Heavy Fines Imposed on Falun Gong Adherents as China’s Communist Regime Exploits Its Own Citizens

Multiple Falun Gong adherents in China were recently fined more than 100,000 yuan ($13,680) each—in addition to being imprisoned for their faith. A Chinese lawyer believes these cases indicate how local governments are exploiting their own citizens to shore up their sagging finances.

“The regime is blatantly robbing and killing,” said Wu Shaoping, a former Chinese lawyer now based in the United States.

Since the communist regime’s former leader Jiang Zemin launched a campaign of persecution against Falun Gong practitioners on July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has subjected countless practitioners to brutal torture, killing, and even live organ harvesting.

The persecution has now lasted for more than 24 years. However, many Falun Gong adherents have remained true to their beliefs, and resisted the brutal persecution.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient Chinese spiritual practice consisting of simple, slow-moving meditation exercises and teachings based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. It grew in popularity during the 1990s, with 70 million to 100 million adherents in China by the end of the decade, according to official estimates at the time.

Feeling threatened by its popularity, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a systematic elimination campaign in July 1999. Since then, millions have been detained in prisons, labor camps, and other facilities, with hundreds of thousands tortured while incarcerated, according to the Falun Dafa Information Center.

Persecution Intensified With Heavy Fines

Recently, cases of Falun Gong adherents being imprisoned for their faith while also incurring heavy fines have been reported throughout China, according to Minghui.org, a website dedicated to reporting about the Falun Gong community worldwide.

In August alone, Minghui.org recorded that the Communist courts extorted a sum of at least 304,000 yuan ($41,590) in cash from 20 Falun Gong practitioners who were arrested and sentenced for their beliefs.

For the first half of 2023, the statistics of Minghui.org show that the CCP courts collected some 2,646,942 yuan ($362,113) in fines, while the police extorted as much as 284,300 yuan ($38,893) from persecuted Falun Gong adherents.

Gansu Province

On June 7, Yilan County court sentenced a Falun Gong practitioner and farmer, Bai Hongyou, to six years and three months in prison for his faith, with a fine of 100,000 yuan ($13,680). The court also sentenced a teacher, Zhu Deshan, to two years and ten months in prison, with a fine of 50,000 yuan ($6,840).

Shandong Province

Falun Dafa adherent Pan Rongqing was arrested and imprisoned for her faith in 2017. After she was released in Sept. 2021, the local social security office insisted on clawing back her already-issued pension benefits of more than 100,800 yuan ($14,770) during her four-year imprisonment, citing a policy that bars retirees from receiving retirement benefits while incarcerated.

In Yantai Detention Center and Shandong Provincial Women’s Prison, Ms. Pan was beaten, placed in solitary confinement, brutally force-fed, and deprived of sleep—all in an effort to make her give up practicing Falun Gong.

Zhou Deyong, a Falun Gong practitioner in Dongying City, was sentenced to eight years in prison for his faith by the Dongying District Court on April 22, and fined 100,000 yuan ($13,680).

Heilongjiang Province

Thirty-five-year old Wang Jian, a communications assistant engineer at Harbin Railway Bureau, was sentenced to 2 years in prison and fined 100,000 yuan ($13,680) for her beliefs on March 9. She immediately appealed the decision.

Sichuan Province

Zhao Jie was sentenced to 8 years in prison for her faith and fined 100,000 yuan ($13,680) on February 17 by the Jingyang District Court of Deyang City. Her family has called for the 52-year-old Ms. Zhao to be released without charge.

Lawyer: It’s Blatant Robbery

Lawyer Wu Shaoping said that when China’s communist regime arrests people for their beliefs and issues harsh custodial sentences and fines, it is not just a violation of the people’s rights, but also an act to “murder while making a fortune.”

Mr. Wu said, “The CCP is now financially strapped, and the fines are its attempt to make up for its fiscal revenue crisis.”

With its absurd charges and harsh sentences issued against Falun Gong adherents, “the CCP is clearly an evil entity,” said Mr. Wu.

Qiao Song contributed to this report.