By Cao Ming, Vision Times
WASHINGTON D.C. — On May 30, dozens of Falun Gong practitioners from the Washington, D.C., and New York areas gathered outside the Chinese Embassy in the city to call for the release of relatives detained in Wuhan, and to urge Chinese authorities to end the ongoing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.
Among those attending were Washington resident Zhou Gui and New York resident Tong Shuzhen, who appealed publicly for the release of their family members, Wang Youmei and Tong Shuying.
According to organizers, authorities in Wuhan’s Changjiang New Area detained 17 Falun Gong practitioners on April 15. They said that after an initial 15-day detention period expired, Tong Shuying, Wang Youmei, and another practitioner, Wu Guihong, were transferred to a criminal detention facility and now face the possibility of prosecution and imprisonment.
Falun Gong, also known as a Falun Dafa, is an ancient spiritual discipline rooted in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Despite being peaceful in nature, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal campaign to eradicate the practice in 1999. Since then, many practitioners have perished at the hands of Chinese police, while others have reported widespread detention, forced labor, and even medical testing consistent with organ matching procedures in China.
Whereabouts unknown
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Zhou told Vision Times that after her mother’s detention, police repeatedly searched the family home. She said even the family’s lawyer had been unable to obtain information about the case. “To this day, we still don’t know who is handling the case or what stage it has reached,” Zhou said, adding that authorities have not disclosed those details to the family.
According to Minghui.org, a U.S.-based website that tracks the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, both Wang Youmei and Tong Shuying had previously been detained multiple times since the CCPC launched its nationwide campaign against Falun Gong. The reports also note that several others detained in the latest operation were transferred to “brainwashing centers” to force them to renounce their faith in the practice.
Zhou said relatives of those sent to such facilities have been unable to determine where they are being held. “There is also a practitioner surnamed Xiao whose whereabouts remain unknown,” she said. “Her elderly parents have been forced from their home because of repeated harassment.”
‘What is wrong with being a good person?’
Both Tong and Zhou said they believed practicing Falun Gong had brought positive changes to their relatives’ lives. Zhou recalled that before taking up the spiritual discipline, her mother had suffered from gynecological illnesses, while her grandparents relied heavily on medication.
“Before the persecution began in 1999, my mother had gynecological problems,” Zhou said. “My grandparents spent more than 3,000 yuan each month on medical treatment and medicine. Their room was filled with bottles of medication. But after they began practicing, within just a few months, my mother’s illness disappeared, and my grandparents no longer needed to take any medicine.”
Tong shared a similar story involving her younger sister, who she said suffered a serious workplace accident before beginning the practice. Reflecting on the years since the persecution began, Tong said she and her sister had been detained multiple times.
“Since 1999, my sister and I have been arrested in turn a total of nine times,” she said. “I urgently call on the U.S. government and people from all walks of life to pay attention to the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong and support efforts to rescue my sister, Tong Shuying, and other practitioners who continue to suffer persecution. What is wrong with being a good person?”
Calls for accountability
Tong and Zhou said they have written to members of Congress and state legislators in New York and Maryland seeking assistance and accountability. During the rally, representatives from the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) also read a statement naming officials they said were responsible for the Wuhan arrests.
According to Minghui.org, nine Wuhan Falun Gong practitioners were sentenced in 2025, while 48 were detained and 16 were reportedly sent to coercive “brainwashing” sessions. The Chinese government has long been accused of violating the rights of not just religious minorities like Falun Gong practitioners and Christians, but also other marginalized communities like Uyghur Muslims and Tibetans.
The issue has drawn attention in Washington. The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Falun Gong Protection Act last year, and in March, senators introduced the Falun Gong and Organ Harvesting Victims Protection Act, which is aimed at holding perpetrators accountable for organ harvesting abuses against Falun Gong practitioners in China.
