The Ultimate Power of the "610 Office": Pulling the Strings of Operations against Falun Gong (first posted in January 2001)

Most overseas Chinese have never heard of the "610 Office." Even few Mainland Chinese would know the term. The term "610" is an alias for the "Supervising team in charge of the dealing with Falun Gong." The Central Committee's 610 Office was established on June 10^th, 1999--hence the name, 610.

Headed by China's Vice Premier Li Lanqing, the 610 Office creates and executes the policies pertaining to Falun Gong. The office is a permanent member of the Central Committee's political and legal committee and it is the ultimate powerhouse through which Jiang Zemin can persecute Falun Gong. The sole duty of the 610 is to conduct political persecution---and being above the law, it is strikingly similar to the notorious supervising team of the Cultural Revolution. Following the central office is a local 610 Office in each province, city, autonomous region, and municipality. These were established directly under the jurisdiction of the local political-legal committee.

From the central government to the local ones, an independent system has been formed within the 610 Office. This system grants tremendous power to all levels of the party, government, and judicial systems in China. Ever since its formation more than two years ago, the 610 Office has become the source of persecution against Falun Dafa. Prior to the official crackdown on July 22nd, 1999, the municipal 610 offices had already obtained a complete list of Falun Gong practitioners' information, and they deployed it to monitor and arrest the key practitioners in charge.

After July 22^nd, the 610 Office gradually came out from behind the scenes, appearing in the public media from time to time. It was not the ordinary guiding machine where policies were made, however. The 610 Office deceived the public by directly operating and strictly controlling the subordinate parties and government organizations such as the public security, the procurator's house, and the people's court, as well as the national security, reform through labor camps, reeducation through labor, and even the news media and public opinion channels.

According to current laws, rules, and statutes in Mainland China, the nominal decision power for reeducation through labor (laogai) resides with the local Committee of Reeducation Through Labor. In reality, however, it is in the hands of the local legal department, which hold the reconsideration as well. Since the establishment of the 610, all decisions made to send Falun Gong practitioners to the reeducation through labor camps are made by the local Committee of Reeducation Through Labor, though it is actually the 610 who single-handedly makes the decisions. In addition, Falun Gong practitioners' are completely deprived of the right to administrative reconsideration for the Reeducation Through Labor. Many Falun Gong practitioners are still being indefinitely detained in such camps without due process.

The arch criminal is still the 610. In addition to labor camps, detention centers under the local civil administration and the public security bureau, administrative lockup houses, drug rehabilitation centers, and prostitute reeducation facilities have all become tools for the 610 to illegally detain and torture Falun Gong practitioners.

The 610 Office encourages and instigates judicial personnel, facility guards, and staff to inhumanly torture the Falun Gong practitioners--innocent and kindhearted people. The brutality and viciousness of the torture is unprecedented.

The 610 office has even ordered the political-legal committee from all counties to set up coercive brainwashing classes in an attempt to force Falun Gong practitioners to renounce their beliefs. Those who refuse to renounce Falun Gong were sent to labor camps, mental hospitals, and drug rehabilitation centers for further torture. In order to carry out Jiang Zemin's orders to "Defame, crush, destroy [Falun Gong practitioners] financially and physically," the local 610 offices fine practitioners amounts ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 Yuan. In most cities, the amount of the fine or the decisions to fine are determined by the municipal 610.

The decision to arrest, prosecute, put on trial, and sentence each specific Falun Gong practitioner is made by the provincial level 610 office. Different levels of public security, procurator's office, and the people's court put on show trials in which Falun Gong practitioners are denied their rights, even the basic right to an attorney.

The notorious Masanjia Labor camp in Liaoning Province is under the control of the provincial judicial office. However, the controlling body in actuality is the 610 office of the political-legal committee of the provincial Party committee. Masanjia dares to use all extreme ways possible to brutally torture Falun Gong practitioners who refuse to be transformed. Because of its wanton propaganda, the Masanjia labor camp was declared an "exemplary unit," and it spread its influence across the nation, causing troubles to the Chinese people.

As a result of the 610 office, 254 identifiable Falun Dafa practitioners have been tortured to death according to Clearwisdom (Minghui) statistics. In addition, more than 500 have been illegally sentenced, and over 600 have been forced into mental hospitals; more than 10,000 people have been sent to labor camps without trial, and over 50,0000 people have been arrested and detained. Numerous Falun Gong practitioners have been brutally beaten and physically punished by law enforcement officers; the practitioners are forcefully separated from their spouses and children, and their friends and relatives are also implicated.

We can conclude that the 610 office is a vicious and vivid embodiment of Jiang Zemin's dictatorial regime.