(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners were invited to participate in the International Religious Freedom Summit held at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, DC, as well as events at the U.S. Congress, from February 2 to 4, 2026. Nearly 2,000 people and many organizations from the United States and around the world attended the summit. Participants who were concerned about religious freedom gathered to discuss violations they believe have received limited media coverage and insufficient international attention, and to explore ways to defend freedom of belief globally.
Practitioners set up a stand at the Hilton Hotel and played videos to introduce Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) and tell people why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has brutally persecuted the practice for the past 26 years. Many conference attendees paused to learn about the issue. Some said that they did not know about the CCP’s persecution and that they appreciated the practitioners raising awareness about the persecution at the summit.
Conference attendees of the International Religious Freedom Summit learn about Falun Gong and the CCP’s persecution.
Co-Chair of the Summit Calls on U.S. Government to Support Religious Leaders Suppressed by Authoritarian Regimes
Ambassador Samuel Brownback, co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, said in the congressional hearing on February 4 that the CCP regime is using massive funds and high-tech surveillance to systematically persecute various religious groups, including Falun Gong. He called on the U.S. government to more openly and clearly support religious leaders who are being suppressed by the authoritarian regime.
Ambassador Samuel Brownback, co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, spoke at the congressional hearing on February 4.
Ambassador Brownback said, “Communist China spends billions of dollars this year alone to suppress every faith that exists in that country. They save their greatest anger and vile for the Falun Gong. We should see them [Falun Gong] as our greatest ally. These are people behind the enemy lines. They will stand up to the regime, and stand up to the suppressors because they overcome their fear with interior faith. They will fight even if that means their lives.”
Falun Dafa Information Center Director: The CCP Persecutes Falun Gong and Represses Shen Yun
Levi Browde was invited to speak at the summit.
Levi Browde, director of the Falun Dafa Information Center, spoke at the summit and said that the spiritual practice is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. The CCP launched the persecution in July 1999, and millions of practitioners have been persecuted. The CCP even extends the persecution overseas and represses Shen Yun Performing Arts through a media war and legal battles in the US.
Audience at the summit
Mr. Browde said, “You see on YouTube, a lot of western YouTubers saying the same kind of script, attacking Shen Yun, Falun Gong. Some of those YouTubers admitted that they were approached and paid, or offered money, to do this kind of thing.
“Last year, X (formerly Twitter) found thousands of fake accounts that were making some of these articles attacking Shen Yun, and were the most popular, the most shared articles on X. They were all fake, and were taken down.
“For the last two years, there have been a slate of bomb threats. They’re really terrorist threats, largely through email, though some through websites, targeting Shen Yun Performing Arts, targeting Falun Gong, targeting the American government, who is supportive of Falun Gong. A lot of it is done through bouncing through servers, VPNs, other technologies, so it’s very hard to track them down. Taiwanese authorities are actually tracing these bomb threats back to China.”
He called on the international community to stop the terrorist threats.
Attendees Learn About Falun Gong
A Chinese attendee from New Jersey said he knew about the CCP’s persecution. His wife conducted a not-guilty defense for Falun Gong practitioners being detained when she was in China. As a result, her lawyer license was suspended. So the whole family came to the US.
Another Chinese attendee from Atlanta said he admired practitioners’ courage. He said that The Epoch Times is the fourth largest newspaper, which is impressive.
A visiting scholar from Mongolia said he saw practitioners protesting the CCP’s persecution in Hong Kong in 1999. He said he was happy to see practitioners at the summit, and he wished to learn more about Falun Gong.
Jens Kreinath (right) from the Institution for the Documentation of Human Rights Violations
Jens Kreinath from the Institution for the Documentation of Human Rights Violations said that he heard of the persecution of Falun Gong in 2004 for the first time. One of his colleagues was studying Falun Gong in California. He said that the persecution was less known at that time than it is now.
Author Appreciates Practitioners
Christian George learned about Falun Gong.
Christian George said he has published several books about persecution, but this was the first time he’d heard about Falun Gong. “My wife and I write together, and so we write about very persecuted women, and mothers. This is the first time I’ve been introduced to this, so thank you for raising awareness.”
He got his PhD in theology in Scotland and was a professor in an American university. Now he focuses on writing with his wife.
“I just picked up these three pieces of paper about how they’re being persecuted, not only in China, but also in the US. The Communist party has reached into the West,” he said. “I don’t know much else about it. I look forward to reading some of these about Falun Gong.”
Retired Professor: We Should Help Those Persecuted for Belief
Allen Hertzke, a retired professor from Oklahoma University
Allen Hertzke, a retired professor from Oklahoma University, said he heard of the CCP’s persecution in 1999 or 2000. He was doing research on a campaign for the international religious freedom act.
Mr. Hertzke said he remembered interviewing a practitioner in Washington DC who left China to avoid the persecution.
He said practitioners were important advocates for religious freedom in China. He added, “I’m a Catholic Christian, and I care about what’s happening to Christians in China, and Uyghurs, and that’s why I care about Falun Gong practitioners, because we have to be united.
“To me, whatever your religion, you should come to the aid of other believers who are persecuted for their faith. Because that’s the only way we’re going to overcome this persecution.”
Supporting Falun Gong Is a Righteous Thing
Kavneet Singh, the chief resource and advocacy officer for the American Sikh council
Kavneet Singh, the chief resource and advocacy officer for the American Sikh council, an interfaith counselor in Philadelphia, and a member of a peace coalition in Princeton, said he’s known about the persecution for more than 20 years. “We’ve been made aware, even internally, about Falun Gong followers being persecuted by the CCP. So, wherever there’s been protests, sometimes letters are being sent, where joint letters have been co-signed to stand with Falun Dafa practitioners. I personally have attended at least two large protests, one in Washington, one in Philadelphia.”
He added, “It is simply a human thing, the right thing to do. You are doing it without any mal-intent, you are doing it peacefully. And you’re not hurting anybody. I don’t know why the CCP government there is doing this, but we are with you. We will support you.”
Mr. Singh said the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance resonated with him, “I think Truthfulness is universal. I’m a Sikh, and we believe that the only way to live is truthful living. If we don’t have empathy and compassion, as human beings, regardless of who you are, how can you live? You cannot be a good human being, you have to have compassion. And forbearance is important. So I see nothing wrong with this, this is perfectly fine. It’s to be a good human being first, and that’s what you’re doing. So, I am absolutely with you.”
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