To investigate the criminal conduct of all institutions, organizations, and individuals involved in the persecution of Falun Gong; to bring such investigations, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far and deep we have to search, to full closure; to exercise fundamental principles of humanity; and to restore and uphold justice in society.

Investigative Report on the Jiang Regime's Persecution of Falun Gong Outside China

May 13, 2004
A4 format download

Summary

In 1999, Jiang Zemin and the “610” system started the persecution of Falun Gong in Mainland China. This large-scale political persecution was at the same time and from the beginning extended to overseas Falun Gong practitioners. This report collected large amounts of evidence about the persecution of overseas Falun Gong practitioners by Jiang's regime, employing overseas embassies and consulates. Based on these facts, we have concluded that acts of persecution against overseas Falun Gong practitioners are personally commanded and controlled by Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central “610 Office.” These incidents are carefully planned and purposely and systematically carried out. Chinese overseas diplomatic organizations have exported domestic hatred and have extended the persecution outside of Chinese territories. These people have not only violated international diplomatic treaties, but have also violated laws of the respective countries where they are located.

Overseas Persecution Bases: Chinese Embassies and Consulates in Foreign Countries

Investigative reports by WOIPFG show that the persecution outside of China is directly ordered by Jiang Zemin, planned by the Central Committee “610 Office” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the various Embassies and Consulates stationed abroad.

Targeting overseas Falun Gong practitioners’ groups and their activities against the persecution, Jiang Zemin ordered his followers to keep “strengthening the overseas fight.” Consequently, defaming Falun Gong became part of policy and top priority for China’s foreign relations. The ambassadors, consular-level employees, and all levels of diplomats have adopted every conceivable means to foster hate propaganda and deprive overseas Falun Gong practitioners of their rights. Endorsing persecution policies has become the daily work for Chinese diplomats.

Diplomatic “official letters” with gift-wrapped, nicely printed pamphlets spreading the hatred against Falun Gong have been distributed to various levels of governmental organizations, government officials, media, and other organizations in various countries. Jiang’s regime has offered trade incentives in order to stop local foreign governments from supporting Falun Gong openly and publicly such as by issuing pro-Falun Gong proclamations, to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from conducting their local activities, to suppress the voice of condemnation and appeals, to stop media reports and coverage supporting Falun Gong, to escape condemnation and sanctions from the United Nations Human Right Commission, and to influence outcomes of lawsuits against the prime culprits in various countries. Jiang’s regime has even tried to coerce sovereign nations to carry out unlawful and unjust actions that are against people’s conscience, such as the human rights violations incidents against Falun Gong practitioners during Jiang's visits to Germany and Iceland.

A Systematic Plan for Inciting Hate Propaganda in Overseas Chinese Communities

Each time the regime starts another round of official media propaganda against Falun Gong in China, such hate propaganda is transmitted overseas at the fastest speed via satellites, the Internet, and other means. Some embassies and consulates first spread hate propaganda to overseas Chinese via photo exhibits, holiday parties, free movie events, and other enticements. Then they organize certain “select” Chinese organizations who have close ties with the embassies and consulates to “expose and criticize” and “denounce and condemn” Falun Gong. Eventually they broadcast such overseas buying back “denouncements and criticisms” to China via the official media.

The Persecution Against Overseas Falun Gong Practitioners Is Ongoing

In addition to hate propaganda, Chinese embassies and consulates are also directly involved in threatening and harassing overseas Falun Gong practitioners. Numerous practitioners have suffered severe mental torment and physical abuse, such as violent assaults, blacklisting, surveillance, threatening of personal safety, and threatening the safety of relatives living in China. Falun Gong practitioners have been deprived of their legal rights and benefits, such as refusal or delay in issuing visas or renewing passports, and loss of membership in certain overseas Chinese organizations. Practitioners’ normal social activities have been interrupted and their visits back in China monitored. In some instances, after they returned to China for visits, they were even abducted, brainwashed, tortured and sentenced. American citizen Charles Lee and Trinity College student Zhao Ming are two examples.

The hate propaganda against Falun Gong practitioners in overseas Chinese communities has also caused severe harm and has damaged Falun Gong practitioners’ reputations and mental well being, forcing them to face discrimination, misunderstanding, and isolation from other overseas Chinese.

Overseas Persecution Is a Significant Part of the Overall Systematic
Persecution

It is a fact that the persecution of Falun Gong overseas is synchronized with the persecution in China. It is controlled behind-the-scenes by Jiang Zemin and the “610” system. The deputy director of the Central “610 Office,” Liu Jing, personally spread hate propaganda information on many occasions to the international community. He also defended the persecution during the United Nations Human Rights Commission’s annual meetings in Geneva. Vast resources from the Chinese National Security, Public Security, Internet Police, and Custom Office have been employed to collect personal information about overseas Falun Gong practitioners. Their names are organized into a blacklist.

Hate propaganda is also carried out in colleges and universities that train and groom diplomatic personnel. Whether or not one is against Falun Gong has become a pre-requisite for working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Entrance examination questions by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contains anti-Falun Gong content that applicants cannot avoid. Overseas Chinese schools have also become arenas for promoting the persecution. Anti-Falun Gong content is deliberately inserted into information distributed during international exchanges in culture, trade, religion, women’s affairs, overseas Chinese associations, etc.

Political maneuvers have been used to influence United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) decisions, including their attention to the Chinese human rights situation, and particularly regarding Falun Gong practitioners’ situation in China.

The Jiang regime’s ploy to squash Falun Gong and extend the persecution through its foreign diplomatic organizations has encountered powerful resistance from Falun Gong practitioners all over the world. This resistance serves to let more and more sovereign governments and people learn the truth about this persecution. Falun Gong practitioners in many countries have taken legal actions against those Chinese diplomats and their local followers who participate in such persecution, so that their crimes are prosecuted and punished under local laws.

1. The Chinese Communist Government Extends Its Persecution of Overseas Falun Gong Practitioners Through Overseas Organizations

(1) The Central Committee “610 Office” Colludes with China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Implement Persecution

According to a February 12, 2001 report1 of Central News Agency: “The main task of ‘610 Office’ is to overall plan the special struggle with Falun Gong. Its ultimate goal is to eradicate Falun Gong so as to ensure the stability of the society. Li Lanqing, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Politburo Standing Committee Member and Vice Premier of State Council lead the office and the Politburo Member Luo Gan manages the routine work. The deputy directors include Luo Gan, Jia Chunwang, Xu Yongyao and Wang Maolin, etc. and the core members include major leaders in the departments of CCP and government like the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate in the Political and Judiciary System, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Central Propaganda, etc.”1 So, it’s clear from the report that the leaders in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are the core members of “610 Office”. Thus, “610 Office” controls Falun Gong related issues within the ministry’s function and power.

Function-wise, Chinese Embassies and Consulates abroad are under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For example, the major function of the North America and Oceania Department in Foreign Affairs Ministry is to: “Study and keep informed on the situations and developments in the countries and regions of North America and Oceania; Responsible for the diplomatic relationships and detail foreign affairs with these countries and regions; Coordinate the detail bilateral policies; Supervise the work of Chinese Embassies and Consulates in these countries and regions.” 2

On April 2, 2002, when answering questions at a press release, the spokeswoman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zhang Qiyue said that it is every Chinese diplomat's responsibility “to help overseas governments understand Chinese Government’s standing point of  the Falun Gong issue; to help them clearly recognize Falun Gong’s evil-cult nature.” 3

On March 19, 2001, the Chinese CCP Propaganda Ministry and four other Ministries jointly hosted the meeting about a series of the Modernization Achievements since the CCP 13th Session of the Fourth Plenary Congress. At the meeting, Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan said, “Our Embassies and Consulates are working diligently to expose Falun Gong to foreign government, Congresses, media mainstream overseas Chinese and students abroad in  foreign countries”4

From this, it is clear that the persecution outside of China is directly ordered by Jiang Zemin, planned by the Central Committee “610 Office” and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by the various Embassies and Consulates stationed abroad.

An essential element in the systematic persecution of Falun Gong practitioners is to extend the persecution outside of China. Chinese Central Television’s (CCTV) program, Focal Point Interview broadcast an 18-minute special report on May 26, 2000, that slandered Falun Gong.1 According to CCTV’s information, that special report was “acclaimed by the Chinese Central Government leaders.” “The Head of the ‘610 Office’ watched the report and decided that it was powerful and creative. He even instructed us to have this special report made into videotapes and have the videotapes shipped to the overseas Chinese embassies and consulates. He also ordered this special report to be translated into English and broadcast.”5

(2) The “610 Office,” the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, State Security, Public Security, Propaganda, Education, Culture, Commerce, Overseas Chinese Association and other organizations directly participate in or abet the persecution outside of China

In addition, supervisory staff from the “610 Office” such as Liu Jing take the opportunities offered by international press conferences and international human rights meetings, for example, to spread propaganda about Falun Gong so as to incite the international community’s hatred towards the practice and justify its persecution of overseas Falun Gong practitioners. 6,7,8

Not only was being “Anti-Falun Gong” one of the preconditions for taking an civil service entrance exam for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the entrance exam also contained a test question with anti-Falun Gong content for government staff in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to WOIPFG investigation, in early September 2002, at an announcement 9 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding enrollment of state civil servants for 2003, one of the basic conditions for political qualification was to be “against Falun Gong.”

