Editing Persecution (section)

===Falun Gong===
{{Main|Persecution of Falun Gong}}
[[Falun Gong]] was introduced to the general public by [[Li Hongzhi]] in [[Changchun]], [[China]], in 1992. For the next few years, Falun Gong was the fastest growing ''[[qigong]]'' practice in Chinese history and, by 1999, there were millions of practitioners. Following the seven years of widespread popularity, on July 20, 1999, the government of the [[People's Republic of China]] began a nationwide persecution campaign against Falun Gong practitioners, except in the special administrative regions of [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]].<ref>Faison, Seth (April 27, 1999) [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/042799china-protest.html "In Beijing: A Roar of Silent Protesters"] ''New York Times'', retrieved June 10, 2006</ref><ref>Kahn, Joseph (April 27, 1999) [http://partners.nytimes.com/library/world/asia/042799china-protest-leader.html "Notoriety Now for Exiled Leader of Chinese Movement"] ''New York Times'', retrieved June 14, 2006</ref> In late 1999, legislation was created to outlaw "heterodox religions" and retroactively applied to Falun Gong.<ref name="Leung">Leung, Beatrice (2002) 'China and Falun Gong: Party and society relations in the modern era', Journal of Contemporary China, 11:33, 761 – 784</ref> [[Amnesty International]] states that the persecution is "politically motivated" with "legislation being used retroactively to convict people on {{Sic|hide=y|politically|-}}driven charges, and new regulations introduced to further restrict fundamental freedoms".<ref name=Amnesty1>[https://web.archive.org/web/20030711022606/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/engASA170112000 The crackdown on Falun Gong and other so-called ''heretical organizations'' ], The Amnesty International</ref>