A King Who Devours His People: Jiang Zemin and the Falun Gong Crackdown: A Bibliography

In July 1999, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began an official crackdown against the qigong cultivation group known as Falun Gong. Intended to quickly contain and eliminate what the PRC considers an evil or heretical cult (xiejiao), the suppression has instead created the longest sustained and, since the Tiananmen Square protests of June 1989, most widely known human rights protest conducted in the PRC. The Falun Gong has received worldwide recognition and support while the crackdown continues to provoke harsh criticism against the PRC as new allegations of human rights violations arise. Because of its international notoriety, the Falun Gong crackdown has generated significant academic research and governmental interest. Scholars from the fields of sociology, psychology, political science, law, journalism, religious studies, and anthropology have all contributed to the academic discourse. Governmental and non-governmental organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China keep a close watch on the development of the rule of law and human rights in China and issue reports on the same. The media coverage given to the Falun Gong has produced thousands of articles since the suppression began in 1999. This article provides a brief history of the Falun Gong crackdown and a bibliography of English-language materials. Included in these materials are: treatises; articles; U.S. government publications; reports of NGOs, IGOs, and other organizations; newspaper and press reports; Falun Gong websites; and translations of PRC laws and regulations affecting religious activities and the Falun Gong. Falun Gong websites and materials mainly devoted to the practice of Falun Dafa (apart from the two main texts Zhuan Falun and Falun Gong) are not included; likewise, websites mainly soliciting support for the Falun Gong and its practice have been omitted. All websites included in this bibliography are publicly accessible