Shen Qisong10 graduated from the College of Journalism and Communication at Shanghai International Studies University and later worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He recalled the entrance exam for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that he took in 2003. He wrote, “It’s an almost-three-hour written exam in Chinese. There are three questions in Part II that are very political, such as ‘Give five characteristics of Falun Gong as an evil religion.’”

On the morning of July 24, 2001, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry organized 26 personnel who were working at Chinese Embassies in overseas to visit photo exhibits defaming Falun Gong at the Chinese Revolution Military Museum. The Chinese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Wu Sike and Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, Zhang Zhijun made similar comments with deep feelings after the visit, “I was shocked by this exhibition, and learned quite a lot. Now I know more deeply about ‘Falun Gong’…….,  why it is the common enemy of the people in the whole world.”11

To attain its goal of persecuting overseas Falun Gong practitioners, government agencies such as Chinese embassies, Chinese consulates, China’s National Security Bureau, and the Chinese Border Police employ all kinds of methods to follow, monitor, take photos, or assign spies to the Falun Gong practice sites to collect overseas Falun Gong practitioners’ activities and personal information in order to make a blacklist for persecution. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on January 5, 2000, that Chinese overseas “secret intelligent agents” have provided a blacklist of 1000 names of Chinese overseas Falun Gong practitioners to Chinese National Security Bureau, Secret Police, Public Security and Custom Police.12

Moreover, every Chinese government branch or organization has also tried to extend the persecution within its own system or coverage to overseas with various methods, for example,the Department of Propaganda and state-controlled media (such as the CCTV5) the Ministry of Education (using education exchange programs with other countries) and Ministry of Culture (using forms of culture exchange). The following example came from the China Women’s Association.15
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In early 2002, the China Women’s Association initiated an activity so-called “Write letter home, pass over hometown voice, call for true passion, and love your country.” On the next year’s work report, vice president Hua Fuzhou said this activity motivated many families to write a letter or make a phone call to oversea relatives or friends to deliver the Party and country’s policy to remind their relatives and friends to “see clearly about Falun Gong,” and “not to participate in Falun Gong’s activity;” moreover, “Zhejiang, Fujian and other provinces have utilized their advantages of being hometowns of many overseas Chinese by holding casual meetings, visiting their families, writing letters, promoting assistance or other methods to activate majority families to participate this activity.”15

Hua Fuzhou said, “There were 212 residents in Yuanbaoshan District of Chifeng City in Inner Mongolia alone, who have overseas relatives, have sent mails, postcards, or home letters overseas. Sichuan, Ningxia and other provinces also motivated families through all kinds of methods to send greetings of beloved and expectations of the country to overseas relatives and friends. This activity received fully approval by the CCP Central 610-Office.”15

In Education system, through the use of art exhibitions, video tapes, forums, signature collections, and other methods, China’s Foreign Affairs University, and Beijing Foreign Studies University —places where future diplomats are trained—conduct propaganda and brainwashing activities to incite hatred against Falun Gong among their students. These universities not only poison future Chinese diplomats but also negatively influence foreign students who come to study in China. During this time, i.e. in 2001, twelve high-level diplomats underwent 3 months of intensive training at the Institute for Diplomacy before going abroad.18

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The Ministry of Commerce clearly specified in the first article of qualifications for the secretarial
level personnel of business agencies stationed abroad, “Implement resolutely the guidelines, strategies and policies of the Party; fight resolutely with ‘Falun Gong’ and others.”

At the Third Conference of the Sixth Overseas Chinese Association Congress in 2001, Qian Qichen emphasized, “When we plan our activities among overseas Chinese, we shall connect them to our policies for Taiwan issues and against “Falun Gong” group’s overseas activities.” 

Chinese Embassies and Consulates Extend Persecution Overseas

A substantial amount of evidence indicates that in the past five years, under the direct control of Jiang Zemin and the “610 Office,” inciting hatred and attacking Falun Gong has become one of the main tasks for China overseas officials.4 Chinese consulates in every country have tried to influence local government at different levels (including government officials, council members, and congressmen at each level), media, and non-government organizations by constantly distributing hate propaganda materials through diplomatic channels. They have also delivered hate propaganda to the general public through public libraries, media, the Internet, schools, and other channels.

 

Research indicates that since the suppression on Falun Gong started in 1999, Chinese overseas embassies and consulates have continuously sent hate materials, which comes from China and is translated into many languages, to every government and many VIPs in an attempt to influence and control other governments and their media.

In the USA: Chicago 21, San Francisco 22, Los Angeles 23,24, and Other Cities

In February 2001, after learning about the “Falun Dafa Week” proclamation by Decatur City in Illinois, Chinese Consul General in Chicago, Wei Ruixing, sent a letter21 to the Mayor of Decatur on February 14 along with a package of propaganda material [Guangming Daily]. Influenced by the hate propaganda, the mayor decided to rescind the proclamation. Similar incident also happened in Dickson City. The mayor received a letter21 from the Chinese Consul General in Chicago, Xu Jinzhong, on July 24, 2003, requesting the cancellation of the proclamation of “Falun Dafa Month” in June 2003.

On November 6, 2002, the City Council of Chicago unanimously passed a resolution condemning the persecution of Falun Gong in China. On November 12, 2002, the acting Chinese Consul General in Chicago, Shen Weiliang, wrote a three-page letter21 to each of the council members in order to interfere with and influence their decisions.

On May 29, 2003, Congressman Mike Boland from Illinois wrote a letter21 that was co-signed by 80 State Assembly Members to strongly support the lawsuit against Jiang Zemin in the Northern Illinois District Court. On July 20, 2003, the Chinese Consul General in Chicago, Xu Jinzhong, wrote21 to Congressman Boland to express his “strong indignation and objection” to the letter and also exerted pressures again on the State Assembly Members in the name of Sino-USA relationship.

Similar incidents also happened in other cities in the United States like San Francisco. In 2001, the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco, Wang Yunxiang, wrote22 to the City Council members twice during their meeting periods in October to incite hatred of Falun Gong. In the meantime, he instigated some people from the Chinese community there to veto the resolution proposal from San Francisco City Supervisor Chris Daly. The resolution was about requesting the City Council to write to the Chinese Consulate and condemn the persecution on Falun Gong.

According to news from China News Net on March 19, 200123,  the Chinese Consul General in San Francisco, Wang Yunxiang, met with Washington State Governor Luo Jiahui, who is of Chinese origin, and some other mayors or acting mayors in that state from cities like Bellevue, London, Kirkland, and Everett, and others, in Seattle. During the meeting, Wang spread the hate propaganda from China about Falun Gong to these U.S. government officials. He even wrote letters to county supervisors and mayors in Northern California hinting that Falun Gong is harmful to U.S. society.

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At the end of 2000, not long after the Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles, Lan Lijun, came to office24, he wrote to every mayor in southern California requesting them not to support Falun Gong in any form. However, the Mayor of Santee in San Diego County, Randy Voepel, didn’t listen to his words and issued a proclamation to Falun Gong. Mr. Voepel wrote back to Lan as well and told him that his “request” was totally unacceptable.

In Canada 25

According to a WOIPFG report, in August 2003, at least four MPPs and at least two MPs in Ontario received a letter and a book entitled Poppies of Modern Society: Stories of Falun Gong from the Chinese Consulate General in Toronto. The book was edited and written by the Chinese Caring Association. (According to the investigation, this is an official organization and was established for persecuting Falun Gong; for details, please refer to WOIPFG report on the Anti-Cult Association’s role in the persecution of Falun Gong.) The book is full of the Jiang regime’s hate propaganda toward Falun Gong. The letter, in addition to spreading the hate propaganda, also demanded the Canadian government officials not to support Falun Gong. (For details,  see WOIPFG report “Extending the Persecution of Falun Gong to Canada Chinese Officials’ Activities on Canadian Soil” )

A report from the National Post26 in Canada on March 20, 2004, revealed, “writing in March, 2003, to Jim Peterson, a Liberal MP and now a member of Paul Martin's Cabinet, Chu Guangyou, China's charge d'affaires in Canada, warned that China has ‘advised the Canadian government of the sensitivity of the issue [of Falun Gong] in the overall bilateral relations. I hope you and your government will understand our position and be vigilant against any attempt of Falun Gong to jeopardize our bilateral relations.’ With the letter came the now standard package of anti-Falun Gong propaganda.”

