The Final Statement
‘Prison is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. Far worse is losing yourself by refusing to act according to your conscience.‘
No matter how long or how thoroughly the law enforcement authorities search for evidence of the ‘crime’ for which I am being tried, they will never find it. Because there was no crime, and there is no guilt. The law enforcement officers know this. And Your Honor, you can see it as well from the so-called evidence presented by the prosecution.
Yet there is a reason why I am sitting here in the defendant’s dock. And I am grateful to have the opportunity to explain it. As strange as it may sound, the root of that reason lies in the history of China. To understand the investigation – and, by extension, this trial – we first need to understand that history.
For five thousand years, Chinese civilization has been one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Ancient Chinese people called their country the ‘Celestial Empire’ because they believed that their culture, arts, and traditions had been bestowed upon them by the divine. ‘The Celestial Empire’– under Heaven – reflected their belief that Chinese culture possessed a sacred, semi-divine character. According to tradition, gods, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas appeared to people in various forms, teaching them high moral principles, guiding them toward righteousness, and warning them of the consequences of evil deeds.
Indeed, ancient Chinese culture was profound, wise, and extraordinarily rich. An essential part of its traditions consisted of practices of self-cultivation. In earlier times, self-cultivation permeated every aspect of life. Physicians, musicians, scholars, farmers, warriors, and others would first seek Heaven’s guidance and blessing before carrying out their duties. They would meditate to calm their minds and bring peace to their hearts. Buddhist and Daoist traditions of self-cultivation sometimes took religious forms, sometimes the form of hermitic practice, and sometimes no formal structure at all. People simply revered Heaven, sought to live according to their conscience and divine principles, and through that process of self-cultivation pursued the Dao.
Many renowned thinkers searched for answers in the ancient texts of Chinese civilization. For example, Leo Tolstoy was deeply influenced by the Tao Te Ching of Laozi, the founder of Daoism. Tolstoy also studied Confucius and other philosophers. He was drawn to their ideas of goodness, universal love, opposition to violence and war, and the ideal of moral self-perfection.
But nothing lasts forever. Chinese culture eventually declined. At the beginning of the twentieth century, people largely lost faith in their traditional culture and began searching for something new. During this period of upheaval and uncertainty, the Communist Party emerged in China and gradually seized power. Beginning in 1949, under Communist Party rule, China was transformed from the ‘Celestial Empire’ into a state of terror. To maintain its power, the Party relied on intimidation, violence, killings, and mass repression. This history is extensive, but it is also filled with horror. You may remember from history textbooks the period of the Cultural Revolution, when temples were destroyed, Buddha statues were smashed, ancient manuscripts were burned, and musical instruments were broken – in short, when China’s semi-divine cultural heritage was systematically and fanatically destroyed.
Throughout those years, numerous campaigns of persecution and terror were carried out. Consider, for example, the One-child policy, which remained in effect for thirty-six years. According to this statement, the authorities employed extreme punitive measures to enforce compliance. It claims that, for instance, if a woman in a rural village became pregnant in violation of the policy, the entire village could be subjected to forced sterilization, and that those who refused to participate were publicly humiliated, brutally abused, or even killed.
First, landlords were persecuted; then peasants; then intellectuals; and then one group after another. No one was spared. Everyone was touched by this terror. The country descended into darkness. People lived in fear and were afraid to trust one another. But perhaps the most devastating consequence was that they became afraid to believe in God. Faith itself came to be dismissed as a relic of the past, mere superstition.
‘Prison is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. Far worse is losing yourself by refusing to act according to your conscience.’
No matter how long or how hard the authorities search for evidence of the ‘crime’ I am accused of, they will never find it. Because there is no crime, and there is no guilt. The law enforcement officers know this. And, Your Honor, from the arguments presented by the prosecution, you can see it too.
There is, however, a reason why I am sitting here in the dock. I am grateful for the opportunity to explain it. Strange as it may sound, the roots of this case lie in the history of China. To understand why I am being prosecuted – and why this trial is taking place – we need to begin there.
