Provinces in China Offer Cash Rewards to Citizens Who Participate in Persecuting Spiritual Group

A Chinese paramilitary police officer gestures as he wears a protective mask while standing guard at the entrance to the Forbidden City as it re-opened to limited visitors in Beijing, China, on May 1, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Chinese authorities across several provinces and cities recently rolled out programs to reward citizens with up to 100,000 yuan (approximately $14,300) for reporting Falun Gong adherents’ activities to local police. Some governments said the program is in effect for three years.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a mind and body cultivation practice with moral teachings centered on truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. In July 1999, as the number of adherents reached about 100 million, the communist regime deemed its popularity a threat to its rule and launched a sprawling persecution campaign. Hundreds of thousands of adherents have since been arrested, detained, and tortured within China’s jails and prisons.

Early in the persecution, authorities incentivized ordinary citizens and officials alike to take part in the persecution by rewarding them for collecting intelligence on adherents and arresting them.

The latest government documents obtained by The Epoch Times show that such practices continue unabated.

In one document, authorities said the general public can report “evidence” such as banners, slogans, flyers, USB flash drives, and CDs related to Falun Gong.

Since the Chinese regime’s suppression, many Falun Gong adherents have created and distributed materials to raise awareness about the persecution.

The orders come from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission (PLAC), a Party agency that oversees the country’s security apparatus, including courts, police, and prisons; local police departments; and the 610 Office, an extralegal agency established in 1999 expressly to carry out the Falun Gong persecution.

Shandong Province

According to Chinese news portal Sina.com, on June 1, during a special meeting of the Shandong provincial police department, officials decided to implement a program from June to August to crack down on believers.

On July 21, Chinese news site iqilu.com reported on a monetary award program from the Zouping County PLAC and police bureau with the goal of targeting “heretical teachings” such as Falun Gong. It called on everyone to join in the effort.

Those who are involved in publishing, distributing, publicly displaying, and televising Falun Gong-related information should be reported to police, according to the news report.

Hainan Province

The police department of Hainan Province issued a notice on June 15 offering a high monetary reward to those who provide leads on “crimes and activities” associated with Falun Gong. The activities deemed illegal include producing and distributing information in the forms of flyers, pictures, slogans, books, and CDs.

Authorities offered a reward of as high as 100,000 yuan (approximately $14,300).

Guangdong Province

The Guangdong provincial police department issued in March a pilot program to reward those who report crimes related to “heretical teachings” to the police. The reward is up to 100,000 yuan and is in effect for three years.

Zhejiang Province

On May 6, the police bureau of Yiwu city also announced a rewards program, where Falun Gong was mentioned six times. “Criminals” are recognized as those who interrupt radio and TV programs, install satellite TV receivers, use software to circumvent China’s firewall, and browse banned websites.

According to U.S.-based website Minghui.org, Falun Gong practitioner Liu Chengjun from the city of Changchun was one of the practitioners who tapped into a local television network to broadcast information about the persecution of Falun Gong on March 5, 2002. Liu was soon apprehended and subject to torture in prison. After a year and nine months in detention, Liu Chengjun passed away on Dec. 26, 2003.

Anhui Province

On April 23, 2019, the 610 Office in Huangshan city issued a notice on its official Weibo social media account, entitled “All people should participate in reporting heretical teachings. A 10,000 yuan reward is waiting for you.” It also gave the following breakdown of how the rewards program works:

1. Reward of 100 to 500 yuan for those who find slogans, banners, flyers, CD, and books containing information on Falun Gong and report them to authorities.

2. Reward of 2,000 to 5,000 yuan for those who report local Falun Gong adherents who have produced materials publicizing the practice.

3. Reward of 5,000 to 10,000 yuan to those who report on gatherings and activities of local Falun Gong adherents.

Nationwide Kidnapping of Falun Gong Adherents During the Pandemic

According to statistics from Minghui.org, which serves as a clearinghouse on information about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, in the first half of 2020, Chinese police arrested and harassed at least 5,313 Falun Gong practitioners in 238 cities across 28 provinces, regions, and municipalities in the country. Due to the CCP’s information blockade, the true numbers may be much higher.

The data also showed that in the first half of the year, at least 623 Falun Gong practitioners over the age of 65 were persecuted to death, sentenced to prison, abducted or arrested by police, or harassed by authorities.