On June 6 at the Rayburn Building in the U.S. Capitol, The Epoch Times hosted a forum to expose the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration and manipulation of American institutions and focused on Beijing’s intensifying suppression of dissent in the United States, particularly against the faith group, Falun Gong.
Piero Tozzi, Senior Fellow at the Center for Family and Human Rights (C‑FAM), a U.S.-based organization focused on international policy from a human rights and pro-family perspective opened up the forum saying, “The PRC’s blatant campaign, and the CCP’s blatant campaign, of transnational oppression has been a focus of Congressman Smith, and of mine as well, for years. And, despite the attempts of us and our colleagues to draw more attention to the issue, the CCP’s campaign against anyone who dares speak out against them from abroad, including in the United States, continues unabated.”
“In fact, the CCP’s regime of repression beyond China’s borders has only increased even here on U.S. soil, and it continues to target Falun Gong practitioners and fellow democracy advocates,” he added.
Also known as Falun Dafa, Falun Gong was introduced to the Chinese public in May 1992 by Master Li Hongzhi, and is rooted in a millennia-long tradition of spiritual faith.
“Many here in this room unfortunately, are familiar with the tactics that the CCP uses to target individuals and groups and in particular adherence to Falun Gong,” Tozzi said. “Even the most peaceful demonstrations of freedom of expression have been targeted, including The Shen Yun Performing arts shows around the world. “
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Tozzi was speaking on behalf of Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, who, during the last session of Congress, introduced the Transational Oppression Policy Act, with the intent of protecting the dissident community.
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A history of repression
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has a long history of repression and targets dissidents both inside and outside of China.
In mainland China, adherents of Falun Gong are surveilled, imprisoned, and tortured and overseas the communist regime attempts to intimidate and manipulate them.
Yuan Hongbing, a legal scholar and someone who has connections into the deepest parts of the communist regime in China, and who first disclosed the CCP’s campaign to the media in 2024, attended the forum virtually.
He said the CCP’s attacks involve “one central focus” and “two directives.”
The CCP’s one central focus is to smear and attempt to discredit the founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi, in an attempt to strike at the foundation of the faith.
The two directives are to spread disinformation and engage in legal lawfare in an attempt to diminish Falun Gong’s growing influence in the west.
Yuan and others argue that the CCP uses “whistleblowers” who operate freely in China and abroad whose goal is to discredit Falun Gong in the west and to silence voices like The Epoch Times who expose the regime’s tactics.
“The CCP’s transnational repression campaign is not merely an attack on Falun Gong, The Times or Shen Yun, it is a direct challenge to the foundation of democratic society as these tactics threatens free speech, religious liberty, and national security,” he said.
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Threats of violence and lawfare
One of the panelists, Mark Yang, an advocacy officer for the nonprofit Falun Gong Information Center, said that over the years there have been more than 100 instances of violence documented against Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Shen Yun Performing Arts is a New York-based dance company founded by Falun Gong practitioners. It tours globally, showcasing classical Chinese dance and music to revive traditional Chinese culture and is banned from performing in China.
In a recent incident, last February during a performance at the Kennedy Center in New York, the venue was forced to hold an evacuation hours before the show opened due to a bomb threat.
Coincidentally, a fire alarm sounded at the Rayburn House Office Building, where the forum was being held, forcing an evacuation and the early termination of the forum.
Technicians later said the alarm was due to a short in a wire.
Shen Yun has also come under attack from western media, including the New York Times which ran a series of articles that cast Shen Yun in a negative light. Thousands of fake accounts amplified the articles on Western social media platforms.
The article prompted more than 1,500 Shen Yun performers and family members to sign a petition denouncing the articles and described them as “gross distortions and false narratives,” inconsistent with their values and way of life.
Yang, also cited two CCP agents who attempted to use bribery to open an IRS investigation into Shen Yun, as well as frivolous environmental lawsuits — which were eventually dismissed — against Shen Yun’s headquarters in New York state.
Another panel member, Eric Patterson, president of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation said, “What was amazing is how many stories there were with this negative bent … against this one group, when there was no similar reporting, to my knowledge, against any other international performing group or any performing group in the United States.”
“What that suggests is that a place like the New York Times and other U.S. media outlets have to be extremely careful, and perhaps they have just been gullible in being manipulated by the CCP,” he added.
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The consequences
The CCP’s war on Falun Gong has become one of the longest and most severe human rights crackdowns in modern China.
Since banning the practice in July 1999, the CCP has launched a relentless campaign to erase Falun Gong from Chinese society. State media accused the group of being a dangerous cult, and unleashed an all-out propaganda blitz to discredit its teachings and demonize millions of practitioners.
Human rights organizations report that hundreds of thousands of adherents have been detained in prisons, labor camps, and “re-education” centers across China.
Survivors describe systematic torture, brainwashing sessions, and forced confessions. Thousands have died in custody, often under suspicious conditions and in many cases, bodies were returned to families bearing signs of severe abuse.
Perhaps most disturbing are allegations of forced organ harvesting. Independent investigations suggest the Chinese regime has used detained Falun Gong practitioners as a secret source for transplant organs, executed on demand to fuel China’s billion-dollar transplant industry.
Also, the CCP’s campaign hasn’t stopped at China’s borders. Overseas practitioners and supporters have faced surveillance, harassment, cyberattacks, and pressure on foreign governments to cancel Falun Gong-affiliated events, such as the Shen Yun performing arts tour.
Despite Beijing’s efforts, Falun Gong continues to operate globally, advocating for spiritual freedom and raising awareness about the abuses faced by its followers in China and abroad.
