A secret Chinese police agency that played a key role in persecuting a spiritual group may no longer exist, but its crackdown of the group continues.
That’s according to Minghui.org. The website publishes first-hand information about the persecution of Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. It’s a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline practiced by tens of millions of people.
The 610 Office was a Gestapo-like police agency established in 1999 to persecute Falun Gong. The office was known for illegally arresting and torturing Falun Gong practitioners. It was officially disbanded in 2018 when it was merged with a national commission.
On Sunday Minghui published a report from an inside source. They said high-ranking official Zhao Leji urged officials to continue persecuting Falun Gong.
Zhao reportedly said, “The 610 Office is disbanded, merged, and no longer exists independently. That’s for show for the anti-China Western force, because they always argue about human rights and freedom. How can you believe that (it’s really disbanded)?”
He continued, “Look, Falun Gong still exists, the issue is still there. It must be done quickly, and must be done well.”
Zhao Leji is one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the regime’s highest decision-making body. He also heads a disciplinary body inside the Chinese Communist Party, the same commission the 610 Office was merged with.
Other evidence also suggests that the persecution continues.
In January Congress released a report on China’s worsening human rights condition.