The National Post report also revealed Mei Ping, China's ambassador to Canada, “came to the National Post to extol the virtues of Communist China and the evils of Falun Gong, leaving behind a book that purported to show how Falun Gong had driven people to suicide, murder and madness, a claim without foundation and one that no other government has ever made about its own citizens who have taken up Li's teachings.”

On August 16, 2002, the Radio Standard Committee in Canada (RSCC) made an announcement27 about their verdict regarding a complaint against the Chinese City TV Station in Canada’s re-broadcast of a murder case report from CCTV (Chinese Central Television). The verdict pointed out that the re-broadcast of the CCTV report linking a murder case in China with Falun Gong by the City TV Station on December 16, 2001, had violated the “Professional Ethnics Guideline” and the “Guideline on Violence” created by RSCC, as well as four regulations in the “Media Professional Ethnics Guideline” from the Radio and TV News Chief Editor Association.

In Australia

Based on an investigation, the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney periodically distributes hate information in the format of news bulletins to governmental officials28 and the mainstream media29. According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald30 on August 15, 2000, “To suppress activities of Falun Gong members in Sydney and Canberra, Chinese diplomats are suspected to exert pressures on local governments to prevent Falun Gong practitioners from using community facilities.”

On December 1, 2003, the Australian Senate passed Motion No. 704 on the human rights of Falun Gong.31 The Chinese Embassy in Australia immediately responded. According to a report from the Australian Chinese Daily on December 8, 2003 32  “’Sing Tao Daily’ cited statements from a spokesman of the Chinese consulate on December 9, 2003 that the Australian Senate had been ‘deceived’ to pass ‘the anti-China resolution.’” Australian Senator Ms. Natasha Stott Despoja responded that,33 “The Senate cannot be ‘deceived;’ it cannot be ‘deceived’ in a Falun Gong motion, either. Draft of the resolution was distributed to all parties on November 25, 2003 and vote for the motion was held on December 1, 2003. This had given all senators enough time to think over the contents of the motion, conduct independent examinations, consulting relevant organizations and lastly, make a decision whether or not to support this motion. Furthermore, the Chinese Embassy in Australia also knew about the proposal for this resolution. They had the opportunity to contact the senators and express any opinions during this period.” “You will know it is not an “anti-China” motion just by taking a look at its content (copy of the resolution is attached). In fact, what the motion emphasizes is that relatives of Australian citizens in China are detained for practicing Falun Gong. This resolution appeals to the Australian government to bring up the above issues during its human rights dialogue with China, and also to emphasize that difference in religious belief should not become the reason to persecute any individual.”

 


In Germany, “Extreme Arrogance: Jiang Zemin’s Dictatorship Despotically Exercised on German Soil”34

In April 2002, when Jiang Zemin visited Germany he used propaganda and diplomatic pressure to coerce German security organizations into blocking Falun Gong activities. During the evening of April 12, the German national television station (ARD) broadcast a special news report headlined, “Extreme Arrogance: Jiang Zemin’s Dictatorship Despotically Exercised on German Soil.” The report stated, “The Chinese President, Jiang Zemin, who is a guest in Germany this week, is a strange character. Every time he sees the color yellow he panics. Yellow is the color of the clothing worn by Falun Gong practitioners. This Communist panics because he is unable to tolerate any kind of opposing opinion. The more he wants to hide, the more it seems he is unable to hide. The Chinese authorities are doing their utmost even on German territory that their president does not have to see this and does not have to be bothered. Our television station’s Beijing-based reporter Stefan Nieman has long been used to this being the normal state of affairs. But still, this is Germany.” “This is the most powerful character in Asia, and yet to this day he continues to hide from ‘the threat of the color yellow.’” The Falun Gong movement being suppressed in China continues to use peaceful means to protest China’s persecution and maltreatment (against them). …Giving a welcome [to Jiang Zemin] is permitted, yet protesting [him] is suppressed. During the state visit of Jiang Zemin, head of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese President, to Germany, the German people have already been left with this kind of impression. Whether or not it was intentional, a lone Falun Gong practitioner was violently taken away by police in front of Jiang Zemin’s hotel in Dresden. This is the way they do things in China, a country where whatever the police says goes.”

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During Jiang’s April 2002 visit to Dresden, Germany, a Chinese woman came out of a welcoming team of people and shouted, “Falun Dafa is good.” Before she could even finish her sentence, a Chinese secret agent grabbed her by her throat. His grip was so tight that shecould not speak. The next day, the woman told reporters that her neck was still swollen and her hands badly bruised.

 

A report from Minghui Net 35: According to a document submitted by the German Criminal Police Bureau (BKA) to the court concerning the above incident, prior to Jiang’s visit, Chinese officials had informed Germany that “According to confirmed reports, Falun Gong plans to disrupt the visit of Chinese State President Jiang Zemin to Germany.” They also falsely claimed that Falun Gong practitioners “from China issued orders to their branches in Germany and surrounding countries, requesting them to send members to gather in Germany in order to interfere with the state visit.” The document issued from China stated that “the possibility of Falun Gong members having violent behavior cannot be ruled out.” It was from this standpoint that the German police authorities were consumed with unnecessary anxiety because they did not know the true situation.

Jiang at the time used “canceling the state visit” as a means of coercion to force German police authorities into using violence to remove Falun Gong practitioners staying at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin, his residence during his visit. A Berlin Administrative Court judge ruled on April 26 that “at the time, without obtaining permission from the Falun Gong practitioners staying at the Adlon Hotel, the police officers broke into [practitioners’] hotel rooms. Such conduct of forcing entry into the rooms of the Falun Gong practitioners was clearly illegal. Their actions violated Article 13 of Germany’s Constitution, which protects the fundamental right that ‘private residences cannot be violated.’ According to a German constitutional court’s legal precedent, hotel rooms come under the designation of ‘private residence’ defined within Article 13 of the Constitution.” The judge also pointed out that Falun Gong has always protested in a peaceful way. To his knowledge, Falun Gong practitioners had never used violence against any person or property. 

In Iceland: Mobilizing “Big Bucks Diplomacy”

Many Falun Gong practitioners traveled to Iceland in June 2002, during Jiang’s visit to that country, to peacefully appeal to the Chinese president to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. Jiang and his entourage spread the lie that Falun Gong practitioners would be conducting “terrorist activities” against the Icelandic government. Furthermore, the Chinese entities supplied the Icelandic government a blacklist of names, which led to the detainment of nearly 70 Falun Gong practitioners upon arrival at the airport in Reykjavik. Over 50 Falun Gong practitioners in Europe were stopped at major airports in London, Helsinki, Copenhagen, and Frankfurt and other airports. More than 40 Falun Gong practitioners from North America were stopped at airports in New York, Baltimore, Boston, Toronto, and other cities in the U.S. and Canada.

This incident received widespread criticism from the international community. In addition, the plights of the practitioners arriving in and being barred from entering Iceland immediately led to a storm of public protest within Iceland. The country’s largest newspaper published signatures of Icelandic Members of Parliament and well-known members of Icelandic society, totaling 450 individuals, who cosigned their names in a large, full-page advertisement “to offer an apology to Falun Gong practitioners,” which was in Chinese as well. Several thousand Icelandic citizens held a large-scale protest that continued for three days. Wherever Jiang Zemin visited, they held up banners and signs to oppose his persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

After this incident, numerous international media agencies including AFP36, AP37, Sweden’s TT News Agency,38,39  the New York Times40 , the Voice of America 41, the Danish Newspaper - B.T.newspaper 42, and many German media agencies 43 aired or printed related reports. CNN’s senior China analyst Willy Wo-Lap Lam wrote in a June 19, 2002, article 44 that, “China is mobilizing Big Bucks Diplomacy.” The article stated that the action taken by Iceland to bar Falun Gong practitioners from entering the country during the visit of Chinese President Jiang Zemin constituted a clear and concrete example of the “money-aided ‘great power diplomacy.’” The article also said that Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, “turned away at least 60 Falun Gong members, saying it did not have enough police to protect the Chinese VIP[Jiang Zemin].”

On June 5, 2003, Iceland’s Data Protection Authority issued a ruling regarding the previous  year’s incident in which the Iceland Ministry of Justice used a blacklist to bar Falun Gong practitioners from entering Iceland 45: “The action of Iceland’s Ministry of Justice to provide information regarding Falun Gong practitioner XX to Iceland Air as well as to Icelandic embassies in the U.S., Norway, Denmark, England and France for the purpose of barring his entry into Iceland is illegal.”

2. Overseas Diplomats at Different Levels Directly Involved in Falun Gong Persecution

Since July 20, 1999, the persecution of Falun Gong has been extended to other countries and has become a major task for diplomats. Following are some incidents in which Chinese diplomats at different levels were directly involved in exporting hatred and extending the persecution overseas.

