Does the Ban on Falun Gong in China Violate IL?

Lam Hoi YeeLam Wai Chung Alexander

What is Falun Gong?

A. A religion 宗教

B. A political group 政治組織

C. A set of meditation exercises 氣功

D. I don’t know 不太清楚

What is Falun Gong?

Literally, “practice of the Wheel of Law’

修煉法輪大法 Introduced by Li Hongzhi in 1992

於 1992 由李洪志創立 First referred to 5 sets of meditation

exercises (Qigong)

包含五套冥想功法動作

What is Falun Gong?

What is Falun Gong?

Falun Dafa

“The Great Law of the Wheel of Law”

法輪大法 - 修煉一個法輪 Refer to a set of religious teachings

法輪功的教義 Li claimed to provide salvation to people

李聲稱可為世人帶來拯救

What is Falun Gong?

‘Falun Gong’ and ‘Zhuan Falun’‘法輪功’ 及 ‘轉法輪’

'truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance' ‘真、善、忍’

Meditation exercises only as aid to cultivation動作只是輔助修練的手段

What is Falun Gong?

Falun Gong in 40 countries, 80 languages法輪功在四十國家 , 以八十種語言出現

Exact no. of practitioners unknown實際修煉人數不詳

Great difference in estimation by the Chinese Government and Falun Gong中國政府和法輪功的估計嚴重不符

The Ban on Falun Gong

Anti-Falun Gong opinions emerged in 1996

1996 年，出現反對法輪功的聲音 Responded with protests of large scale

法輪大法學員作出大規模示威 Some were arrested or beaten by police

部分學員被警方拘捕或毆打

The Ban on Falun Gong

25 April, 1999, 10000 practitioners surrounded Zhongnanhai

1999 年 4 月 25 日， 10000 學員包圍中南海 Former Premier Zhu Rongji met some

representatives前國務院總理朱鎔基曾與部分法輪功學員會面

The Ban on Falun Gong

Established ‘6-10’ office to suppress protests

設立中央處理法輪功問題領導小組辦公室( 簡稱中央 610 辦公室 ) 壓制示威

July 1999, government declared practice of Falun Gong illegal

1999 年 7 月，中央政府取締法輪功，認定法輪大法研究會為非法組織

The Ban on Falun Gong

2 important but different aspects

兩個重要但不同的觀點

1. The nature of the ban itself

禁令的本質

2. The way the ban was enforced

禁令被執行的手法

Why is Falun Gong banned?

Falun Gong regarded as an evil cult

法輪功被定為邪教 Spread superstition and deceive people

導人迷信及欺騙人民 Novel beliefs, high tension with society,

manipulate members, etc.

新奇的信念，與社會的緊張局面，操控信徒等

Constitution of the People’s Republic of China (1982)

Article 36

Citizens of the People's Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion…No one may make use of religion to engage in activities that disrupt public order…

International HR treaties

The International Bill of Human Rights- Universal Declaration of Human Rights

- The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights

- The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and

its two Optional Protocols

International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR)

Article 18

- Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion

Signed but not ratified

Falun Gong as an evil cult

Combined Buddhism and Taoism佛教及道教的混合體

Li claimed to be a savior or supernatural entity

李自稱為教世主或超自然的實體 Possesses ‘Fashen’ to

protect practitioners 修煉者有師父法身保護

Falun Gong as an evil cult

A Wheel of Law would be developed in practitioners’ abdomen

修煉者腹部會產生法輪 Practitioners must not see doctors or

take medicine because real practitioners never get ill

修煉者不應求醫或服藥，因真正的大法弟子不會生病

Falun Gong as an evil cult

Some American cult experts also regard Falun Gong as a cult

部分美國邪教專家亦認為法輪功為邪教 Margaret Singer: ‘a self-appointed

person with secret knowledge to share, who gets his followers convinced he is the pipeline to the eternal good life.’

Other reasons?

State-owned TV networks jammed with reports on persecution of practitioners

中國部分電視臺的衛星信號被攔截，並播放法輪功宣傳影片

The Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident

學員在天安門自焚事件

China’s Views

States are granted rights to impose lawful restrictions on exercising certain rights

國家有權在人們行使某些權利上施加合法的限制 All religious groups must be registered

with the government and are prohibited from having loyalties outside of China

所有宗教團禮都必須向國家註冊，並不可對中國外的任何團體及人物表示忠心

China’s Views

Individual freedom cannot override public security and social stability

個人自由不優先於公眾安全及社會穩定 Falun Gong, in China’s context, was

sufficiently proved a cult

在中國的角度來說， 法輪功被充分地證明為一邪教 The ban itself does not violate IL

禁令本身並沒違反國際法

How the ban was enforced?

According to Falun Gong and some closely related human right groups, China has been using all kinds of brutal violence to crackdown Falun Gong activities

根據法輪功及一些有聯繫的人權組織，中國一直以殘暴的方法來鎮壓法輪功活動

Accusations by Falun Gong

Murder and execution Torture Violence against women Psychiatric torture Enslavement Persecution of families Deprivation of right to education Violence against foreign citizens Organs harvesting

Accusations by Falun Gong

Accusations by Falun Gong

If true, definitely violated the IL

如果屬實 ,肯定違反了國際法

Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

China’s response

Denied all accusations

否認所有指控

Falun Gong tried to cheat the public by fabricating these horrifying stories

指法輪功以恐怖故事欺騙學員

Results

War over media

傳媒上的鬥爭

Use or control media as mouthpiece to speak for their stands

利用傳媒影響社會對事件的看法

What leads to this situation?

PRC’s Concern: 中國政府的關注 Significant numbers of government

officials, as well as military and police personnel, are practitioners

不少政府官員，軍方及警務人員都是修煉者 The cultural memory of the 19th

century Taiping Rebellion

19 世紀太平天國事件的影響

What leads to this situation?

PRC practices and supports a single-party state form of government

中國政府實施及支持一黨專政

- control people’s mind and behavior控制人民的思想及行為

Fear that the popularity of Falun Gong affects its ruling in China

擔心法輪功的流行會影響中國政府的管治

What leads to this situation?

PRC and Falun Gong are on different platforms

中國政府和法輪功站在不同的平台 No direct discussion between Falun

Gong representatives and government officials

法輪功代表與政府官員沒有直接的對話

Problems in doing the analysis

Lack of Transparency

缺乏透明度 Incomparable views

難以比較的觀點 Differences in definition of freedom

不同「自由」的定義

Conclusion

Two separate parts of the ban has to be recognized

Both parties are avoiding confrontation on the same platform

Truth cannot be easily revealed

Q & A