A N A L Y S I S A N D C O M M E N T A R Y

Psychiatric Abuse of Falun Gong

Robin Munro’s landmark study, “Judicial Psychiatry Since September 1999, the police, often working
in China and its Political Abuses,”1 published in the in conjunction with the practitioners’ work units and
spring of 2000 is the best guide we have to under- families, have forced mentally healthy Falun Gong
standing this problem, and its publication first drew practitioners into psychiatric facilities. Commitment
sustained, worldwide attention to the abuses of fo- requires no formal legal procedure. Members of the
rensic psychiatry in China in general and of Falun 6-10 Office4—an extraconstitutional body created
Gong practitioners in particular. The government’s for the sole purpose of terrorizing Falun Gong—the
control of the media and an embargo on any infor- local police, or even the security forces of local facto-
mation regarding these practices make it an ex- ries can arbitrarily commit Falun Gong practitioners.
tremely difficult task to verify the true scope and Human rights groups now estimate that there are
detail of the abuse of psychiatry in China. A few 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners being held against
months before the publication of Munro’s report, their will in mental hospitals. The actual number is
Falun Gong practitioner (and a permanent resident very likely many times higher. The lengths of these
of the United States) Dr. Teng Chunyan managed to detentions range from a few days to 1.5 years. The
smuggle out of China pictures documenting the use perversion of mental health facilities for the purpose
of Chinese mental hospitals to torture Falun Gong of the torture of Falun Gong practitioners is wide-
practitioners. Her efforts resulted in some media cov- spread. At least 57 hospitals in 36 cities are known to
erage outside China2; but, unfortunately, media in- be involved in the illegal detention of practitioners,
terest in the facts she brought to light was short-lived. with some of them located in major cities, such as
Upon her return to China, she was arrested and sen- Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou,
tenced to three years in a labor camp, where she is and Wuhan. At least 6 of the 320 documented deaths
reported to be undergoing regular abuse. Building on caused by official mistreatment have been the result
the heroic attempt by Dr. Teng and on Robin of abuse of psychiatric treatment.3 Why are these
Munro’s study, the Falun Dafa Information Center, massive human rights violations occurring at a time
in April 2001, issued a Special Report on Psychiatric when China is opening up to the international eco-
Abuses Against Falun Gong in China,3 which docu- nomic market and Western communities? What is it
ments 153 separate cases of torture (some cases in- about Falun Gong that causes the Chinese govern-
volving numerous victims) in Chinese mental hospi- ment to invest so much in such a wide-scale cam-
tals, based mainly on reports via e-mail by victims or paign? Is this simply a political issue?
eyewitnesses. Falun Gong had not always been the object of the
enmity of the Chinese government. Li Hongzhi be-
Dr. Lu is Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Substance
Abuse Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati, gan teaching Falun Gong in China in 1992. This
OH. Dr. Galli is Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Med- practice is a traditional form of qigong whose practi-
ical Consultant at the Substance Abuse Center, Blanchfield Army
Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, KY. The views expressed in this tioners cultivate body, mind, and spirit. They per-
article do not represent any group or association. Address correspon- form five simple meditative exercises and live accord-
dence to: Sunny Lu, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, 311 Mar-
tin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45219. E-mail: lusy@email. ing to the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and
uc.edu tolerance. The practice can have extraordinary effects

