The Falun Gong and religious groups

China comes down hard on people who practise a religion outside the officially sanctioned channels. Members of underground Protestant house churches and unofficial Catholic churches, Muslim Uighurs from the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region and Tibetan Buddhists are detained, ill-treated and tortured.

China has taken tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners into custody since it banned the spiritual movement almost a decade ago.

People accused of being Falun Gong leaders or organisers – like Bu Dongwei –have been sent to prisons and psychiatric hospitals, though most are held in ‘re-education’ centres. Torture or ill-treatment of detainees is reportedly common.

Zhou Youngkang, China’s Minister of Public Security, said China must "create a harmonious society and a good social environment” to ensure a successful Olympics".

"We must strike hard at hostile forces at home and abroad, such as ethnic separatists, religious extremists, violent terrorists and ‘heretical organisations’ like the Falun Gong who carry out destabilising activities."