For five thousand years, Chinese civilization has been one of the world’s oldest continuous civilizations. Ancient Chinese referred to their country as the ‘Celestial Empire’ because they believed that their culture, arts, and traditions had been bestowed upon them by divine beings. They regarded their civilization as semi-divine. According to ancient legends, gods, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas appeared among people in various forms, teaching moral principles, guiding humanity toward righteousness, and warning that evil deeds would ultimately bring retribution.
Indeed, traditional Chinese culture was profound, wise, and extraordinarily rich. An essential part of that culture consisted of spiritual self-cultivation practices. Self-cultivation permeated every aspect of life. Physicians, musicians, scholars, farmers, soldiers – all would first turn to Heaven for guidance and blessing, meditate to calm their minds and hearts before beginning their work. Buddhist and Daoist schools of cultivation took many forms: some became religions, others embraced the life of hermits, while many simply sought to honor Heaven by living according to conscience and divine principles, thereby following the Dao.
Many renowned thinkers sought wisdom in China’s classical texts. Among them was Leo Tolstoy, who was deeply influenced by the Dao De Jing of Laozi, the founder of Daoism. Tolstoy also studied Confucius and other Chinese philosophers. He was especially drawn to their teachings on goodness, universal love, opposition to violence and war, and the pursuit of moral self-improvement.
But nothing under heaven lasts forever. Traditional Chinese culture declined, and by the early twentieth century many people had lost faith in its value, searching instead for something entirely new. During this period of upheaval, the Chinese Communist Party emerged and gradually seized power. Beginning in 1949, China was transformed from the ‘Celestial Empire’ into a state ruled through terror.
To maintain its power, the Communist Party relied on intimidation, violence, executions, and mass repression. Its history is extensive, but filled with horror. You may remember studying the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), when temples were destroyed, Buddha statues smashed, ancient manuscripts burned, musical instruments broken – in short, when China’s semi-divine cultural heritage was systematically eradicated.
Throughout these decades, countless political campaigns targeted different groups of people. Take, for example, the one-child policy, which lasted for 36 years, from 1979 to 2015. To enforce it, the authorities resorted to extreme and often brutal measures. In some rural areas, if a woman became pregnant in violation of the policy, entire villages were reportedly subjected to forced sterilization campaigns. Those who resisted faced public humiliation, violence, and imprisonment.
First came the landlords, then the peasants, then the intellectuals, and then one group after another. No one remained untouched. The entire country descended into fear. People no longer trusted one another. Most tragically, they became afraid even to believe in God. Faith itself was denounced as superstition and a relic of the past.
By the late 1970s, as this period of madness gradually subsided, qigong practices began spreading throughout China. These are the gentle, flowing exercises you have probably seen in films about China – or, in another form, the martial arts techniques demonstrated by Shaolin monks performing what seem like extraordinary feats.
After decades of oppression, people eagerly embraced these practices.
By then, however, qigong had largely lost its spiritual dimension. It focused mainly on physical exercises and methods of improving health. Yet even this was enough to help people regain hope and reconnect with their historical and cultural roots. Qigong flourished, becoming immensely popular. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, the China Qigong Association had officially registered around 2,400 different qigong schools.
Then, in 1992, Chinese citizens were first introduced to Falun Gong – the practice that I myself follow, and for adherence to whose principles I stand before you today. But I will return to that shortly.
Unlike many other qigong masters, Master Li Hongzhi taught not only physical exercises but also principles of moral cultivation. He explained that the fundamental characteristic of the universe is Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and that genuine self-cultivation means striving to live in harmony with these principles: enduring hardship without resentment, looking inward rather than blaming others when difficulties arise, and always considering the well-being of others before acting.
It sounds simple. Yet when you truly begin demanding these things of yourself, you discover how difficult they really are.
Master Li also spoke about the spiritual dimension of existence and reminded people of China’s magnificent semi-divine cultural heritage. Chinese citizens responded enthusiastically. At first, many were drawn by the remarkable health benefits – there were extraordinary cases in which people recovered from severe illnesses. But gradually they became inspired by the profound simplicity of the teachings and sincerely began transforming their own character.
Day by day, China became home to more and more genuinely kind and conscientious people.
