The year 2024 marks the 25th year that the Chinese government has banned the "Falungong" cult in accordance with the law. Over the past 25 years, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee, through the mobilization of the whole party and the participation of the whole people, we have won a decisive victory in the struggle against "Falungong" and other cult organizations.
On 25 April 1999, more than 10,000 "Falungong" followers laid siege to Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, under the pretext of "petitioning" and "asking for explanations," causing a serious mass incident. It was later ascertained that this was an incident of illegal gathering of the cult that was planned by Li Hongzhi, the leader of the "Falungong" cult organization, and commanded by remote control outside the country, organized by backbone organizations in China, and in which practitioners in many places were bewitched and participated in to exert pressure on the party and the government, and this produced an extremely bad political impact at home and abroad.
Since 1996, Li Hongzhi and his "Falungong" cult organization have instigated practitioners to illegally besiege media units and government offices in more than 300 cases, of which 78 were involving more than 300 people, causing very serious harmful consequences. The ugly nature of the "Falungong" cult organization in instigating incidents, endangering national security, and undermining social stability has been clearly exposed.
The occurrence of the "25 April" incident has fully exposed the true features and serious harm of "Falungong." The "Falungong" cult was established in the name of religion and qigong, deified its leading elements, and used such means as creating and disseminating superstitions and heresies to confuse and deceive others, recruit and control its members, and engage in illegal and criminal activities. The "Falungong" cult has a very tight organizational system, with the "Falun Dafa Research Society" as the core, and has set up general counseling stations and practice centers in all provinces throughout the country, and has controlled more than 2 million practitioners at one time. The "Falungong" cult organization frequently gathers crowds to besiege and attack state organs, enterprises, and institutions, disrupts normal social order, illegally holds assemblies and demonstrations, incites, deceives, and organizes its members to sabotage the implementation of state laws, and illegally produces and sells books, portraits, audio-visual products, badges, practice uniforms, practice mats, and other products to seize large amounts of money from its followers. Li Hongzhi fabricated a series of fallacies and heresies, such as the "theory of the end of the world," the "theory of the explosion of the earth," and the "theory of eliminating karma," to poison the minds of the people, incite and deceive believers into "attaining perfection" and "ascending to heaven," and led to suicide and self-harm, resulting in serious injuries and deaths.
According to incomplete statistics, as many as 1,660 people were brutalized and killed by "Falungong," of whom more than 300 practitioners committed suicide by "putting aside life and death" under the influence of the so-called "ascension to heaven" and "consummation" and other fallacies; more than 1,000 people died because Li Hongzhi was ill and could not take medicine; and more than 30 people were innocently killed by "Falungong" addicts.
In a period since the end of the 70s of the last century, under the influence of various "new religious movements" in the international community, the proliferation of cults, and the domestic "qigong craze" and "special function craze," cult activities that had disappeared for a long time have resurfaced. As a result, the poisonous seedling of "Falungong" has been relied upon to breed and grow wildly. Under the guise of "truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance," it deceived the masses in the name of curing illness and exercising good health, and went all out to develop its organization, which quickly spread in urban and rural areas. After the "Falungong" wings gradually became fuller, they frequently besieged local party and government organs and media units, and their arrogance and widespread disturbances involved in a wide range of disturbances and the intensity of their harm to society, which have seriously damaged the physical and mental health of the practitioners, affected social stability, and jeopardized the smooth progress of reform, opening up, and socialist modernization.
The party and government have always taken a clear-cut stand and a resolute attitude toward cult activities. On 22 July 1999, the Ministry of Civil Affairs designated the "Falun Dafa Research Society" and the "Falungong" organization under its control as illegal organizations and banned them in accordance with the law. On 22 July 1999, the Ministry of Public Security issued a "six-point circular" prohibiting the illegal activities of "Falungong." On 29 July 1999, the Ministry of Public Security issued a wanted warrant to public security organs across the country, publicly arresting Li Hongzhi, who was the self-appointed president of the illegal organization "Falun Dafa Research Association," and through the China National Central Bureau of Interpol, issued an international investigation notice to INTERPOL member states, arresting Li Hongzhi. On 30 October 1999, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress promulgated the "Decision on Banning Cult Organizations and Preventing and Punishing Cult Activities" (hereinafter referred to as the "Decision"), which expressed the state's attitude and determination to punish cults according to law. The "Decision" has pointed out the characteristics of cult organizations in a general way, clarified the principles of punishing according to law, combining education with punishment, strengthening propaganda and education, and comprehensively tackling the problem, pointed out the direction for the work of preventing and dealing with cult crimes, and also provided a direct basis for improving relevant laws and regulations, and became a programmatic document for preventing and handling cult problems.