(1) Top Officials in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Promote
Persecution Policies While Visiting Democratic Countries Overseas

Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan

On March 19, 2002 (Tuesday), Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan directly exerted pressure on Australian authorities while meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Downer in the capital of Australia, Canberra. He requested them to “limit what he calls Falun Gong members’ ‘evil’ activities in the local areas.” Tang Jiaxuan made the request on the grounds of “not impairing the relationship between the two countries.” He said, “Expel these Falun Gong practitioners from the front of the Chinese Embassy entrance in Australia and do not bring up issues related to human rights or freedom.” At the same time, Tang Jiaxuan also slandered the Falun Gong practitioners who were holding peaceful appeals in front of the Chinese Embassy in Australia, dismissing their petitions against the Jiang Zemin regime’s policy to eradicate Falun Gong and its massacre of the Chinese people as “stirring up things here” or “making trouble” and being a “genuine evil organization.” Tang Jiaxuan said, “We hope people can keep their guard high for Falun Gong, as these people not only make trouble in China, but also stir up things in Australia.” 134

In the June 2002 issue of the school publication, Senior staff writer Mary Rose Levilani from the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales in Australia, when discussing the pressure that Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs put on Australian authorities, mentioned a judge’s point of view, "We should not let a well-known dictatorship or military government decide the degree of freedom of speech in Australia.” 49

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) reported on March 19, 2002, that Mr. Downer stood aside and watched Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan tell reporters that Australia should be alert of the cult that he often mentioned in his speeches. Green Party Parliament member Bob Brown said that, "Alexander Downer should have the courage to face the Chinese Foreign Minister and say, 'No. You are the evil cult, you are violent, and you are the murderers.'" 48

On the same day the South China Morning Post also published an article entitled "Chinese Foreign Minister Requests Australia To Punish Falun Gong." The article reported that in recent years Beijing brutally suppressed this group and hundreds of thousands of its practitioners are imprisoned, and hundreds of them were tortured to death. This issue was raised in the Ministers’ meeting that day, where Mr. Downer expressed his concerns. However, Mr. Downer's concern has not been able to prevent China from requesting the Australian government to punish Falun Gong in Australia. 50

On August 8th 2002, as a return, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer obtained (from Jiang Zemin’s regime) the largest energy export contract in Australia’s history. It is a contract, worth 13.5 billion dollars, for exporting liquefied natural gas to China. According to news from Hong Kong’s Takungpao on August 9, 2002, the Australian Prime Minister John Howard said that this is the largest single export transaction in Australia’s history. 135

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On October 9, 2002, at the conference series co-hosted by the Chinese CCP Propaganda Ministry and four other Ministries, Tang Jiaxuan said, “Since 1990, some western countries have laid down anti-China resolutions 10 times at the United Nations Human Rights Conference. We actively worked on the western countries, united and relied on many developing countries to defeat, for 10 consecutive times, these western countries’ plot to interfere with China’s internal affairs through the human rights issue.”… “The struggle against ‘Falun Gong’ has gained new victories continually,” “With the close cooperation from both inside China and overseas, [we] had defeated ‘Falun Gong,’” “[we] had assailed ‘Falun Gong’ abroad.” 136

(2) Inciting Hatred and Exporting the Persecutions Done by “Diplomats” at the Ambassadorial Level
 
In France: Chinese Ambassador Wu Jianmin in France (from 1998 to July 2003)

Wu Jianmin, who remained in France for five years between 1998 and 2003, denigrated Falun Gong and incited hatred among Chinese community groups. He lectured and participated in more than 200 conferences or forums and slandered Falun Gong at many public events. He also organized numerous meetings and graphics exhibitions for that purpose.

On November 21, 1999, inside the Chinese Embassy building in France, he vilified Falun Gong in a speech presented to more than 60 audience members. His propaganda misled many and turned people against Falun Gong. 51

On February 17, 2001, Wu Jianmin organized overseas Chinese and representatives from overseas Chinese student groups to hold a forum in Paris. In this meeting he urged the audience members to, “Act together! Away from Falun Gong; Resist Falun Gong… Carry the fight to the end.” 52

On February 19, 2001, Wu Jianmin gave a speech as he attended a symposium entitled “Peaceful Unification of China” sponsored by a Chinese organization in France. In his speech he associated that being “against Falun Gong” would guarantee the stabilization and enrichment of China, ensure family happiness of overseas Chinese people and the safety of individuals and private property. He defended the persecution of Falun Gong and hoped overseas Chinese people and overseas Chinese students would remain on high alert for Falun Gong, and keep away from and resist Falun Gong.53

Seminars and Photo Exhibitions Defaming Falun Gong: On March 24, 2001, as the Chinese Ambassador to France, Wu Jianming, held a meeting on behalf of Chinese “anti-evil-cult” association delegates in France. The theme of the meeting was called “Fight Against Evil-cult and Safeguard Human Rights.” It repeatedly promoted the propaganda against Falun Gong by the Chinese government. About 170 overseas Chinese in France attended the meeting. 54

On August 4, 2002, the Chinese Anti-Cult Association (CACA) and the Chinese Embassy in France jointly held a photo exhibition in Paris. There were about 100 photos attacking Falun Gong and its founder. Wu Jianmin personally introduced the photos to the French people from all walks of life as well as to overseas Chinese in France. It misled the French people and the overseas Chinese, and incited hatred towards Falun Gong. 55

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The Chinese Ambassador to France Wu Jianmin introduces the photos to French people from all walks of life as well as overseas Chinese in France. (photo taken by Xinhua News Agency reporter, Zhong Wei)

 

In America: Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing in America

During his term working in the Chinese Embassy in America, Li Zhaoxing used all opportunities to slander and instigate hatred towards Falun Gong such as forums at universities, workshops on economy and trade, international conferences, and overseas Chinese community meetings. He intervened with the American government’s support of Falun Gong. Because of his “achievement” in persecuting Falun Gong during his term as an ambassador in America, he was promoted to Foreign Minister in China.56

On November 4, 1999, Li Zhaoxing fabricated stories about Falun Gong and spread them around at a workshop on “China’s Policy on Economy and Trade” held by the University of North Carolina. He decried Falun Gong and its founder. 57

On November 22, 1999, Li Zhaoxing attacked the resolution about the Falun Gong issue passed on the 18th of that month by the U.S. House of Representatives while he was giving a speech at Kentucky St. Wale University. He said that “the resolution interfered with China’s internal affairs.” He also slandered Falun Gong as an “x cult.”58

In November 1999, during the third WTO meeting in Seattle, Washington, the mayor’s office proclaimed that from November 29 to December 5 was “Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa Week.” On the evening of the 29th while Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, also the deputy head of the Chinese delegation, in a meeting with Seattle Mayor Schell, he found out about the proclamation. He immediately began to denigrate Falun Gong and its founder. The mayor was deceived by his rumors and withdrew the proclamation. 59

On July 18 and 19, 2000, Chinese Ambassador Li Zhaoxing gave speeches on Sino-US relations. He slandered Falun Gong in his speech to more than 250 CEOs of big companies, government officials, and lawyers, and tried to incite hatred against Falun Gong.60

On November 27, 2000, Li Zhaoxing gave a half-hour speech at the University of Virginia and denounced Falun Gong. He also said that western media’s reports about the persecution of Falun Gong are not necessarily true. 61

On January 18, 2001, at a forum discussing Sino-US trade sponsored by the San Jose Chamber of Commerce in Silicon Valley, California, Li Zhaoxing gave a speech in which he denounced Falun Gong. His words were echoed by some attendees. 62

On January 26, 2001, at a farewell dinner party sponsored by the United Federation of New York Chinese Associations, on behalf of the Chinese government, Li Zhaoxing thanked all Chinese-Americans and overseas students (who were swayed by the propaganda) for taking action against Falun Gong. 63

In Switzerland: Chinese Ambassador Qiao Zonghuai in Switzerland

After the persecution of Falun Gong began in 1999, the human rights issue regarding the persecution has attracted the attention from the countries around the world, especially during the annual meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva. The Chinese Ambassador to Switzerland, Qiao Zonghuai, has been very active in exporting hatred and extending the persecution to the United Nations. Due to his success at the 2000 and 2001 UNHRC in helping China avoid international criticism of its human rights record, he was promoted to the post of Deputy Minister of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. 64

In 2000, Qiao Zonghuai was the head of the Chinese delegation to the 56th Annual Session of the UN Human Rights Commission. On March 21, 2000, he asked the Commission for a “no-action” vote on the motion (No. L.30 draft resolution) initiated by the United States to condemn China’s human rights violations, as well as the cancellation of the motion. The Commission’s vote was 22 to 18 in China’s favor. As a result, the UN remained silent on the issue of human rights in China. 65

On the same day, Qiao Zonghuai held a press conference in which he vilified Falun Gong and its founder, and played propaganda videos. 65

On March 16, 2001, he again tried to incite anti-Falun Gong sentiment at a press conference by showing a video about the “Tiananmen self-immolation incident.” However, the footage broadcast by CCTV showing the incident in which several people whom the Chinese government claims were Falun Gong practitioners set themselves on fire, has been analyzed and proven to have been staged by the government for the purpose of framing Falun Gong. Yet the story continues to be one of the principal tools used by the regime to promote anti-Falun Gong sentiment. (For more information, see the investigative reports issued by WOIPFG regarding the Tiananmen self-immolation incident. 66

