Ever since the persecution of the spiritual practice Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, journalists, China scholars, the Chinese regime, and Falun Gong adherents have discussed the role played by the events of April 25, 1999. A letter by Jiang Zemin, head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1999, sheds important light on this question.
On April 25, 1999, more than 10,000 Falun Gong adherents attempted to gather outside the Appeals Office in Beijing, but most ended up nearby in the vicinity of Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of the CCP.
Falun Gong had been harassed and subject to a potential ban ever since 1996, long before the Zhongnanhai gathering. Many Falun Gong adherents gathered there out of concern that a ban was just a matter of time. They wanted to turn things around by appealing to the regime.
Falun Gong adherents have always said the behavior of those who gathered on April 25 was exemplary, and gave no cause for the persecution that was to come.
To justify its crackdown on Falun Gong, the CCP has always alleged that Falun Gong adherents tend to commit various crimes. These allegations are strongly denied by Falun Gong adherents, who point out that the alleged crimes all go against Falun Gong teachings. Read more.