FDI: Mary Kay Corporation under Pressure to Force Falun Gong Practitioners in China to Renounce Their Beliefs

On October 25, representatives from the Falun Dafa Information Center held a press briefing in New York City to deliver a statement regarding recent findings about how Jiang Zemin’s policy to “eradicate” Falun Gong has been forced upon American companies.

PRESS STATEMENT

Mr. Adam Montanaro and Mr. Scott Chinn from the Falun Dafa Information Center held a press briefing on Oct. 25 regarding the Mary Kay Corporation and a newly introduced Congressional Resolution on Falun Gong.

Two weeks ago, the Falun Dafa Information Center confirmed specific information about how the Mary Kay Corporation’s operations in China have been pressured by Chinese authorities to force employees and sales consultants to sign a statement guaranteeing they will neither practise nor advocate for Falun Gong – a traditional Chinese spiritual practice. Those who do not sign the statement are fired and potentially reported to local authorities.

The Center has confirmed with sources in China that several Mary Kay employees and/or sales consultants have already lost their jobs for refusing to sign such a statement.

In a related, unconfirmed report, an individual who spoke in favour of Falun Gong during a recent Mary Kay meeting in China was detained by Chinese authorities. The individual’s whereabouts remain unknown.

The Centre also has unconfirmed information that other companies doing business in China have fallen under similar pressures to take such actions against Falun Gong – all under the pretense of obeying Chinese “laws.”

For more than four years, former Chinese Communist leader, Jiang Zemin, has used his power in an attempt to “eradicate” Falun Gong. Through state-sanctioned brainwashing sessions, wanton torture and killing, Jiang has tried to force the 70-100 million Falun Gong practitioners in China to renounce their beliefs. Categorised as a “genocide” as defined by Article 2 of the United Nations’ Convention on Genocide (website), Jiang’s persecution of Falun Gong is now the target of more than a dozen lawsuits around the world. (news)

The persecution of Falun Gong is illegal and violates both China’s own constitution as well as international law.

In fact, in China there are no laws making Falun Gong illegal. Directives from administrative branches under Jiang Zemin’s control alone constitute the authority under which Falun Gong was declared “illegal.” Furthermore, Jiang forced this position upon all levels of the government, going against the decision of Politburo Standing Committee members as well as the Premier. In doing so, Jiang overstepped the power granted to him by China's constitution.

According to sources in China and thousands of testimonies from victims, Jiang implemented the persecution through a three-prong directive to all levels of government:

1. Destroy Falun Gong practitioners mentally and physically through systematic, state-sanctioned forced-labor, brainwashing sessions, torture and killings.
2. Destroy Falun Gong practitioners’ reputations through a worldwide media campaign to demonize Falun Gong and falsely depict its practitioners as dangerous ‘cult’ members and a menace to society.
3. Destroy Falun Gong practitioners financially, which, in a Communist nation where the government can exercise significant control over employment and housing, allowed Jiang to deny Falun Gong practitioners the basic necessities for living. Practitioners lost their salaries or pensions, were fired from their jobs, kicked out of their housing in addition to suffering widespread extortion, confiscation of property and state-enforced fines when detained by police.

Now, Mary Kay and reportedly other foreign companies in China are being coerced to assist Jiang’s persecution with respect to implementing the “destroy Falun Gong practitioners financially” aspect of the three-prong directive – all under the pretense of obeying Chinese “laws.”

Let us remember that according to the Chinese Communist regime, practicing Roman Catholicism or Christianity that is not associated with the atheist Communist Party qualifies one as a member of a “cult” and is also considered “illegal” in China.

If the Chinese Communist Party asked foreign corporations to fire their Catholic and Christian workers, would these corporations comply? Do these companies recognize the South African “laws” against blacks under the Apartheid system or the “laws” enacted to persecute Jews under the Nazi system?

Ironically, in coercing the Mary Kay Corporation to implement this policy of forcing Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs, the Chinese regime is, in turn, forcing Mary Kay to abandon its founding principles.

The Mary Kay Corporation is a U.S.-based company with headquarters in Dallas, Texas and is widely known for its upright principles and values, especially with regards to enriching the lives of women.

But now in China where Mary Kay has worked to establish what we understand to be a flourishing business that employs more than 120,000 Chinese women, Mary Kay is forced into a position of choosing between losing such a plentiful business or becoming an accomplice to Jiang Zemin’s regime to violate international laws as well as its own mission statement.

Indeed, the Mary Kay Corporation – like other companies that are subjected to similar demands in China – has been made a victim in the persecution of Falun Gong as well.

The persecution of Falun Gong is illegal both by international standards and by China’s constitution. It is immoral and it is deplorable that Jiang Zemin’s regime is forcing American companies to assist them in this horrific, four-year persecution.

Furthermore, Jiang Zemin’s regime has employed a massive propaganda campaign to discredit Falun Gong in China and overseas. It is the Falun Dafa Information Center’s intent that this propaganda not be an excuse to allow the regime to force its own people to renounce their peaceful, spiritual beliefs through brainwashing sessions, wanton torture and killing.

# # #

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, Chinas then-Communist leader, Jiang Zemin, outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999, fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiangs regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it. To that end, Jiang established the 6-10 Office, a Gestapo-like agency spanning from the Central Government to the local governments. The United States Congress has described the 6-10 Office as an agency charged with overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder.

The Falun Dafa Information Centre has verified details of 803 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. In October 2001, however, Government officials inside China reported that the actual death toll was well over 1,600. Expert sources now estimate that figure to be much higher. Hundreds of thousands have been detained, with more than 100,000 being sentenced to forced labour camps, typically without trial.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT THE EUROPEAN FALUN GONG INFORMATION CENTRE–
Gail Rachlin 917-501-4441, Levi Browde 914-720-0963, Erping Zhang 646-533-6147, or Christina Chai 917-386-5068.
Email: [email protected]