On March 30, 2001, Qiao attended the 57th Session of the UNHRC and gave a speech. He proclaimed that China has made great progress in regard to human rights, and he attacked the United States’ criticism of China’s human rights record. In this speech, Qiao viciously attacked Falun Gong and claimed that the persecution of Falun Gong has “safeguarded the basic rights of Chinese citizens and is a big contribution to the world in its effort to protect human rights.” He also criticized the U.S. for using double standards over the issue of human rights. 67

In Belgium: Song Mingjiang and Guan Chengyuan, Chinese Ambassadors to Belgium

The European Union is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Guan Chengyuan, the current Chinese ambassador to Belgium, and his predecessor Song Mingjiang, both have engaged in activities to extend the persecution of Falun Gong to Europe. For example, Song Mingjiang spread misinformation about Falun Gong to members of the European Union, thereby instilling hatred for the practice. The Reuters News Agency published a news story with the following quote, “Song Mingjiang wrote a strongly worded letter to members of the European Parliament.” The letter warned parliament members not to support Falun Gong for the sake of relations between China and their countries. 68

In addition, on the evening of March 7, 2001, while attending a March 8th International Women’s Day reception held at the Chinese Embassy, Song again made a speech which again attempted to incite hatred of Falun Gong among the people who attended the reception. 69

On January 8, 2002, the Chinese Embassy in Brussels held a pictorial exhibition entitled “Oppose the Evil-cult and Safeguard Human rights.” Ambassador Guan Chengyuan again issued a speech at the beginning of the exhibition that was filled with propagandistic misinformation about Falun Gong. More than 300 people were invited to view the exhibition, including members of the European Parliament and the Belgian government, as well as local overseas Chinese students, community members, and media entities. 70

(3) Cases of Consular-Level Chinese Diplomats Inciting Hatred of Falun Gong

In New York: Zhang Hongxi, Chinese Consul General to New York City

The United Nation is headquartered in New York City. During the last several years, Zhang Hongxi, the Chinese Consul General to New York City, and other diplomats who work at the Chinese Consulate there have continually attempted to denigrate Falun Gong. Zhang Hongxi has organized many “criticizing meetings” and forums for this purpose, and also attended meetings organized by local Chinese media entities, local Chinese organizations, and local Chinese student organizations. It is evident from the timing of these meetings that each of the wide scale “criticizing meeting” coincided with a major escalation of the persecution and a new wave of propaganda against Falun Gong in Mainland China.

(1) On November 10, 1999, Zhang Hongxi, the Chinese Consul General to New York City, held a meeting at the consulate with representatives from the local Chinese media entities to attack Falun Gong. 71

(2) On December 19, 2000, Zhang attended an “exposing and criticizing meeting” organized by the United Federation of New York Chinese Associations. He made a speech to incite hatred against Falun Gong to more than 200 Chinese people present at the meeting. 72

(3) On March 17, 2001, representatives of the New York Area Chinese Students and Scholars Associations held an “exposing and criticizing meeting” against Falun Gong at Columbia University. Zhang attended the meeting and gave a speech against Falun Gong. 73

(4) Leaders from dozens of local Chinese organizations under the United Federation of New York Chinese Associations attended an “exposing and criticizing meeting” held by the Association. Zhang attended the meeting to incite hatred against Falun Gong. 74

(5) On July 10, 2002, during an “exposing and criticizing meeting” held by an organization of Chinese people who work and study in academic institutions in eastern United States, Zhang, using the incidents where Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China broadcast Falun Gong programs on cable networks in various Chinese cities, attacked Falun Gong and its founder. 75

(6) On July 12, 2002, Zhang participated in an afternoon gathering of dozens of Chinese people in New York City to slander Falun Gong. 76

(7) On May 17, 2002, Zhang attended a forum held by an organization of Chinese people who work and study in academic institutions in the New York City area entitled “Criticizing Falun Gong Once Again” to continue his attack against Falun Gong. 77

3. Inciting Hatred in Overseas Chinese Communities

To coordinate each escalation of the persecution and the media offensives in China, Jiang’s regime uses hate propaganda (consulate websites, photo exhibition, free movies) and other means to organize overseas Chinese “special groups” to launch “opinion offensives.” The targets of such hate propaganda in Chinese communities abroad include overseas students, scholars, ethnic Chinese, and various overseas Chinese groups and organizations (such as students and scholars associations, Chinese students associations in universities, provincials or townsmen fellowship associations, the elderly associations, business and trade committees, Chinese schools, and others.)

(1) Influencing Overseas Chinese Media

Overseas Chinese media reports of some events differ from those of Western mainstream media as a result of the CCP’s influence. This can be attributed to the fact that a number of Chinese media outlets overseas are reluctant to offend the CCP or are paid by the CCP to withhold or change news stories. (For more details, please see the WOIPFG report on the use of the media to extend persecution of Falun Gong overseas.)

(2) Rerouting Web Links

According to incomplete statistics, websites of at least 63 Chinese embassies and consulates link to websites that attack Falun Gong. The content of these websites is mostly hate propaganda originating from the official media in China. A large number of overseas Chinese websites are linked to Chinese embassy and consulate websites. Thus, numerous overseas Chinese are directly or indirectly influenced by the hate propaganda from the Chinese embassies’ and consulates’ websites.

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(3)Picture Exhibitions

In order to intensify hatred of Falun Gong, Jiang’s regime has promoted nation-wide picture exhibitions that denigrate Falun Gong. Jiang even personally attended some of these exhibitions. As an important element of the propaganda campaign, these exquisitely decorated pictures were shipped to Chinese embassies and consulates all over the world 78, such as Canada, USA, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Russia, Belgium, France, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Some embassies and consulates, such as the Consulate in Toronto, posted anti-Falun Gong pictures in the visa office for an extended period in the effort to brainwash Chinese people and foreigners who came to the office for regular business.

(4) Instigating Hatred Among Chinese Organizations

Chinese diplomatic organizations in the U.S., for example, spread the persecution to American society through student-exchange programs, donating teaching materials to Chinese schools, and improving relationships with teachers at Chinese schools in the U.S. In his speech at a New Year’s gala held by the Chinese Embassy for Chinese school teachers in the U.S., Ambassador Yang Jiechi claimed 79, “In the U.S., people of Chinese heritage have organized nearly 600 Chinese schools. Many Chinese schools have become the cultural center for the local Chinese communities, they made significant contributions in spreading Chinese culture and eliminating Falun Gong,” “[their efforts] deserve high praise.”  It was reported that “more than 300 Chinese school teachers from Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware attended the reception.”79

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After January 23, 2001, when a group of people alleged by the Chinese media to be Falun Gong practitioners set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square (an incident that upon analysis was proven to have been staged by the government for the purpose of framing Falun Gong; see the WOIPFG investigative reports on the Tiananmen “Self-Immolation” Incident), many Chinese consulates and embassies organized local Chinese students and scholars to watch CCTV videos80, and hosted seminars to “expose and criticize” Falun Gong. For example, the Consulate General in Houston called together Associations of Chinese students and scholars of Houston University, Rice University, Texas Medical Center, and Alumni Associations of Beijing University and Qinghua University to watch the video tape “Falun Gong Tiananmen Self-Immolation Incident” at the education section of the consulate, and held seminars to “expose and criticize” Falun Gong. Consul General Zhang Chunxiang slandered Falun Gong at the seminar. He said, “I hope that everybody can recognize the essence and great harm of Falun Gong. Please explain this to your classmates, coworkers, including American friends, and let them learn the truth of the matter.” Education section leader Yan Meihua said, “I hope Chinese students and scholars in Houston area…can resist Falun Gong…and persuade Falun Gong practitioners to repent as soon as possible.”

In overseas universities where there are Chinese student associations, Jiang's regime has also manipulated the elections in such organizations to stop Falun Gong practitioners or  supporters from being elected. An example is the election at the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars of the University of Minnesota 81. During that incident, Cheng Jiacai from the education section of the Consulate General in Chicago, together with his manager, education consul Jiang Bo, invited Board members of the Friendship Association of Chinese Students and Scholars of the University of Minnesota to a dinner. At the dining table, Cheng Jiacai requested that FACSS not have any relations with Falun Gong, and instead take initiatives against Falun Gong.

Epoch Times reported on October 11, 2002, 82 that before Jiang Zemin visited the U.S. in 2002, Chinese officials and Chinese economic and trade delegations increased their contacts with U.S. business circles and U.S. governments. According to reports from Central News Agency and China Times, the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. was planning to organize a huge group to welcome Jiang in an effort to confront the protests from human rights groups. A Chinese student at a university in Dallas told the reporter, “The Chinese Embassy assigned a quota of two hundred people to our school, asking Chinese students to go welcome Jiang Zemin.”

