12 Ways the CCP Deprives Falun Gong Practitioners of Their Basic Rights

(Minghui.org) Ever since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began to suppress Falun Gong in July 1999, human rights abuses in China have gotten worse and worse. In a normal society, people have basic rights, such as to life, freedom of belief, the ability to work and own property, and safety. They also have access to public services such as transportation.

But the situation in China is different. Staff members in residential communities, workplaces, and educational institutions often receive orders requiring practitioners to write statements to give up practicing Falun Gong. When practitioners travel, including on trains or at customs, their IDs are checked. Because the CCP has lists of practitioners in its system, after their IDs are scanned, practitioners are usually body searched and may have their property confiscated. Sometimes they are detained.

Under the CCP’s totalitarian rule, the situation in China is dire. Because they are deprived of their basic human rights, millions of Falun Gong practitioners are routinely discriminated against and their jobs and lives are impacted. Even their family members and employers cannot escape the fallout from this persecution.

Based on Minghui.org reports, practitioners in over 26 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China were ordered to write statements that they renounced Falun Gong. If they didn’t, their children would be expelled from school. The following is a list of 12 types of discrimination.

1. Denial of Education: Ms. Zhou Shuilian lives in Xishui County, Hubei Province. After her granddaughter was admitted to college in the fall of 2020, the Xishui 610 Office and the Xishui Police Department ordered the university to bar her granddaughter from entry because Ms. Zhou practiced Falun Gong. Her son-in-law used his connections and contacted people from seven government agencies, but none of them dared to help. The girl could not attend the college, and her family and the community blamed Ms. Zhou.

2. Illegal Eviction: Mr. Ni Xuewen, who lives in Hengshui City, Hebei Province, owns a house he rents out. Because he refused to renounce Falun Gong, in 2020 the village officials ordered his tenants to leave. If they refused to move, their children would be expelled from school. The villagers could not understand this since the rent was Mr. Ni’s main source of income. “Even murderers and arsonists are fed in prison. Why are innocent people deprived their means of survival?” one person commented.

3. Stirring Up Family Conflicts: Ms. Su Deqin lives in Langfang City, Hebei Province. The police went to her home on September 17, 2020, to arrest her for practicing Falun Gong. She was also pressured to write a statement to renounce Falun Gong. When she refused, an officer said they would handcuff her and take her away in front of her two grandsons.

“Also, these children won’t be allowed to go to school anymore, and they will hate you,” the officer told her. Worried about her grandchildren, Ms. Su felt she had no choice and went with them to the police station.

4. Severing Family Ties: Ms. Liu Qunhua from Jianli City, Hubei Province, was arrested in late 2022 for telling people about Falun Gong. After her son-in-law bailed her out, Zhuhe Police Department officers threatened the son-in-law that he would lose his job if Ms. Liu continued to practice Falun Gong. Because her other children were also being harassed and threatened, Ms. Liu felt she had no other choice but to write a statement severing her relationship with her children.

5. Passports Illegally Canceled: Police from Xi’an City in Shaanxi Province went to Mr. Chen Mingan’s home on December 4, 2018. They confiscated his Falun Gong book, computer, cell phones, and property certificate. Unable to find Mr. Chen, officers took his daughter Chen Jie to the police station and then held her in a brainwashing center in the Baqiao District for 10 days. They also canceled her passport. Although she had already been admitted to a graduate school outside of China, she could not leave the country.

6. Threats to Livelihood: Officials in the Baodi District of Tianjin pressured Ms. Zhang Hongmei to renounce her belief in Falun Gong, but she refused to. Officials threatened to close her noodle shop, which was her family’s main source of income. Her husband was so stressed that he cut his arm.

7. Threats to Revoke Social Welfare Benefits: Mr. Kang Fujiang lives alone in Yi County, Hebei Province. He fell from a fruit tree in September 2020 and has not been able to take care of himself.

Between October to December 2020, village officials, township officials and the police harassed him regularly. When Mr. Kang refused to sign statements renouncing his belief, the village officials told him that his minimum living allowance and medical reimbursements would be canceled. On December 29, 2021, threatened and pressured by the village Party director, Mr. Kang was forced to give in, and the process was videotaped.

8. Threats to Shut Down an Online Store: Ms. Yuan Huizhi lives in Cangzhou City, Hebei Province. Village and township officials went to her home on November 19, 2020, and ordered her to renounce her belief. If she refused, they would shut down her son’s online store. Ms. Yuan had no choice but to sign the statements.

9. Threats to the Future of One’s Family: Ms. Chen Xiumei lives in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province. On January 15, 2019, police officers told her, “[Because you practice Falun Gong], you have ruined your family. Your children won’t be able to go to college, take the civil service exam, become officials, or get promoted. Their jobs will be taken away, and they won’t be able to join the army.”

10. Reclaiming Subsidized Housing: Ms. Ma Guizhen in Lingwu Farm, Lingwu City, Ningxia Autonomous Region, refused to sign a document to give up practicing Falun Gong. The police threatened to confiscate the land her family cultivated and reclaim their subsidized housing. Her family is under immense pressure.

11. Targeted Harassment While Traveling: In the subways or on high-speed trains in China, the police often use devices at the entrance to identify Falun Gong practitioners by their ID and then interrogate or search them.

12. Targeted at the Border: The National Immigration Administration requires passport applicants to provide a certificate that they do not practice Falun Gong. Their applications will not be processed without it.

This abusive behavior is consistent with the CCP’s long-term persecution policy. Shortly after the suppression started, former CCP leader Jiang Zemin issued the following order in regard to Falun Gong practitioners: “Ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and eliminate them physically.”

The persecution violates Chinese laws and international human rights laws. Together with the forced organ harvesting, this persecution is a crime against humanity. Following the US, many countries have adopted Magnitsky-type legislation. Over the years, Falun Gong practitioners have submitted lists of human rights’ violators to various governments and requested action. In December 2025, Falun Gong practitioners submitted another list of perpetrators to 48 governments in observance of Human Rights Day.

Practitioners simply wish to become better citizens by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I hope more people inside and outside of China awaken and help bring the persecution to an end.