(Minghui.org) July 2026 marks the 27th year since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong. Practitioners held a rally in front of the Chinese Embassy in Stockholm on July 18, 2026, to expose these egregious human rights violations. Numerous officials expressed support for the practitioners.
Thanking Practitioners for Their Commitment to Freedom of Belief
Swedish Member of Parliament (MP) Nima Gholam Ali Pour wrote to practitioners. The letter reads, “I would like to send warm greetings to all of you who have gathered here today to stand up for religious freedom and for every person’s right to live freely without fear of persecution.”
He stated that religious freedom is one of the most fundamental human rights. He wrote, “Today’s demonstration draws attention to the long-standing persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Their situation reminds us that the fight for religious freedom is not over. It also reminds us of our responsibility to stand up for people who have been deprived of their freedom and dignity.
Nima Gholam Ali Pour MP at Almedelen week at Gotland, 2026 (Minghui.org)
Nima Gholam Ali Pour MP has repeatedly forwarded motions to pass legislation to help stop the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting. The Chinese Embassy attempted to change his mind. He said at Almedelen week in June, “Once I got an email where there was a person from the Chinese Embassy who told me that everything about forced organ harvesting was a conspiracy theory. So even though it is well documented, he tried to convince me that it was all lies. So they are trying to build opinion among politicians.
“We know that China is trying in various ways to influence us, and that espionage is taking place. They have antagonism towards Sweden. This has already been made clear, and it’s reported on every year. And it’s important that we’re aware that this campaign is ongoing and that we don’t accept what the Chinese regime says about various issues. That we actually listen to the opposition, listen to those who have been subjected to various abuses by the Chinese Communist Party, instead of listening to the version presented to us by the Chinese state.”
He also said about the importance of legislation to stop the forced organ harvesting, “Yes, I’ve brought this up [in our parliament] because it’s important not to accept such abuses against people. It must not be allowed to happen. When it does happen, it’s important for the world to react—especially the democratic part of the world—so that we don’t abandon the people who have been subjected to these horrific abuses.”
Keep Protesting the Persecution
Daniel Sonesson, leader of the Swedish Citizens Coalition (MED), saw practitioners’ events in the Almedelen week at Gotland. He said that it was horrible for the CCP to persecute such a group of people who are yearning for freedom to practice Falun Gong. He said that the CCP is a dictatorship, and everything it does is to maintain its power. So, of course, Falun Gong as a movement then becomes a threat to what they represent.
Daniel Sonesson, leader of the Swedish Citizens Coalition (MED) at Almedelen week at Gotland, 2026 (Minghui.org)
Mr. Sonesson said that the CCP’s forced organ harvesting was terrible, “How can one describe this in any other way than as despicable?! It’s a terrible, dictatorial attack on a human being. But that’s just how dictatorships operate. It’s terrible and it’s despicable, of course. And all politicians should stand behind the idea that this must be met with reprisals—we need to put pressure on this issue. This is a despicable act. It’s hard to know how to even describe it with words that are strong enough.
“There is, after all, one thing we must do in the face of aggressive dictatorships like this. That is to show them that they cannot get away with oppression, threats, and persecution—and that kidnapping journalists and actions like these must never, ever pay off or be rewarded. It must not in any way lead to advantages; instead, they must be stripped of power and face serious consequences. So there’s nothing else to say other than that it’s terrible, of course.”
Upon hearing that Falun Gong practitioners have protested the persecution for 27 years, and that they would hold an event in front of the Chinese Embassy, he said, “Keep fighting for your cause. Keep believing in what you’re doing. Never give up. And be confident that you have justice on your side. There is nothing more beautiful than freedom of expression and democracy. That all people are allowed to express the things they want more of in life—and not be stifled or coerced by them. Never give up. If someone gets too angry, or a dictatorship gets angry, it’s just a sign that you’re making a difference, that you matter, and that you’re succeeding at something. So keep it up. Succeed even more.”
The CCP’s Transnational Repression Must Stop
Nima Gholam Ali Pour MP submitted an inquiry to the Swedish Minister of Justice about the CCP’s attempt to stop Shen Yun performances in Sweden. He said, “I actually sent in a question about that because I think it is horrible that they perform without having the safety that normal people have. It is very disgusting that the Chinese government always threatens people who are against them in different countries.”
He received two emails slandering Shen Yun, and he knew they were part of the CCP’s transnational repression. He hopes that Shen Yun will return to Sweden.
Regarding the threat and damage that Shen Yun receives across the world, David Josefsson MP said, “It’s a textbook example of how China operates and how it tries to twist the discussion, silence critics, divert the conversation to other topics, impose self-censorship, and ensure that no one dares to speak critically about the Chinese regime or about the alternative that has actually existed in China.
“China is not, by nature, a communist dictatorship. It is something much bigger, and something else entirely. But they want to stop that discussion, both in China and here in the West.”
David Josefsson MP at Almedelen week at Gotland, 2026 (Minghui.org)
Mr. Josefsson is a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), who has long focused on issues concerning China. He said that the CCP’s transnational repression of Falun Gong and Shen Yun is a human rights issue, and also a national security threat agaisnt the Western world.
He said, “Fundamentally, it’s about what kind of state China is—namely, a communist dictatorship that oppresses its [fellow human beings]… not only does it oppress its own population, but it also poses a threat to Western democracy and the values that we in Sweden and the Western world stand for. Everything from direct threats to this ‘soft power’ approach, where they’re sort of slowly trying to reframe the way problems are defined and discussed, and to redefine what human rights stand for or what democracy stands for.
“It is both a matter of security and a human rights issue. That is what I think is so important—that we should be aware that our democratic ideals - our ideals on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of opinion, these ideals are under threat from other countries, from other states that they not only want to suppress freedom in their own countries, but also—these regimes—do not want us to have them in Sweden either.
“In recent years, the discussion has focused heavily on Russia, but fundamentally, Russia, China, and Iran are countries that are allied and share a common interest in undermining democracy and Western values—not only in their own countries but also in ours.
“It’s not just that they want to defend their own regimes; they actually also want to change the way we live in our societies here in Sweden and in the Western world. That is precisely why it is so important for us not only to be aware of this and to defend our own values, but also to ensure that democracy, freedom of speech, and so on reach China, reach Russia, and reach Iran.”
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