(5) “Exposing and Criticizing” Campaigns by Overseas Chinese
Embassies

In order to deceive people in China, overseas Chinese embassies and consulates often mobilize their staff to hold discussion forums and “exposing and criticizing” meetings to raise their voice against Falun Gong at a “critical moment” in the name of “patriotism.”  According to investigations, these activities are usually held by overseas organizations controlled by the Chinese embassies and get periodic funding from the embassies.

The Chinese government then orders the “spying” correspondents to report those events on their controlled overseas media, which then are broadcast inside China to mislead its populace. They then spread this kind of “exposing and criticizing” information to all segments of society through the local media. The Chinese media seem to respond to this information unusually fast. It is evident that each round of Chinese media propaganda inevitably causes an escalation of the persecution against Falun Gong practitioners in China. In addition, these kinds of “exposing and criticizing” meetings incite hatred toward Falun Gong and are sent to other country’s government and people through various channels, to influence their attitude toward Falun Gong.

After the “Self-immolation” incident, various Chinese consulates and embassies in different countries immediately mobilized local Chinese residents, students and scholars to slander Falun Gong. This propaganda under the label of “patriotism” and “justice” has spread from Australia83, America (Canada 84, 85, the United States 86, 87, 88 Costa Rica 89, Brasilia 90, Brazil 91, Peru 92, Mexico 93) and European nations, Italy 94, Finland 95, Switzerland 96, France 97, England 98, Holland 99, Norway 100, Austria 101, Germany 102, Bulgaria 103, Russia 104, Romania 105, and to the Asian nations of Macao 106, Hong Kong 107, Thailand 108, South Korea 109, Cambodia 110, Japan 111. During a short several days from the end of January to early February, the same “exposing and criticizing” activities took place around the world, making it a global, organizational, systematic and intentional incitement of hatred. The reports about these activities usually appear amazingly fast in the official Chinese media and on websites such as the Xinhua News Agency, Chinese Central TV (CCTV), China Daily and Guangming Daily. Furthermore, the report about these overseas “exposing and criticizing” activities are cited in the Chinese Mainland media to show that overseas Chinese “support” Jiang’s regime.

How are the “exposing and criticizing” activities fabricated? According to a CCTV report 112, “there is a color TV in the hall of the visa office in the Chinese embassy in Great Britain. They usually show some international news to people who are waiting for visa or passport. When the reporter went there, many Chinese were watching the “Tiananmen Self-immolation incident” and some children were shocked at what they saw.” According to Xinhua Net’s report on February 1, 2001, a news program that slandered Falun Gong had been released by the CCTV and stirred up “great shock and anger among overseas Chinese in France.” 113

Another report from Minghui.net 114 stated that on March 13, 2001, a Chinese foundation involved with Chinese officials invited dozens of Chinese nationals to a Chinatown restaurant. “While treating them to a meal, they asked many people to make a speech and secretly held this ‘all Chinese in England exposing and criticizing Falun Gong.’ According to a person attended the meeting, this secret meeting turned out to be specifically organized for CCTV, which needed to make a film, ‘Overseas Chinese expose and criticize Falun Gong.’ So this Chinese foundation then mobilized some local Chinese and put on this show. This film was to be shown in China to deceive Chinese people. There were several hundreds of Chinese in Chinatown that day, but they were refused entrance to that restaurant. Several Falun Gong practitioners wished to clarify truth to them but were rebuffed. An American RFA reporter was also denied entry with the excuse ‘private party’.”114

(6) Hiring Overseas Spies and Few Leaders of Overseas Chinese to Suppress Falun Gong

It is verified by people who have been overseas spies 115 that the ways and methods used to collect information generally are to use public identity but secret channels to engage in intelligence collection; use public materials to analyze, induce, and obtain information. The so-called public identity is using CCP’s occupation concerning foreign affairs like diplomacy, press, economy & trade, finance, civil aviation, tourism, religious groups, international organizations, cultural exchange, and so on, as covers to engage in intelligence collection. Secret channels generally refer to those secret missions that do not have this kind of CCP identity as cover.

It is said that these spies are usually the people who often appear in overseas media, and some are so-called human rights organizations and overseas Chinese groups. Observers have pointed out that these so-called “civil groups” are actually under the CCP’s “leadership,” that there are corresponding government structures at different levels within the group, and that are all part of the CCP’s administrative machinery.
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A typical example is spy Katrina Leung (Chen Wenying) 116: In April 2003, the Los Angeles spy case was exposed. The main character was Katrina Leung, and her public identity was as the leader of overseas Chinese in Los Angeles.In 2001, 46 United States congressmen jointly nominated the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi, as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Katrina Leung, who was the chair of the Los Angeles–Guangzhou Friendship Association, “strongly criticized” the United States congressmen and attacked the founder of Falun Gong. 117。On the “Overseas Chinese Paper” funded by the Chinese government and distributed in the United States, she said that she is “ashamed” of the actions of the United States Congressmen.  CCP’s media both overseas and inside China used this to claim that overseas Chinese are anti-Falun Gong and the news was transferred to Mainland China. Later, as the spy case was exposed, Katrina Leung was found to be a CCP spy. According to the report of Voice of America (VOA): “Whenever Chinese high level officials came to visit California, including the visits by Zhu Rongji and Jiang Zemin, Chen Wenying was always one of the leaders of the overseas Chinese who appeared personally to welcome them.”117

Prior to that, Liang Guanjun, the president of the United Federation of New York Chinese Associations has many times interfered and destroyed the legal activities of Falun Gong practitioners in New York and instigated hatred in the community against Falun Gong  on various occasions.

China News Net reported, “On April 21, 2001, approximately a hundred Chinese Association members, who were close to the United Federation of New York Chinese Associations, acted in sharp opposition and directly attacked the ‘Falun Gong’ parade in the six places that it passed by. Liang Guanjun said during a reporter’s interview, “We are the first overseas Chinese association that came out in opposition to Falun Gong, and we have attacked them face-to-face five times.” 118 On June 23, 2003, Liang personally attacked Falun Gong and was arrested on the charge of assault. He was accused of “third-degree assault.”

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On June 23, 2003, abetted by the Chinese consulate, he directed a group attack as well as personally attacked Falun Gong practitioners119, 120. He was arrested and taken into custody for allegedly directing and participating in the assault on Falun Gong practitioners and was charged with third-degree assault.

(7) Using Economic and Diplomatic Pressure to Force Overseas People to Consent to or Participate in Persecution

Personnel from Chinese consulates have slandered Falun Gong on many occasions, taking advantage of the fact that foreign politicians and business people seek trade opportunities in China. For example, on November 4, 1999, the former Chinese Ambassador to the USA, The current Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, slandered and fabricated rumors about Falun Gong and its founder at the “Business Strategy in China” meeting at the University of North Carolina 57. Another example is that on July 18 and 19, 2000, at the Sino-US symposium in Chicago and Cleveland, Li Zhaoxing disseminated rumors to over 250 board chairmen, the president, government officials, and lawyers. He also slandered Falun Gong and instigated hatred. 60 On January 18, 2001, Li Zhaoxing gave a talk that vilified Falun Gong at the Panel Discussion of Sino-US Trade and Cooperation in Silicon Valley and San Jose in California. 63

According to a report from the National Post 26 in Canada on March 20, 2004, Chinese diplomats spent a huge amount of time soliciting Canadian statesmen to discriminate against Falun Gong. They threatened that if they did not cooperate, the trade relationship would be damaged. Not only federal government officials but also provincial statesmen, council members, and mayors have received innumerable letters of this kind. In March 2003, the interim ambassador, Chu Guangyou, wrote to Liberty Party Congressman and incumbent Martin administration cabinet Jim Peterson, warning that China had informed the Canadian government of the sensitivity of Falun Gong. The letter said “hope you and your government understand our stand and be wary of Falun Gong’s intention of damaging China-Canada bilateral relationship.” A package of propaganda was enclosed.

The National Post 26 also disclosed that the City Council of Toronto experienced pressure from China. City Council member Michael Walker recently proposed a resolution for “Day of Falun Gong” and requested China to stop persecuting Falun Gong. However, other Council members were not as determined as Mr. Walker under the threat from the Chinese Embassy that “negative influence would be produced against beneficial exchange and cooperation.” City Council member Mammoliti blocked the resolution, using the excuse of foreign trade and wanted to put aside the resolution. Despite this, Mayor Andy Wells of Saint John, Newfield, replied to the slanderous letter from Chinese Ambassador Mei Ping, “Your persecution of an innocent association indicates the failure of morals and ethics of your government.”

According to a Voice of America report, The Netherlands government canceled its visit to China because the Chinese government kept Dutch diplomats from interviewing Falun Gong practitioners 121.

4. Attacking Overseas Falun Gong Practitioners or Supporters Directly or Indirectly

(1) Using Violence to Attack Overseas Falun Gong Practitioners

There are many instances in which Falun Gong practitioners or supporters have been verbally and physically abused. A few examples follow.

