Lihua Chi stood Thursday in 100-degree weather on the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn, relating via an interpreter how she was beaten and imprisoned four times, and how her husband was tortured to death in her homeland of China.
Her 15-year-old daughter stood beside her, holding photos of her father and of a classmate who were killed. Behind them, hundreds of people wearing yellow shirts gathered banners and signs as they prepared to march to the Washington Monument in support of their cause.
Their cause — and Ms. Chi’s “crime” — was practicing and promoting Falun Gong, a spiritual exercise and meditation founded in China by Li Hongzhi in 1992.
Under former President Jiang Zemin, the Chinese government in 1999 outlawed Falun Gong and campaigned against it, subjecting its followers to imprisonment, torture, surveillance and even organ harvesting.
Every July 20, the anniversary of the government’s crackdown, practitioners of Falun Gong gather by the Capitol to hand out flyers, hold signs and hear speeches from congressmen and scholars, all in protest of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong followers.
“The Falun Gong are the heroes of human rights,” said Rep. Keith J. Rothfus, Pennsylvania Republican, who spoke at the rally on the Capitol lawn.
This year, rally organizers estimated roughly 2,000 people attended — about the same as other years, said Scott Li, an event volunteer who passed out fliers.
The protesters were of all ages and, though mostly Chinese, all ethnicities. Quiet and organized, they stood silently sweating for an hour on the lawn while dignitaries spoke. Their banners — proclaiming “Stop Crimes Against Humanity” and “Falun Dafa is Good” and “Freedom of Belief is a God-given Right” — spoke for them.
Falun Gong promotes such stoic discipline. Also known as Falun Dafa, meaning “Dharma Wheel,” the exercise is ranked a top “qigong” exercise, one that focuses on meditation and spirituality. Though derived from the Buddha school, it is practiced by people of all religions, said Ben Kim, a volunteer and practitioner. People can download guidance materials for free.
Falun Gong has a physical component — a one- to two-hour routine consisting of five sets of exercise — but also a spiritual one, centered on principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.
“It helps everyone look inward and improve your own self,” said Yanquing Chen, an event volunteer, who’s practiced Falun Gong since 1998. “When we look inward for the problem instead of blaming others, we can forgive, let things go.”
A 2017 report by Freedom House states that Falun Gong practitioners in China face surveillance, arbitrary detention, imprisonment, torture and a high risk of extrajudicial execution. The report verified 933 cases of Falun Gong practitioners sentenced to prison between 2013 and 2016 — but said those were “only a portion of those sentenced.”
The Chinese government also appears to harvest organs from living Falun Gong prisoners to deal with China’s organ shortage, the report said.
Ms. Chi’s harrowing account is not uncommon: While she was imprisoned — once for passing out Falun Gong fliers, once for holding a promotional banner — detainers hit her face with batons, beat her back with her shoes and forced her to squat for an entire night, she said. Her husband died after eight years of torture. Ms. Chi and her daughter escaped to Thailand, then came to the U.S. in February.
Members of Congress and scholars who spoke on the Capitol lawn Thursday called out China for human rights violations against Falun Gong members and others.
Many of the speakers also called on President Trump to take action against the persecution, expressing hope that change would take place in the new administration.
The Chinese Embassy did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.
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