China vows to punish leaders of Falun Gong

Christian Century, Sept 8, 1999

Chinese officials pledged August 24 to punish leading members of the outlawed meditation group Falun Gong. The executive offices of the ruling Communist Party's Central Committee and the State Council issued an order outlining how government workers involved in the crackdown should treat practitioners of the movement.

"That extremely small number of backbone elements who organized and plotted behind the scenes to deliberately undermine social order must be punished by law," the order said. The order counseled work teams to treat most members as victims who are unaware of the "political goals and evil motives" of Falun Gong leaders, the Associated Press reported. But according to the Hong Kong-based Information Center of Human Rights and Democratic Movement, more than 50 Falun Gong leaders are expected to be put on thai. The official Xinhua News Agency said the order noted that ordinary members should be treated with leniency if they renounce belief in Falun Gong and promise not to take part in its activities. Leading members who renounce the movement and give information about its inner workings also will be granted immunity.

The group gained attention--and the concern of Chinese officials--in April when it staged a protest by more than 10,000 members outside the Communist Party's headquarters in Beijing. Falun Gong teaches a mix of Buddhist and Taoist ideas combined with slow-motion exercises that are supposed to improve health. On July 22, China's leaders banned the group, fearing its popularity could threaten the communists' claim to be the legitimate leader of the Chinese populace. The government has estimated that the group has about 70 million members in China.