(Minghui.org) May 13, 2021 is the 22nd World Falun Dafa Day, and the 22nd anniversary of Dafa’s introduction to the public. To mark this special day, Mayor Robert Eastern III of the City of East St. Louis issued a proclamation declaring May 13, 2021 as “Falun Dafa Day honoring Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” The mayor of the City of Naperville declared “May 10-16, 2021 as Falun Dafa Week in the City of Naperville.” 

Mayor Robert Eastern III of the City of East St. Louis issued the proclamation, which reads, “Falun Dafa practitioners’ determination and courage to stand up for Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance while facing severe persecution from the Chinese Communist Party has shown the world the value of life and preciousness of human dignity.” 

Proclamation from Mayor Robert Eastern III of the City of East St. Louis

Mayor of the City of Naperville issued the proclamation, which reads, “Falun Dafa practitioners in Naperville will be celebrating World Falun Dafa Day on May 13, 2021 and the 29th anniversary of the introduction of one of the world’s most popular meditation and cultivation practices.”

Proclamation from Mayor Steve Chirico of the City of Naperville

Background

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was introduced to the public in 1992. Nearly 100 million people across China were soon practicing Falun Dafa after experiencing improvements in their health and character. Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 22 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith. 

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.

Under Jiang's personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.