Case 1: Canadian MP Threatened for Wearing Falun Gong T-shirt 25

According to Canadian MP Rob-Anders’ testimony 122, 123, he was surrounded and assaulted when he attended an event organized by the Chinese Embassy because he wore a Falun Gong T-shirt. Anders described the event in his letter 122 to the Minister of Foreign Affair, “In February 2000 I was invited to a Chinese New Year’s celebration hosted by Member of Parliament Sophie Leung in Room 200 of West Block in the House of Commons. I attended wearing clothing with statements regarding a free Tibet and an end to the repression of followers of Falun Dafa. Staff members of the People’s Republic physically assaulted me in the House of Commons for wearing these slogans. They also tried to steal a camera away from a Canadian photo-journalist taking pictures of the event. …”
  
Case 2: Canadian Falun Gong Practitioner Beaten by Chinese Embassy Staff 124

On December 28, 2001, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa held a so-called “New Year’s Movie Party” which was actually a show designed to denigrate Falun Gong. An invited Ottawa student and Falun Gong practitioner named Wang Xueliang was beaten by a staff member from the Chinese Embassy because he wanted to take pictures of the show. After a detailed investigation and verification by International Investigators of WOIPFG, the person who beat Wang Xueliang was identified as Chinese Embassy officer Ma Xiaolong, male, 36 years old, and a former receptionist of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. Ma Xiaolong was sent back to China in June 2002.  125
 
Case 3: Falun Gong Practitioners Verbally Abused and Beaten in Front of Chicago’s Chinese Consulate 126

At around 4:40 p.m. on September 7, 2002, three men stopped in front of the Chinese Consulate in Chicago to beat, verbally abuse, and make lewd gestures at Falun Gong practitioners on hunger strike in front of the Consulate. According to investigation, two of the men were assistant chairpersons of a Chinese hometown association. They had obtained their permanent U.S. resident status through the political asylum process. It is indicated that they have backgrounds in organized crime and have a close relationship with the Chinese Consulate in Chicago. In 2001 when Jiang Zemin visited Chicago, someone from Jiang’s entourage interviewed members of their association.

One of these two men, Zheng Jiming, who had assaulted Falun Gong practitioner Fang Lin, pled guilty in Cook County Circuit Court in Chicago on November 13, 2002. In accordance with the terms of the plea bargain agreement, Zheng testified that he had beaten Fang Lin on September 7 and that he had been joined in this crime by an accomplice, Weng Yujun. By coincidence, Weng Yujun was arrested on the morning of November 5 in Chicago's Chinatown for this same crime.

 

Case 4: Practitioners in New York City Attacked by Overseas Chinese Association
Leaders 127

During the evening of June 23, 2003, several Falun Gong practitioners were beaten in front of the Yidong Restaurant in New York City’s Chinatown while distributing Falun Gong materials. Led by Liang Guanjun and Hua Junxiong, heads of the United Federation of New York Chinese Associations, a group of people injured several Falun Gong practitioners. The victims have already filed a police report. Prior to this event, it was rumored that people from the New York Chinese Consulate strongly urged those pro-Communist associations “not to allow any Falun Gong practitioners to participate in the July 4 parade to celebrate American’s Independence Day.”

On July 22, 2003, the U.S. Congress held a hearing regarding this attack on Falun Dafa practitioners in New York. Dennis Halpin, an aide for a member of the U.S. Committee on International Relations, attended the hearing along with twenty other congressional representatives. U.S officials inquired about the details of the incident and expressed great concern. Xiang Yijun, representative from the office of New Jersey Senator Lautenberg said, "The beating of Falun Gong practitioners in New York is absolutely unacceptable. Senator Lautenberg thinks it constitutes a hate crime.”

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(2) Creating a “Blacklist”

It has been confirmed that Chinese agents and embassy officials outside China have been compiling lists of Falun Gong practitioners worldwide. People have been seen taking pictures of Falun Gong practitioners during activities, for example, and there is evidence that practitioners are followed, and their phones and emails monitored. These lists have been used to keep practitioners from visiting countries while Jiang Zemin was in the country.

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Chicago Chinese Consulate employees taking photos of Falun Gong practitioners from all over the world who supported the lawsuit against Jiang.

In Canada 25, for example, twenty-five Canadian Falun Gong practitioners found that their names were on a blacklist compiled by Chinese authorities, when they tried to travel to Iceland during Jiang’s visit to that country in June 2002 in order to appeal for an end to the persecution. They were, however, prevented from entering the country upon arrival or prohibited from boarding Iceland-bound planes in Canada. One Canadian told WOIPFG that she confirmed the names were in the immigration officials’ computer systems. Practitioners traveling to Iceland from other countries as well also found their names on blacklists as they tried to purchase tickets or board planes.

(3) Psychological Persecution: Threats, Intimidation, Monitoring and
Implication

Threats and Intimidation

Case 1: U.S.A.128
At 3 o’clock p.m. on January 31, 2001, Falun Gong spokesman Mr. Erping Zhang received a call, threatening him that he would be murdered. He reported it to the police station. He received this kind of death threat twice. 128

Case 2: Australia 129
In the middle of the night, several Falun Gong practitioners were awakened by threatening telephone calls from persons in the Chinese State Security Department. When  practitioners answered the phone, the other party identified themselves by saying, “I am an intelligence agent from the Chinese State Security Department.” The most common topic of conversation included such threats as, “I warn you not to practice Falun Gong anymore. You should know that we will bring you trouble. I have been tracking you for a long time.” Some of these people even called again one hour later and ordered the practitioner to write some sort of statement denouncing Falun Gong.

Case 3: Nepal 130
Between July 2 and August 2, 2003, a practitioner in Nepal kept receiving threatening phone calls. The practitioner was told by the callers that if he continued practicing Falun Gong and teaching Falun Gong exercises, they would report him to the Chinese Embassy in Nepal. The callers also asked him to provide information of other Falun Gong practitioners; otherwise, he would be in a disadvantageous situation. Moreover, the callers tried to extort US$2,000 U.S. from him as their assurance that they would not report him to the Chinese Embassy. Because of such threats and for his own safety, this Nepalese practitioner left his residence. As of March 2004, he was still receiving threatening phone calls.

Monitoring, Tracking, and Tapping Phone Calls

In Macau:

The Boston Globe 131 reported on May 8, 2001, that Falun Gong is under more and more restrictions in Macau. The article pointed out, “Fifty-three-year-old year old Yaming Lin has been a practitioner of this spiritual practice since 1998… He said that since the return of Macau to China in December 1999, police have often been ‘taking care of him.’ He recalled that he was feeling amused when he received a phone call on his cell phone. ‘Mr. Lin, where are you?’ the caller pleaded. Lin said he [the strange caller] was a plain-clothed police officer. ‘We could not find you! But before Jiang Zemin entered the city, we are experiencing pressure. We must keep watching you. Please tell us where you are? When Jiang Zemin arrives to visit, the Chinese police are our boss, therefore, please do not accuse us,’ he said. One of the plain-clothes team members that were often monitoring him said to him frankly, ‘I know you are a good person, but behind me is another person monitoring me how I was monitoring you. Behind them there are more people, monitoring level by level. If I lost you, I would be scolded like a dog.’”

In Geneva: 132

During the 58th United Nations Human Rights Convention in Geneva, more than 700 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appealed on the Place Des Nations  in front of the gate to the United Nations compound. There were always people who covertly videotaped and took pictures of the practitioners. When Falun Gong practitioners turned their cameras to videotape them, they fled the scene. A luxury car was seen driving around the Place Des Nations with someone videotaping from inside the car, but as soon as they saw Falun Gong practitioners’ cameras turn towards the car, they covered their faces with their hands and quickly drove off. 

Implication of Family Members in China

Wang Yuzhi 133, 46 years old, resident of Harbin City in Heilongjiang Province, used to manage a computer store. She was arrested three times for practicing Falun Gong. At her last arrest, she was imprisoned at the notorious Harbin Wanjia Forced Labor Camp where she was tortured until her eyes bled; they festered and she nearly went blind. The Canadian government helped rescue her and bring her to Canada in November 2002. From then on, she has exposed the Jiang regime’s persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in Mainland China. In January 2003, one month after Wang Yuzhi filed a lawsuit in France against the “610 Office” head Li Lanqing, her brother Wang Chengyuan was detained in China in violation of the Chinese constitution. On March 18, 2003, during the United Nations Human Rights Convention, she went to Geneva to reveal her persecution experiences. As an eyewitness to the persecution she had prepared to sue Jiang Zemin. The following day her younger sister (Wang Chunyu) and elder sister (Wang Yuxiang) were forcibly detained. Both were thus separated from their young children and relatives.