126 The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
 Lu and Galli

on health. Practitioners typically report recovering Wo-Lap Lam8 reported earlier this year regarding the
from even very serious illness, with greater health persecution of Falun Gong, “It is no secret that sev-
benefits accruing the longer they practice. They also eral Politburo members thought that Jiang Zemin
report important psychiatric benefits, including sig- had used the wrong tactics. They ranged from mod-
nificantly reduced stress, better relations with family erates such as Premier Zhu Rongji, Vice President
members and fellow employees, and a greater sense Hu Jintao, and head of the Chinese People’s Political
of well-being.5 Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong were Consultative Conference Li Ruihuan to conserva-
recognized for health improvement three separate tives such as National People’s Congress Chairman
times in 1993 by a foundation connected with the Li Peng. . . . Li Ruihuan and Zhu Rongji were both
Chinese Public Security Bureau, and also in 1993, said to favor a conciliatory approach to Falun Gong.”
Falun Gong was recognized by the Chinese govern- Willy Wo-Lap Lam quotes a party veteran as saying
ment as the “Star Qigong School.”6 Until the perse- that “by unleashing a Mao-style movement, Jiang is
cution began, newspaper articles, whose coverage forcing senior cadres to pledge allegiance to his line.
had to remain within the limits approved by the gov- This will boost Jiang’s authority—and may give him
ernment, often praised Falun Gong, noting the tre- enough momentum to enable him to dictate events
mendous savings to the government owing to the at the pivotal 16th Communist Party Congress next
health benefits gained by its practitioners. As late as year.”8 In other words, Jiang began persecuting
1999, a Chinese official told U.S. News and World Falun Gong as a way of asserting his own power
Report that Premier Zhu Rongji was “very happy” within the Communist Party.
with the money saved the Chinese government due Jiang Zemin unleashed terror on the practitioners
to the practice of “Falun Gong and other types of of Falun Gong late at night on July 19, 1999, and by
qigong ” by 100 million people.7 October 30 declared Falun Gong illegal, enabling
Why, then, did the government decide to begin even harsher “legal” penalties. According to sources
persecuting Falun Gong? The answer typically given inside China, he has stated that “no measures are too
by commentators on China suggests that the Com- excessive” to wipe out Falun Gong.9 Beatings, a long
munist Party leadership could not tolerate the sheer list of tortures, sexual humiliation and rape, sleep
number of people practicing Falun Gong. In 1999, a deprivation, and forced labor are all used. Since July
government study estimated this number at more 1999, 320 practitioners are confirmed to have died in
than 70 million, whereas the Party itself numbered police custody; sources inside the government place
only 56 million. Among the practitioners of Falun the number at more than 1,000. At this time, at least
Gong are tens of thousands of party members, in- 20,000 are being held in forced labor camps, and at
cluding some very high-ranking ones; important of- least 100,000 in other forms of detention.3 The gov-
ficials in the military and security apparatuses; and ernment has ordered that all practitioners be brain-
leading scientists, engineers, and intellectuals. In washed, and brainwashing centers have been set up
principle, the party does not tolerate anything in so- throughout China to accomplish this. Practitioners
ciety that is independent of the party. Falun Gong is stand to lose their jobs, pensions, apartments or
not only independent of the party, it also offers a set houses, and places in schools or universities; property
of spiritual principles independent of the state. After may be confiscated; and heavy fines are imposed.3
50 years of communism and especially after the 10- This terror has been vigorously condemned by Am-
year Cultural Revolution, with its horrifying and de- nesty International,10 Human Rights Watch,11 other
structive effects, the communist ideology is losing human rights organizations, Freedom House,12 the
ground. Falun Dafa is rooted in ancient Chinese cul- U.S. Congress,13 and leading politicians in the
ture. It has revived positive values and beliefs and has United States and around the world.14
rapidly gained people’s hearts. The party began per- The goal of this terror is to force every practitioner
secuting it out of fear of such a large group that it to sign a statement renouncing and condemning
could not control. They could not control the hearts Falun Gong. The torture in mental hospitals is an
and minds of practitioners. integral part of the overall campaign of terror. The
This analysis is plausible, but in fact much of the mental hospitals are used partly to detain practitio-
leadership of the party does not appear to view Falun ners and prevent them from going to Beijing to ap-
Gong as a threat. CNN⬘s China correspondent Willy peal. By committing practitioners, the authorities

Volume 30, Number 1, 2002 127

send the message to the population at large that there Medications are sometimes forcefully adminis-
must indeed be something wrong with Falun Gong. tered through nasogastric tubes to torture and punish
The government also counts on the people’s drawing practitioners for not cooperating with the authorities
the conclusion that, no matter what the case is with in denouncing Falun Gong. If the practitioners con-
Falun Gong, one would have to be insane to try to tinue to perform the exercises in the hospital or refuse
oppose the government’s will as Falun Gong has to renounce their beliefs, medication dosages are in-
tried to do. Tragically, many families have com- creased as much as five to six times the initial dose
mitted their loved ones, and many employers have until the “patient” loses the ability to move or com-
committed their trusted employees, on the assump- municate. Toxic effects from perphenazine, chlor-
tion that those committed would be treated more promazine, fluphenazine, haloperidol decanoate,
gently in the hospitals than in jail or labor camp. sulpiride, fluorohydroxypiperidine, and other un-
Only later have families and employers discovered known substances, cause loss of memory, severe
the brutal torture that has caused severe physical and headache, fainting, extreme weakness, muscle stiff-
mental disabilities among those who have been com- ness and rigidity, protrusion of the tongue and other
mitted. Practitioners who have triumphed over the dystonic reactions, uncontrollable tremors, nausea,
hideous abuse they receive in the jail or labor camps vomiting, seizures, and loss of consciousness.3 Some
are committed finally to break them. of the severe cases resemble neuroleptic malignant
These involuntary incarcerations violate all inter- syndrome. Physical torture is also commonplace, es-
national standards for admission criteria.15 The prac- pecially when practitioners refuse to take medica-
titioners were mentally normal and stable when they tions and continue practicing the exercises in the
were first taken to the psychiatric facilities (except for hospitals. Similar to the mistreatment the practitio-
cases in which practitioners were admitted from ners receive in jails and prisons, they are tortured by
other forms of detention and exhibited symptoms being tightly bound with ropes in very painful posi-
due to the trauma of previous torture; their precari- tions, beaten and shocked with electric batons,
ous health on admission does not protect them from deprived of food or sleep, force fed through gastric
further torture). They include physicians, nurses, an tubing, and shocked with high voltage through acu-
associate professor, a judge, a computer engineer, puncture needles. Some medical staff members show
military personnel, police officers, teachers, and oth- no remorse or compassion, saying such things as,
ers. They are known to have functioned at high pro- “Aren’t you practicing Falun Gong? Let us see, which
fessional levels in society before incarceration.3,16 Di- is stronger, Falun Gong or our medicines?”3
agnoses used are obsessive-compulsive disorder, The criteria for discharge is met when the practi-
qigong-induced mental disorder, obsessive psychosis, tioners stop performing the exercises, or if they sign a
or a mental problem induced by superstition or wiz- pledge to renounce Falun Gong or sign another
ardry. Some hospitals, knowing these persons have pledge never to go to Beijing to appeal. Families are
no mental illness, are not willing to take them, but denied visitation rights and, in addition, they are
the government, often through the police, applies forced to pay the expenses for the “treatments” pro-
pressure to force the psychiatrists to admit practitio- vided.17 In the more unfortunate cases, practitioners
ners to the facilities. They are involuntarily admitted have been discharged because they were dying as a
because they practice Falun Gong exercises, pass out result of the abuse. The brutal torture and forced
flyers, refuse to sign a pledge to renounce Falun administration of antipsychotic drugs in the mental
Gong, write petition letters to expose the abuse of hospitals has lead to at least six reported deaths. Two
psychiatry, go on hunger strikes in the labor camps, cases are provided as examples.3
or appeal to the government. Others are admitted Su Gang was a 32-year-old computer engineer
because detention sentences have expired or the de- working at the Qi-Lu Oil Chemical Company. Mr.
tainees have not been successfully “transformed” in Su was in good health and had no mental illness. He
the brainwashing classes. Some have been told that had been repeatedly detained by the security depart-
they were admitted, not because they had a mental ment of his workplace for refusing to renounce Falun
problem, but because they had a so-called “political Gong. The Washington Post reported:
problem”—that is, because they appealed to the gov- After traveling to Beijing on April 25th 2000 to protest the ban
ernment to lift the ban of Falun Gong.3 on Falun Gong, he was arrested again, on May 23rd. His em-

