

On the 27th anniversary of the start of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) state-sponsored persecution campaign against Falun Gong practitioners, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) states:

Since July 20, 1999, Falun Gong practitioners in China have been systematically persecuted, detained, tortured, and forced into labor and re-education. Furthermore, there has been credible evidence for years of state-organized forced organ harvesting from detained Falun Gong practitioners.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a meditation and cultivation practice with roots in Buddhist and qigong traditions. According to official Chinese figures, between 70 and 100 million people practiced Falun Gong as of 1999, including Han Chinese and members of ethnic minorities. Before the nationwide persecution began, Chinese state media reported on the meditation practice in a predominantly positive light.

Since the persecution began, the Chinese regime has sought to legitimize its crackdown on Falun Gong despite the lack of a legal basis. The “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress,” which took effect on July 1, 2026, significantly intensifies restrictions, particularly on freedom of belief, religion, and expression. The CCP thereby obligates the Chinese population and religious communities to “submit to the comprehensive leadership of the Communist Party of China” and requires parents to “educate and guide their minor children to love the Communist Party of China.”

“The law creates a legal basis for the persecution of individuals and organizations outside China who are accused of undermining ‘ethnic unity’ or promoting ‘ethnic division.’ These vague formulations make it possible to criminalize spiritual and religious practices as well as critical statements made by people living in exile. “In doing so, the law for the first time provides a legal basis for a systematic practice that China has already been carrying out: transnational repression against people in exile,” explains Mirjam Kobold, Advisor for Asia at STP.

“Twenty-seven years after the persecution began, Falun Gong practitioners are still unable to freely practice their faith in China. Many remain in prison to this day for this reason alone, where they face torture and life-threatening conditions. Using various methods, Beijing has been extending this state repression abroad for years. This threatens people, including Falun Gong practitioners, who have sought protection in Germany and other EU countries and are exercising their freedom of religion and expression there,” warns Kobold.

In 2025, Freedom House once again ranked China as the world’s most active state in the area of transnational repression. The organization documented 319 physical incidents and attributed approximately 23 percent of all cases recorded worldwide since 2014 to China. In addition to Falun Gong practitioners, those affected include Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers, and other members of the Chinese diaspora.

Transnational repression threatens not only the fundamental rights of individuals but also the national security and sovereignty of democratic states. The STP strongly urges the German federal government to consistently prosecute transnational repression under criminal law, to expand effective and efficient protection mechanisms for those affected—including Falun Gong practitioners—in Germany and the EU, and to advocate internationally for an independent investigation into the ongoing persecution of religious groups and ethnic minorities in China.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.