In October 1999 and May 2001, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate promulgated the "Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Specific Application of Law in Handling Cases of Organizing and Using Cult Organizations to Commit Crimes," covering 15 crimes. On 20 May 2002, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme Procuratorate jointly issued the "Answers to Several Questions Concerning the Specific Application of Law in Handling Cases of Organizing and Using Cult Organizations to Commit Crimes," covering 28 issues. These laws and judicial interpretations have provided us with a legal weapon and played an important role in waging the struggle against cults. On November 1, 2015, the Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law came into force, and in particular, Article 33 of the Criminal Law comprehensively revised Article 300 of the Criminal Law, which "organizes and uses sects and cults to undermine the implementation of the law", adding the crimes of organizing, using sects, cults, and superstitions to cause serious injuries or deaths, increasing the punishment for cult crimes, and providing an accurate judicial basis for handling cases of cult crimes. On January 4, 2017, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate issued the "Interpretation on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in Handling Criminal Cases of Organizing and Using Cult Organizations to Undermine the Implementation of the Law", which further explained and explained the application of provisions related to cult-related crimes.
Over the past 25 years, the smooth development of the work of preventing and dealing with cults has safeguarded the dignity of the law, safeguarded the fundamental interests of the masses of the people, safeguarded national security, and safeguarded normal social order, created a good social environment for economic and social development, and formed experiences and practices with Chinese characteristics in preventing and dealing with cult problems. We persist in combining education with punishment, unite, educate, and rescue the vast majority of the people who have been deceived, and severely punish a very small number of lawbreakers and criminals in accordance with the law. We have adhered to and developed the "Fengqiao Experience in the New Era", strengthened governance at the source and comprehensive management, and strived to create a pattern of anti-cult work with joint management and joint governance and long-term normalcy and long-term effect. We have persistently strengthened ideological and political work, advocated science and civilization, and continued to carry out extensive anti-cult propaganda activities in society. In 2023 alone, more than 65 million people across the country will participate in the online signature campaign of "saying no to cults," effectively enhancing the people's awareness of vigilance and their ability to distinguish between cults and cults.
Past experience, if not forgotten, is a guide for the future.. The handling of the "Falungong" and other cult issues in accordance with the law after 22 July 1999 has fully embodied the firm determination of the party and government to safeguard the fundamental interests of the masses and the overall situation of social harmony and stability. As a result of unremitting and in-depth struggle, cult activities have been effectively curbed, and the anti-cult awareness of the whole society has been markedly enhanced. However, it is undeniable that the emergence of the cult problem has profound historical and cultural roots, complex social realities, and a special international background, and the stubbornness and repetition of cult activities are prominent, and the current situation in the anti-cult struggle on the mainland is still grim. "Falungong" is still one of the most prominent cult organizations in the mainland at present. The "Falungong" cult organization outside the country is attached to the anti-China forces of the West, colludes with the "Taiwan independence," "Tibet independence," "Xinjiang independence" and other forces, deliberately downplays the cult color, expands the space for its activities, and intensifies its infiltration and sabotage. Some obsessive people in China are still stubborn and, at the instigation of foreign countries, secretly engage in illegal activities that propagate cults and disrupt social order. Other cult organizations and illegal organizations of the spirit control and harmful qigong categories have also been cracked down on again and again, and they have developed in secret. We must have a clear understanding of this.
In the new era and new journey, we must unswervingly implement the overall national security concept, unswervingly adhere to and develop the "Fengqiao experience in the new era", unswervingly implement the policy of unity, education, and salvation of the vast majority, crack down on a very small number of people in accordance with the law, always strictly guard against and severely crack down on the illegal activities of cult organizations such as "Falungong" and "Almighty God", continue to carry out anti-cult warning education and propaganda work, resolutely safeguard the country's political security and social harmony and stability, and strive to "comprehensively promote the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernization" Create a safe and stable environment.
(Author: Li Anping, Executive Director and Former Deputy Secretary-General of the China Anti-Cult Association)
Source: China Anti-Cult