U.S. Senators and Representatives sent letters and video statements in support of Falun Gong on the eve of July 20—which marks the 25th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) launch of a persecution campaign against practitioners of the spiritual practice in 1999.
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice that includes moral teachings centered on the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance, and five meditative exercises.
After its introduction to the public in China in 1992, it rose in popularity and spread primarily through word of mouth. According to official estimates, 70 million to 100 million people were practicing Falun Gong by the end of the decade. Deeming this popularity a threat to the regime’s control, the then-CCP leader Jiang Zemin in 1999 ordered a sweeping campaign of repression seeking to eradicate the practice….