Deprivation of Legal Rights

Since the persecution began, incidents of Chinese embassies or consulates refusing to issue Falun Gong practitioner passports, visas, and other legal certificates have increased and have occurred worldwide. This has greatly interfered with practitioners school and work, as they must take time to visit these offices, and caused economic loss and psychological stress as well. Denial or withholding of passports has occurred in the U.S. in such places as New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Chicago and also in Canada, Spain, Denmark, Australia, Singapore, Ireland, and other countries.

Denmark 134: Falun Gong practitioner Wang Zhuozhuo recounts his persecution experience:

On January 31, 2002, I received an unexpected phone call from my family in China who told me that my 86-year-old father fell severely ill and was being hospitalized. The doctors removed a large amount of fluid and blood from his lungs, and diagnosed him with terminal lung cancer. They also issued a notice, stating he could die anytime. I was grieved by the news. My parents endured much hardship to nurture me and to afford me an education. I lived overseas for many years and was not able to take care of my father. Father wrote me many letters saying he wanted me to return home. If I didn’t go home this time, I may never see my father again. How could I let my father down, the person who raised and nurtured me! My heart felt like lead and the only thing I wanted to do was to return home. I had everything ready except for a visa from the Chinese Consulate. The Chinese consulate refused to issue me a visa, on the grounds I am a Falun Gong practitioner.

Singapore 135: Falun Gong practitioner Gao Hao recounts his persecution experience:

In May this year I went to the Chinese Embassy in Singapore to have my passport extended because it was close to the expiration date, October 17, 2001. When it was time to pick up my passport, the front desk staff told me that the official in charge wanted to see me. After a while, an official in his 40s arrived. He took me to a guest room and said, “Our country now has a policy; if you want to extend your passport, you must break away from the Falun Gong ‘organization’.” I told him that practicing Falun Gong and participating in activities and appeals are all voluntary [and there is no “organization”].

Spain 136: Falun Gong practitioner Pan Jie recounts his persecution experience:

In December 2001 my passport expired. I went to the Chinese Consulate to have it extended. The people at the consulate delayed extending my passport, saying my passport must be transferred to the Public Security Department in Beijing. This has caused great trouble for my legal stay in Spain.

Washington, D.C., USA 137: According to a report by Radio Free Asia on March 27, 2004, the Chinese Embassy in the United States refused to extend the passport of Falun Gong practitioner Shi Wei, stating that she had been practicing Falun Gong and appealing in front of the Chinese Embassy.

Chicago, IL, USA 138: On May 23, 2002, a reporter from the Chicago newspaper The Sun reported that several Chinese citizens got into a conflict with the Chinese Consulate in Chicago on Wednesday, accusing the Consulate of refusing to extend their passports. Motorola researcher Xu Zhiwei, his wife, and their five-month-old son left the Chinese Consulate more than one hour later. Xu said that his mother was tortured [by the Jiang regime] in China because she practices Falun Gong in China. He said he did not want to go back to China because he knew that only imprisonment and torture awaited him. 138

Los Angeles, CA, USA 139: The local media including, the newspaper The World Journal, reported that student and Falun Gong practitioner Ye Ke had his passport held by the Chinese Consulate when he applied for an extension. The incident attracted wide attention.

An Ireland News 140 report by Joe Humphreys on March 30, 2001, stated that China was condemned for making a woman country-less. The article stated that a female Falun Gong practitioner living in Dublin accused the Chinese authorities of trying to force her into permanent exile by refusing to extend her passport.

(4) Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners Living Overseas Who Return to China

Besides overseas Chinese Embassies and Consulates, the Mainland National Security Bureau, the Public Security Bureau, and other enforcement agencies have also participated in the persecution. They often use methods such as trumped-up charges, abducting, monitoring, brainwashing and forcing practitioners to be their overseas secret agents.

Abduction

Incidents in which police or officials abduct Falun Gong practitioners and forcibly detain them in forced-labor camps, brainwashing centers, or prisons are not uncommon. For example, agents from the Tianjin National Security Bureau abducted Canadian practitioner Fan Ziyu in November 2001 141. Persons from the Shanghai National Security Bureau abducted practitioner Zhang Jun’an living in Germany in April 2002 142; officials from the Guangxi Province’s Wuzhou National Security Bureau abducted Cai Yingzi living in Japan in January 2003 143. Shenzhen National Security Bureau agents abducted Wan Zhengtian living in Hong Kong in April 2003144. Shanghai National Security Bureau agents abducted Taiwan citizen Lin Hsiao-kai in October 2003 145.

Coercing Practitioners into Becoming Secret Agents 146

Ms. Leejun, a Chinese American living in New York went to China to visit her family on January 20, 2004. Secret agents from the National Security Bureau abducted her and forced her to become their agent. Later, with intervention from the American Embassy and the efforts of lawyers, Leejun could return safely to the United States.

The Rocky Mountain News on April 29, 2004 147, disclosed this incident: “Importer Leejun Ivie once expected she could celebrate her 41st birthday this year with her family in Beijing. But things went contrary to her wish; she was abducted by Chinese authorities and interrogated for over 10 hours in regards to the Falun Gong activities in which she had participated in the United States.”

The article quoted Leejun as saying, “They are monitoring an American citizen.” She said, a Chinese government secret agent threatened her by saying that if she refused to “supervise” other Falun Gong practitioners in the United States, her family in China would be punished. The article further stated that State Department Consular Bureau spokesperson Stuart Patt said, “the American government had already lodged an official objection in regard to Leejun’s encounter.” Stuart Patt also said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in China later told us that they had no record of this case. No matter who they are, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not know them [those secret agents], or those parties are outside the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ function and power.”
  
Illegal Detention

When overseas practitioners have returned to China, many of them have been abducted, detained in violation of the Chinese constitution or even illegally tried. Prominent cases of this nature included American citizens Charles Lee 148 and Zhu Ying 149, professor Zhang Kunlun 150 from Canada, Ms. Zhang Cuiying from Australia 151, and Zhao Ming from Trinity College in Ireland 152.
 
Brutal Torture

Falun Gong practitioner Zhao Ming 152, male, 30 years old, was a graduate student in the Computer Science Department of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. In early January 2000, he returned to Beijing and went to several governmental organizations to appeal for Falun Gong. He was sent back to his hometown in Changchun City, Jilin Province. Police refused to return his passport unless he wrote a “guarantee statement” promising to give up Falun Gong practice. He firmly refused. Without his passport he could not return to Ireland to continue his studies. He went back to Beijing in March 2000 to look for a job. However, the police regarded him as a “Falun Gong organizer” and issued a warrant for his arrest. On May 13 when he arrived at a practitioner’s home, he was arrested by a plainclothes policeman who had been following him. Several practitioners were arrested with him as well. He was first held at the Haidian District Detention Facility and was later sent to the Male Forced Labor Camp in Daxing County, Beijing, where he suffered mental and physical tortures. Police guards and prisoners beat him savagely and shocked him with electric batons for long periods of time. He was only permitted two hours of sleep per day. They beat him fiendishly to force him to write criticizing material. Five police guards used six electric batons to shock him at the same time, with the voltage as high as ten thousand volts.
 

5. In Toronto: Deputy Chinese Consul General in Toronto
-Pan Xinchun broke international law and Canadian laws 153

On February 3, 2004, the Ontario Superior Court in Canada reached a verdict in the libel lawsuit against Pan Xinchun, the Chinese Deputy Consul General in Toronto, for calling Mr. Joel Chipkar, a Falun Gong practitioner, a member of an evil cult. The judge ruled in favor of Mr. Chipkar. The court also ordered Pan Xinchun to compensate for damages incurred by his libel. Many major media including the Ottawa Citizen 154, Toronto Star 155, Cnews 156, and the French International Broadcasting Company 157 reported this news. Investigation showed that Pan not only had broken Canadian laws but also has violated the VIENNA CONVENTION ON CONSULAR RELATIONS AND OPTIONAL PROTOCOLS 158. For example, “it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State [Article 50 (1)];” “The consular premises shall not be used in any manner incompatible with the exercise of consular functions [Article 50 (2)].”

Conclusion

This document presents interim results from WOIPFG’s investigation into Chinese officials’ unlawful activities in extending China’s crackdown on Falun Gong to the area outside of China. As the investigation continues, WOIPFG will continue to collect information and evidence.

Even so, the incidents in this report are numerous and varied. They present compelling reason to believe that Chinese diplomatic and consular staff oversea are actively – and in some respects, clandestinely – exporting the Chinese government’s persecution of Falun Gong to the countries outside of China, in direct violation of international diplomatic treaties and the laws of the respective countries where the envoys are located.

The purpose of this document is to expose these damaging actions, so that they may cease, and to support the foreign authorities’ efforts to address this issue through diplomatic and legal means.

Note: Translation of the references is in process at this time and will be supplied in a future edition


World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong

Tel:1-347-448-5790;Fax:1-347-402-1444;
Mail Address:P.O. Box 84, New york, NY 10116
Website: http://www.upholdjustice.org/, http://www.zhuichaguoji.org/