Developments in Hong Kong and Macau

Although technically part of the People’s Republic of China, unlike in the Mainland, Falun Gong is not banned in Hong Kong and Macau and practitioners are generally allowed to practice freely. The treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in these territories has thus emerged as a critical test for the “one country, two systems” arrangement under which the two former European colonies were returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 and 1999 respectively. Though not experiencing the harsh repression of their counterparts on the Mainland, since 1999, adherents based in these territories or traveling to them have encountered various degrees of harassment, surveillance, and travel restrictions. Several Hong Kong residents have also been detained and imprisoned on the Mainland.