Recalling Chinas Darkest Hour

July 20, 1999

It happened in China at midnight of July 20, 1999.

Under the veil of darkness, police and security dragged hundreds of innocent people from their homes, forcing them into prisons and detention centres.

What did the people do that was wrong?

They practiced Falun Gong or Falun Dafa, a peaceful spiritual practice for the mind and body with emphasis on building moral character. Nothing beyond that!

It was hard to believe that an innocuous practice that had grown in popularity as many as 70 million practiced according to the Chinese governments own study and saved the country millions of yuans in health bills, was considered an evil practice. Interestingly, many high-ranking officials in the Communist party, government and military had taken up the practice.

Then why was it banned?

The growing popularity was perceived as a threat to the Communist regime.

Denying religious freedom and trying to control the mind and spirit is the nature of the State in China. Also, with a righteous practice that engenders strong moral character, there is the fear of the governments corruption and misplaced ethics being questioned and exposed.

So on July 22, Falun Gong was formally outlawed across the land, marking the official beginning of a state-engineered hate campaign that has lasted 15 long years.

Orchestrated by Chinas ex-president Jiang Zemin, the persecution is unprecedented for its devious nature and virulent scope.

It has branded millions of peace-loving citizens enemies of the state and sought to destroy them.

Who is the real enemy of the people?

The suppression of Falun Gong has been from the outset in direct violation of the international rights treaties China has signed.

Jiang Zemin created the 6-10 office (named for the day it was created, June 10, 1999) with the sole purpose: to eradicate Falun Gong.

It is like Hitlers Gestapo, an extra-constitutional body of unquestioned power whose sole intention is to spread terror that penetrates every aspect of Chinese society.

Under orders from the top, no means are too excessive in the mad drive to eradicate Falun Gong. Police and labour camp authorities have to fulfill quotas for the number of practitioners they can transform and they are free to use any method which includes imprisonment, torture and killing. The police who make quotas get bonuses or promotions; those who do not may be fired.

In order to hide evidence of 6-10 sanctioned crimes, police and government officials are ordered to cover up all murders. They Report All Deaths as Suicides and Cremate Bodies Immediately

Families have been torn apart and homes ransacked and destroyed. The families, friends and colleagues of more than one hundred million practitioners have been implicated by association.

The funding for the Persecution comes from the tax payers money. One quarter of the nations financial resources is used to sustain the persecution.

What has given Falun Dafa practitioners the strength to withstand such torture and cruelty?

Peaceful resistance is the hallmark of Falun Dafa practitioners. Their non-violent response has often been compared to that of Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Their living by the credo of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance have often humbled the cruel perpetrators and rendered them impotent. Thats why Falun Dafa faithful have borne the brunt of Chinas formidable security apparatus for 15 long years and mustered what is arguably the most sustained challenge to authority in 60 odd years of communist rule.

Throughout the past 15 years, Falun Gong practitioners all over the world have continued with an unprecedented campaign that is strictly non-violent and non-political. Through the internet and the web sites they have built up a world-wide network; and Human Rights organizations, prominent non-governmental organizations and politicians and leaders of various governments have joined a chorus of voices, condemning the Chinese Communist partys Fifteen-year persecution. Their single objective is to restore the basic human rights of Falun Gong practitioners to freely practice their beliefs.

To conclude on a positive note: This anniversary is a time of commemoration for the millions whose lives have been unalterably changed by this violent campaign, says Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center. It is also a time for hope. Twelve years after the CCP sought to crush Falun Gong in three months. Countless Chinese citizens continue to find peace and spiritual fulfillment through the practice, and more and more people are peacefully standing up for their rights to do just that.