Harvard Event Explores Inspiring Stories of Freedom and Nonviolent Resistance to Repression
On November 22, 2024, Cynthia Sun, a researcher at the Falun Dafa Information Center, spoke at an event hosted by the Falun Dafa Club at Harvard Griffin GSAS. She shared her personal experiences and research on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong.
Sun discussed how Falun Gong practitioners in the U.S. and globally are targeted through surveillance, harassment, and disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining their freedoms and safety. She also described how practitioners have responded to the CCP’s efforts through nonviolent resistance.
From sharing information via encrypted messages within China to raising awareness internationally, these efforts have sparked a global movement. Millions of Chinese individuals have chosen to renounce their membership in the CCP and its affiliated organizations, seeking to dissociate themselves from the regime’s atrocities.
The event featured additional expert speakers, including:
- Dr. Chi-Sang Poon, a retired MIT scientist and vocal advocate for civil rights and freedom of the press, who has researched legal avenues for regaining democracy in Hong Kong.
- Lily Tang Williams, a survivor of the Cultural Revolution and 2024 congressional candidate, who shared her journey of fleeing communist China and her advocacy for liberty and freedom in the United States.
- Dr. Zheng Zhi, a former Chinese military doctor and whistleblower, who recounted his firsthand experiences exposing the CCP’s practice of forced organ harvesting.
- Janice Trey, the CEO of The Epoch Times and a Chinese labor camp survivor, who shared her hope for a freer China through the efforts of grassroots advocacy around the world.
Watch Cynthia’s speech below.
