As the 26th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) crackdown on Falun Gong approaches, the U.S. State Department has
renewed
its call for Beijing to halt its long-running campaign of repression.
“For over 26 years, the CCP has waged a campaign of repression against practitioners of Falun Gong and their families,” a department spokesperson told
The Epoch Times
.
“We again call on the CCP to end its campaign to eradicate Falun Gong.”
Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that combines meditation with teachings based on truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, attracted between 70 million and 100 million practitioners in China by the late 1990s. The Chinese regime, initially supportive, grew alarmed by its growing popularity and perceived it as a threat. On July 20, 1999, it launched a sweeping persecution that continues to this day, involving forced labor, torture, and other abuses designed to force adherents to abandon their beliefs.
Thousands of Falun Gong deaths have been documented by Minghui.org, although the actual toll is believed to be far higher due to the Chinese regime’s lack of transparency.
Forced Organ Harvesting and Legislative Pushback
Independent investigations have also found
evidence
that Falun Gong practitioners have been killed to supply organs for China’s transplant industry. A 2019 London-based tribunal concluded that Falun Gong adherents were the primary victims of forced organ harvesting.
In response, U.S. lawmakers have introduced two bills this year: the
Falun Gong Protection Act
and the
Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act
, both awaiting Senate action. Several U.S. states have already passed laws discouraging citizens from receiving organ transplants in China.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called the practice “despicable,” citing the recent mysterious death of a Chinese medical student who had gathered evidence of forced organ harvesting. “We’ve got to tell the Chinese government that we’re not going to stand for this,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who championed the Falun Gong Protection Act as a senator, has pledged full support to pass anti-harvesting legislation. “The U.S. will not tolerate these practices,” Rubio said last year.
Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) echoed that sentiment, calling the practice “beyond human comprehension.”
Transnational Repression on U.S. Soil
The CCP’s targeting of Falun Gong has not been limited to China. In recent years, efforts to silence and intimidate practitioners abroad—particularly in the United States—have intensified. According to whistleblowers, Chinese leader Xi Jinping issued a
directive
in 2022 expanding international repression efforts.
These tactics have included spreading disinformation about Falun Gong through Western media and social platforms, manipulating legal systems, and encouraging U.S. authorities to investigate Falun Gong-linked organizations.
One failed attempt involved two Chinese agents trying to bribe an IRS official to revoke the tax-exempt status of
Shen Yun Performing Arts
, a New York-based group founded by Falun Gong practitioners. The plot was foiled by undercover FBI agents.
The Falun Gong community in the U.S. has reported over 140 threats since 2024, including bomb threats and violent intimidation aimed at events that raise awareness about the persecution. Earlier this year, a bomb threat forced the evacuation of Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center on Shen Yun’s opening night, prompting a condemnation from the White House.
A Global Human Rights Test
Lawmakers and rights advocates say the
campaign
against Falun Gong is part of a broader pattern of authoritarian overreach.
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said the CCP’s hatred stems from Falun Gong’s portrayal of pre-communist Chinese culture. Levi Browde, executive director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, noted that the issue now transcends religious freedom.
“This is not just about stopping human rights abuses in China. It’s about protecting democratic nations from the CCP’s growing campaign of transnational repression,” Browde said.
Ahead of a Falun Gong rally in Washington on July 17, Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) emphasized the importance of speaking out. “It’s the right thing to do—not just for human rights, but for American interests long term,” he said.
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a long-time China critic, pointed to trade as a critical pressure point. “Trade is the greatest weapon we have with an export economy like China,” he said, arguing that curbing imports from a country committing human rights abuses could force meaningful change.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” Smith said.