In the early years of its spread, Falun Gong enjoyed enormous popularity not only among ordinary citizens but even among senior government officials. Within just seven years, an estimated 70 to 100 million Chinese were practicing Falun Gong. Master Li received numerous awards and honors, reflecting the contribution that he and his teachings had made to Chinese society.
Yet persecution of people because of their spiritual beliefs had never truly ceased in China. Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Christians continued to face repression. Once the Communist Party realized that Falun Gong was not merely a system of exercises but a movement centered on morality, cultural renewal, and belief in the divine – the very values it had spent decades trying to eradicate – it began to regard the practice as a threat.
In 1995, Master Li withdrew from the China Qigong Association after refusing its demand to increase the fees for his seminars. Soon afterward, publication of his books was prohibited. A campaign of vilification began, with increasingly defamatory stories appearing in the state media.
The pressure intensified until it reached a climax in April 1999, when around 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully gathered near Zhongnanhai, the leadership compound of Communist Party General Secretary Jiang Zemin, calling for the right to practice freely and for an end to official harassment.
Government officials met with representatives of the gathering and assured them that they were free to continue practicing.
Just three months later, in July 1999, acting on Jiang Zemin’s personal decision, the Communist Party launched a nationwide campaign of persecution against Falun Gong.
The directive attributed to Jiang was chilling: ‘Ruin their reputation, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically.’
According to many reports, that campaign continues to this day.
For nearly twenty-six years, millions of Falun Gong practitioners have faced propaganda campaigns, arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, and torture. Many practitioners refused to reveal their identities in detention to protect their families and colleagues from persecution, resulting in countless ‘anonymous’ prisoners whose suffering often remained undocumented.
Later, allegations emerged that the authorities had begun exploiting this population in another horrific way: by killing prisoners of conscience for their organs. I realize that this may sound unimaginable. It is difficult for any ordinary person to believe such atrocities could occur on such a scale.
For many years, governments outside China struggled to accept these claims. But as more evidence accumulated, investigators and human rights advocates continued their work.
In 2006, Canadian human rights advocates David Kilgour and David Matas published the first major report alleging forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners. In the following years, journalist Ethan Gutmann joined the investigation. Together, they continued gathering and publishing new evidence.
During the early 2000s, transplant hospitals across China expanded rapidly. Investigators even telephoned Chinese transplant centers while posing as prospective patients. According to published transcripts, some hospitals claimed they could provide organs within two or three weeks, and in some cases allegedly stated that organs from Falun Gong practitioners were available.
In virtually every other country, even those with well-developed organ donation systems, patients often wait months or years for a transplant.
Yet these Chinese hospitals reportedly promised compatible organs within weeks – and even offered replacement organs if the first transplant failed.
Such claims, if true, would imply the existence of a pool of living donors whose organs could be obtained on demand.
Investigators also documented prices advertised at the time by a Chinese transplant center, including approximately $62,000 for a kidney, $98,000–130,000 for a liver, $150,000–170,000 for a lung, and similar amounts for other organs.
These figures were reportedly obtained from the website of the China International Transplantation Network Assistance Center in 2006.
Consider the enormous sums involved. According to the allegations, everyone profits: doctors, police, state security agencies, and ultimately the ruling elite of the Communist Party.
As international concern grew, a number of countries introduced legislation or policies limiting cooperation with China’s transplant system or discouraging so-called ‘transplant tourism.’ Various legislatures, governments, and international bodies – including the U.S. House of Representatives, the European Parliament, and the independent China Tribunal in 2019 – have adopted resolutions or findings expressing serious concern over allegations of forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners.
I have submitted notarized documents supporting these statements and respectfully ask the Court to accept them as evidence.
Perhaps you will think these resolutions come from countries that are currently considered unfriendly toward Russia. But yesterday they were friendly, and tomorrow history may change again. In crimes of this magnitude, geopolitical alliances are beside the point.
While we debate secondary questions – whether these countries are friendly or hostile, whether what happens in China concerns us personally – people continue to die. That is what truly matters.
That is why I ask everyone present to study this issue for yourselves. Today there is abundant publicly available information. Learn about it. Share what you discover. Expand public awareness.
That is precisely what the Communist Party fears: the truth. It fears exposure.
