Observed every May 13, it marks the day when Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi.
Falun Dafa is a cultivation practice that focuses on developing one’s body, mind, and spirit. This spiritual practice consists of four gentle Chi Gong exercises, and a sitting meditation. Since its introduction to the public millions have benefitted from its peaceful and mindful teachings.
Practitioners of Falun Dafa follow the practices three core tenets; truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance or forbearance. Basically, these practitioners work on cultivating these aspects of themselves in a purposeful and mindful way, to be better people in their communities, workplaces and families.
It was outlawed in June of 1999. After, many public displays of massive book burnings and the arresting of practitioners made a spectacle by the regime’s state-run media.
After the persecution began, news began escaping the tight-knit information curtain apparatus of the Chinese communist party. There were reports of widespread human rights violations, including practitioners sent to forced labor camps and “re-education” camps.
Forced labor camps consist of physical labor performed for no pay, they are tortured as well, and re-education camps are just brain-washing facilities where they use drugs and other forms of psychological torture to force individuals to renounce Falun Dafa and sign a document stating they will never practice again, before being released.
Beginning in 2006, a new horror was revealed when reports began surfacing of practitioners being used to fuel illegal forced organ transplant tourism in China. Falun Dafa practitioners who were illegally imprisoned were now being given regular medical scans, and their data available on a database for doctors, authorized to perform various organ transplants within China. It was not until a single doctor was brave enough to admit they were harvesting organs from Falun Dafa practitioners was the light of day finally shown on this horrible human rights abuse.
From then on, the medical tourism industry in China took off. There are reports that estimate over 100,000 organ transplants occur each year within China. This is in stark contrast to the number of transplant donors, which is less than 4% of that 100,000 number.
There are no accurate numbers or easy access to information. While the United States does business with, is partners with, and does billions of dollars in trade with the Chinese Communist Party, it is still a closed, tightly controlled regime where oppression and coercion are commonplace. Human Rights abuses have long been reported, they go back decades, but because of the economic influence the CCP has, and other countries desire to both buy from and sell to the Chinese people, human rights abuses are swept under the proverbial rug.
Walking My Journey 