By Li Ting, Vision Times
A new report released by the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDIC) has found that dozens of Falun Gong practitioners living in the United States have faced an expanding campaign of transnational repression linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Drawing on survey data and documented incidents, the report argues that the campaign has become increasingly coordinated in recent years, affecting practitioners, performing arts organizations, and family members both inside and outside China.
Titled Americans Targeted by Beijing, the report was published in June 2026 and argues that the campaign extends across at least 30 U.S. states, involving harassment, intimidation, surveillance, threats, and pressure directed not only at practitioners but also affiliated organizations.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice rooted in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Despite being peaceful in nature, the CCP launched a brutal campaign to eradicate the practice in July 1999 after seeing its rapid rise in popularity as a threat to its authoritarian regime. Since then, thousands of practitioners have perished at the hands of Chinese police, with many today still undergoing routine monitoring, arbitrary travel bans, and arrests.
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Survey highlights ongoing concerns
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The report is based on 1,080 valid survey responses collected between September 2025 and March 2026 from Falun Gong practitioners residing in 41 states and Washington, D.C.
According to the report, approximately 60 percent of respondents were U.S. citizens, more than 70 percent held at least a bachelor’s degree, and roughly one-third possessed master’s or doctoral degrees. While more than 80 percent identified as ethnically Chinese, about 12 percent came from other ethnic backgrounds.
Among respondents, 505 reported experiencing persecution while living in China, including detention, torture, or other forms of abuse. The report states that 64 percent of those individuals said they continued to experience intimidation or harassment after relocating to the United States.
Hundreds of incidents
FDIC researchers said they identified 646 alleged cases of transnational repression between 2020 and 2025. According to the report, the incidents included physical assaults, property damage, online harassment, violent threats, surveillance, censorship, and pressure directed at relatives still living in China.
The report says the number of documented incidents in 2025 was more than ten times higher than in 2020, with a particularly sharp increase beginning in 2023.
The report also devotes significant attention to Shen Yun Performing Arts, the New York-based company founded by Falun Gong practitioners. According to FDIC, the organization has faced diplomatic pressure, anonymous threats, and other forms of interference intended to disrupt performances and tarnish its reputation as the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company.
The report cites an incident on Dec. 11, 2024, in which theaters in Atlanta and San Jose reportedly received nearly identical emails threatening violence or bomb threats if Shen Yun performances proceeded. Authorities ultimately found no credible threat, but the incidents prompted heightened security measures and disrupted operations.
FDIC also reports that touring vehicles have been vandalized on multiple occasions and that performers and staff have required enhanced security during some performances.
Tactics of transnational repression
The report categorizes documented incidents into five primary types:
- Physical attacks and property damage: FDIC documented 92 alleged cases across 15 states, with California and New York accounting for the largest share.
- Harassment and verbal abuse: Researchers recorded 158 incidents involving verbal intimidation or harassment.
- Violent threats: The report documents 86 alleged threats involving shootings, bombings, arson, or death threats between 2020 and 2025. It also states that FDIC separately tracked 298 violent threats directed at Falun Gong practitioners and Shen Yun beginning in March 2024.
- Pressure on family members in China: According to the report, respondents described relatives in China being questioned or pressured because of their activities in the United States.
- Surveillance concerns: More than 60 percent of respondents said they were at least somewhat concerned about possible monitoring of their communications or activities.
Report calls for stronger response
The report urges U.S. policymakers to treat alleged transnational repression targeting Falun Gong as an ongoing national security and civil liberties concern. It recommends advancing legislation aimed at addressing forced organ harvesting, increasing sanctions against individuals found responsible for overseas repression, strengthening reporting mechanisms through the FBI, and improving law enforcement training on identifying transnational repression.
The report also encourages journalists to carefully verify allegations involving Falun Gong or Shen Yun before publication, recommends that theaters, universities, and community organizations develop threat response protocols, and calls for expanded legal assistance for victims.
In its conclusion, the report argues that the tactics documented against Falun Gong practitioners may serve as a broader model for how authoritarian governments attempt to silence overseas critics. It urges American institutions to remain vigilant in protecting freedom of speech, religious liberty, and the right to peaceful assembly without fear of oppression, surveillance, or persecution.
