Faluninfo Director Submits Testimony to USIRF Transnational Repression Hearing

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) hosted a hearing on May 10, 2023, that examined transnational repression on the basis of religion, belief, or advocacy for religious freedom and how the United State can respond accordingly. The Falun Dafa Information Center submitted a written statement addressing transnational repression of Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S., published by the USCIRF here.

As the CCP extends is persecution campaign against Falun Gong internationally, there are concrete steps that policymakers and members of civil society can take to condemn, deter, and prevent acts of transnational repression against Falun Gong believers in the United States and around the world.

The following dimensions of transnational repression related to freedom of belief and how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its proxies target believers of Falun Gong were highlighted in the written statement to USCIRF:

• The CCP and its proxies have been carrying out a campaign of transnational repression against Falun Gong for over two decades, expanding and refining the tactics, mechanisms, and apparatus that today target a far wider array of victim communities.
  
  
• CCP-backed individuals or misinformed Chinese nationals have physically assaulted Falun Gong practitioners in the United States and other countries who were trying to raise awareness about violations of freedom of belief in China; in several recent cases, the attackers have faced prosecution for their actions.
  
  
• Ethnic Chinese and non-ethnic Chinese Falun Gong practitioners on university campuses across the United States have reported incidents of surveillance, slander, and censorship by Chinese officials, CCP proxies, or other China-linked individuals.
  
  
• Dragon Springs, a campus in New York that houses the training facilities for Shen Yun Performing Arts, faces ongoing frivolous lawsuits and surveillance directed by the CCP.

The full written statement is below.

The CCP’s ongoing campaign against Chinese citizens who practice Falun Gong remains one of the most severe human rights crises and sources of religious freedom violations in today’s China. As described above, this campaign of persecution extends internationally.

In this context, the Falun Dafa Information Center urges policymakers and members of civil society to take the following steps to condemn, deter, and prevent acts of transnational repression against Falun Gong believers in the United States and around the world. Read our recommendations here.

Email us at contact@faluninfo.net to schedule a private briefing on transnational repression.