And now I come to the central question: why am I sitting here before this Court?
I first learned about Falun Gong more than ten years ago. Like many practitioners, I experienced significant improvements in my health. My chronic stomach problems disappeared. My chronic tonsillitis and recurring sore throats vanished.
But the greatest transformation was not physical.
For the first time, I saw my own flaws clearly. I began working on my difficult temperament – the same temperament that had contributed to the breakdown of my family and strained my relationships with relatives, colleagues, and friends.
One day my own sister, with whom I had constantly argued in the past but with whom I now enjoy a warm and loving relationship, told me:
‘Natasha, you used to be such a difficult person. But you’ve changed completely.’
Earlier I explained how Falun Gong practitioners around the world have tried to draw attention to the persecution in China.
In Russia, we did the same.
So did I.
I met with members of parliament. I wrote letters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I attended medical conferences on organ transplantation. I held solitary pickets outside the Chinese Embassy. I participated in many public events calling attention to the persecution of Falun Gong and exposing the crimes of the Chinese Communist Party.
The Party fears its crimes being exposed. That is why it exerts pressure on other countries – especially on my own country.
In 2001, Russia and China signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation. Article 8 provides that neither party shall permit organizations on its territory that undermine the sovereignty, security, or territorial integrity of the other.
In practice, I believe this gives the Chinese Communist Party leverage over the Russian authorities, allowing it to encourage the persecution of innocent people – not only in China, but here as well.
That is why I am sitting here today.
And what, then, of our Constitution? Article 2 declares that human rights and freedoms are the highest value, and that their recognition, observance, and protection are the duty of the state.
That matters to me.
Remaining silent is not an option.
Defending people’s right to pursue moral self-improvement matters.
It is impossible to say, ‘This is happening in China – it has nothing to do with me.’
It does concern me.
I am sitting here in this courtroom.
The persecution that began in China has been exported abroad – including to Russia. Through economic, political, and other forms of influence, the Communist Party seeks to silence people like me.
Just as in China, I am now being prosecuted here for something I did not do. A crime has been invented where none exists. The complete absence of evidence is itself proof of that.
It pains me deeply that instead of protecting me from this campaign of persecution and helping expose torture, killings, and allegations of forced organ harvesting in China, my own country has become an instrument of the Communist Party and now persecutes its own citizens.
Although Jiang Zemin is dead, his directive lives on.
Now it is being carried out here.
‘Bankrupt them financially.’
How much money have my loved ones spent while I have been unable to work and remain imprisoned? This absurd case has placed an enormous burden upon them.
‘Ruin their reputation.’
After my arrest, media outlets across Russia proclaimed that the leader of a ‘totalitarian sect’ had been detained in Moscow. Headlines accused Falun Gong practitioners of threatening national security, organizing ‘color revolutions,’ working for the US State Department, and many other absurdities.
People, what are you doing? You are journalists.
Did no one verify the facts? Did no one stop to think? The source for all these allegations was law enforcement. Without a single piece of evidence.
How is that acceptable? ‘Destroy them physically.’
Is that the next step? Is that what Russian justice is expected to do? Become a second Communist Party?
Today I stand before this Court while my friends face criminal prosecution in other Russian cities simply because we speak openly about the persecution of Falun Gong. The Communist Party fears that truth. And here in Russia, through the hands of investigators, prosecutors, and security officers, it carries out its work. The work of destroying morality. The work of putting conscience to sleep. The work of turning good people into… There is a principle in the universe: good is rewarded with good, and evil ultimately brings its own consequences.Whether we believe in it or not, that principle still exists. Prison is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. Far worse is losing yourself by refusing to act according to your conscience. I will conclude with this. Through Falun Gong, I too came to believe in the divine.
I sincerely believe that Gods, Buddhas, and enlightened beings exist. And I know that it makes no difference to them how we justify our wrongdoing.They look only at the human heart.
Only our hearts have value.
Or they do not.
That is all.
23 July 2025.
Tushinsky District Court, Moscow, Russia.
Source: Natalia Minenkova’s support group.
More information: ‘Memorial‘.
Photo: Natalia Minenkova’s support group.