128 The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
 Lu and Galli

ployer, a state-run petrochemical company, approved commit- story or who tries to reveal the truth to the Western
ment papers that authorized the police to admit him to a mental media, while censoring the Internet and restricting
hospital. According to Mr. Su’s father, the doctors injected Mr.
Su twice a day with an unknown substance. When Mr. Su
the access of the Western media.20,21 China has also
emerged a week later, he could not eat or move his limbs blocked attempts at investigation by international
normally.18 organizations such as Amnesty International. Mean-
while, many foreign journalists who have attempted
On June 10, the previously healthy young man to investigate these matters (or, in some cases, merely
died.3,18 cover Falun Gong) in the past year have been de-
In the second case, Ms. Lu Hongfeng, 37 years tained, harassed, and had their licenses revoked and
old, was the vice principal of the Number 1 Elemen- in some cases have even been deported from
tary School of Lingwu City, Ningxia Province. She China.22–24 The Chinese government has not re-
was fired after she signed an open letter to the pro- sponded to the World Psychiatry Association’s re-
vincial assembly urging a stop to the persecution of quest to send international experts to investigate psy-
Falun Gong in the spring of 2000. Her husband Qin chiatric abuse in China.
Yuhuan, Chair of the Communist Party Committee The misuse and manipulation of psychiatry by the
at the Number 1 Construction Company in Lingwu government of China threatens the integrity of psy-
City, beat Lu and forced her out of their home on chiatrists everywhere. The medical staff and pharma-
May 6. On June 7, he had her bound to a bed in the copoeia used in China are particularly valued, be-
inpatient department of Lingwu Mental Hospital. cause they enable the persecutors to attack directly
She was held for more than 50 days. Dr. Yong (a the will, the mind, and the spirit of practitioners. All
doctor from that hospital) said that Lu was forced to torture seeks to get at the soul or spirit through the
take 24 tablets of an unknown medicine imported body. The torturer wants to find in the screams of the
from Germany, an ordinary dose (1 tablet) of which victim a testimony to his own power. Fear and obe-
causes people to lose consciousness for three days. dience are what the torturer wants. In particular, he
She returned home in late July 2000 in precarious wants the victim to come to believe what the torturer
condition after the abuse in the mental hospital. Lu wants him to believe, to accept as true whatever the
died on September 6, 2000. torturer says the truth to be. All torture is horrible,
Evidence of the abuse of psychiatry in China dates but the torture going on in China’s mental hospitals,
back to 1950 (Ref. 2, p 15). Using mental hospitals as nonetheless, has a special horror about it. Our duty
places of government-directed torture in China had to our own conscience, to our profession, and to our
been in a steady decline in the 1990s,1 but the gov- fellow human beings could not be clearer. We must
ernment of Jiang Zemin resurrected this practice as do all in our power to bring the horror of the perver-
part of a comprehensive and brutal campaign to sion of psychiatry in China to an immediate end.
“eradicate” Falun Gong. The political abuse of psy- References
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130 The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law