For the past two years, Chinese followers of Falun Gong, a self-improvement practice, say they have been stripped of their human rights.

Falun Gong, or Falun Dafa, is said to improve the body, mind and spirit through exercise, meditation and teachings. Based on the traditional Chinese principles of truthfulness, benevolence and tolerance, it includes five sets of gentle exercises. 
First introduced to the public by spiritual leader Li Hongzhi, on May 13, 1

992, Falun Gong was initially endorsed by the Chinese government because of the health benefits it brought to practitioners. But the unexpected increase in followers in a short time, and the view that those followers were politically motivated, prompted the Communist Party to classify Falun Gong a cult. 

On July 24, 1996, distribution of all Falun Gong publications was banned. In 1999, Chinese President Jiang Zemin issued a ban on Falun Gong itself.
But that hasn’t stopped the practitioners in China or other countries. In fact, Falun Gong’s mix of meditation and exercise can be found in the parks and front yards around Kent.

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On Sept. 15, Falun Gong practitioners meditate on a bright, sunny morning in Kent before they march on to Hudson. From Aug. 29 to Sept. 17, Ohio practitioners passed through 52 cities, starting in Cincinnati and ending in Cleveland, as part of the SOS! Walk For Justice to spread the principles of Falun Gong and raise awareness of the persecution and torture of practitioners in China.