Beijing/Washington: Human rights experts have warned that the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) campaign against Falun Gong practitioners and Shen Yun Performing Arts in the United States represents a direct challenge to American sovereignty, not merely a cultural dispute.
William L. Saunders, chair emeritus of the Federalist Society’s Religious Liberties Practice Group and director of the Center for Human Rights at The Catholic University of America, told The Epoch Times that the CCP’s harassment of practitioners in the U.S. goes far beyond influence operations.
“It’s very serious, because it violates the sovereignty of the United States for the Communist Party to harass people here,” Saunders said.
Founded in New York in 2006 by Falun Gong practitioners, Shen Yun Performing Arts aims to revive traditional Chinese culture. However, its performances worldwide have repeatedly faced pressure campaigns, including venue intimidation, harassment of artists, and attempts to cancel shows.
Falun Gong—also known as Falun Dafa—emerged publicly in 1992, promoting the values of honesty, kindness, and tolerance. Its rapid growth to tens of millions of followers alarmed Beijing, leading to a sweeping crackdown in 1999. Over the past two decades, practitioners have reported persecution including forced labor, arbitrary detention, torture, and even alleged forced organ harvesting.
According to whistleblower accounts cited by The Epoch Times, Chinese leader Xi Jinping in 2022 directed political, intelligence, and propaganda agencies to intensify their global campaign against Falun Gong. Since early 2024, reports suggest increased harassment of Shen Yun performers and practitioners abroad.
Saunders emphasized that the CCP’s actions not only target dissidents overseas but also pressure Chinese Americans by threatening their families in China. He described this as evidence of the regime’s “determined cruelty” and disregard for fundamental freedoms.
“The CCP is undermining religious liberty and the democratic principles essential to the U.S.,” Saunders warned, adding that Washington must view such interference as a clear violation of national sovereignty.
