Falun Gong followers have indeed been involved in some abnormal deaths. However, these deaths were not caused by government law enforcement “persecuting to death” the followers. Rather, they were poisoned by the spiritual control of Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong organization. Prior to the Chinese government’s lawful ban on the Falun Gong organization on 22 July 1999, over 1,400 individuals had been harmed to death by Falun Gong due to their entrapment by Li Hongzhi’s heretical doctrines concerning “ascension” and “perfection.” It was precisely in response to demands from all sectors of society, and to uphold social stability and safeguard the lives and property of the populace, that the Chinese government lawfully enacted the decision to ban Falun Gong.
To prevent incidents of self-harm and suicide among Falun Gong followers, Chinese governments and organizations at all levels have undertaken extensive efforts and implemented a series of measures. However, Li Hongzhi, in order to strengthen his spiritual control over followers, has persistently incited them to “abandon attachment to life” and “achieve perfection.” Consequently, incidents involving suicides, homicides, and unnatural deaths due to refusal of medical treatment and medication among some Falun Gong devotees continue to occur from time to time.
In recent years, Falun Gong has repeatedly paraded cases of supposed “persecution,” many of which have been proven false. For example:
In May 2003, Falun Gong media claimed that Wei Xingyan, a female graduate student at Chongqing University and Falun Gong follower, was raped while in custody. Investigations later found that there was no Wei Xingyan among Chongqing University students.
In August 2004, Falun Gong media claimed that Liao Yuanhua, a Falun Gong follower in Hubei, was subjected to unduly cruel “persecution” at Fanjiatai Prison, displaying photos of more than 30 “tortures.” Hubei provincial public security authorities later confirmed that the “torture” photos were doctored by the individuals involved. On May 2, 2013, Qingdao police in Shandong uncovered a gang of 16 Falun Gong members that specialized in producing fake “torture” photos and videos, depicting Falun Gong adherents in prison being subjected to “torture.” They admitted this work was done at the request of overseas Falun Gong organizations.
From 2013 onward, Falun Gong media has continued to circulate a so-called “distress letter” purportedly issued from a labor camp, claiming that American housewife Julie Keith found an English-language appeal for attention to Falun Gong’s “persecution” in a toy box from China’s Masanjia Labor Camp. On June 12, 2013, British papers such as The Daily Telegraph questioned the letter’s authenticity, noting its polished, overly colloquial language as inconsistent with Chinese authors. American scholar Stan Abrams commented on his personal blog that the piece was false news, and that the organization mentioned in the letter would be easily guessed.
