4 Falun Gong practitioners arrested; Moscow is helping CCP suppress the worldwide popular practice

On the morning of May 3rd, Russian police searched the homes of five Falun Gong practitioners and arrested four people. Major Russian media channels reported heavily on the incident and repeated the Chinese Communist Party's, or CCP's, false propaganda against Falun Gong. The Falun Dafa Information Center said that among those detained was Natalia Minenkova, who is in charge of Falun Gong practitioners' activities in Moscow. Russian media described Minenkova as the leader of Falun Gong's activities. They said she was arrested under Article 284.1 for participating in the activities of a foreign or international non-governmental organization. The Putin government has previously used Article 284.1 to suppress journalists and civil society groups in the country. Falun Gong is a qigong exercise based on Currently, Falun Gong is freely practiced in most countries worldwide. In 1999, after only seven years of popularization, about 70 to 100 million people practiced Falun Gong in China. Fearing the growth and principles that direct people to God, on July 20th, 1999, the CCP launched a brutal campaign to suppress Falun Gong practitioners. This persecution is still ongoing in the country after 25 years. The Falun Dafa Information Center spokesperson, Zhang Erping, said, We urge the Russian government to resist all behind-the-scenes pressure from the CCP, protecting the rights and freedoms of its citizens. We also urge the U.S. and other democratic governments to call on Russian authorities to release these wrongfully detained Falun Gong practitioners immediately. The leaders of China and Russia reached an unlimited partnership agreement in February 2022. Since then, the two sides have promoted strategic cooperation. The CCP has been supporting Russia to maintain its war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to visit Beijing this month. This will be his first overseas trip after being re-elected in March. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, or USCIRF, said it strongly condemns the recent arrest of four Falun Gong practitioners in Moscow for their beliefs and distribution of religious materials. USCIRF Commissioner Suzy Gelman told Epoch Times that Russia's ban on Falun Gong-affiliated organizations on the grounds of unwelcomeness clearly violates the internationally recognized right to freedom of religion or belief. Gelman said Russia must end the prosecution of all Falun Gong practitioners, along with other religious groups, unfairly labeled unwelcome, and ensure freedom of religion or beliefs for everyone. In recent years, Falun Gong practitioners in the country have faced some pressure from the authorities. Falun Gong's main book, Zhuan Falun, was banned in Russia in 2011. The European Parliament condemned that move. In 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia's ban on Falun Gong materials was illegal.