CCP Deploys Drones in Systematic Persecution of Falun Gong Practitioners
Recent Case in Dalian Highlights Ongoing Drone Surveillance
According to Minghui.org, 72-year-old Falun Gong practitioner Wang Ruiping from Dalian City, Liaoning Province, was kidnapped by police from the Zhongshan District Domestic Security Division. She was released on bail at the end of May 2026 due to health issues after a physical examination revealed high blood pressure (178) and heart discomfort. However, police continued to fabricate charges against her and sent a drone to film inside her home through the window for monitoring purposes. A surveillance camera had already been installed at her door. When she questioned the police, no one admitted responsibility. Prior to her release, around 3 p.m. on May 30, 2026, over ten officers raided her home, confiscating Falun Gong books, a computer, and other personal items. Two hundred yuan in cash from a red envelope also went missing.
Drones Used as "Evidence" and for Targeted Arrests
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began using drones to track and monitor Falun Gong practitioners as early as 2020. Police have employed drone-captured photos and videos as "evidence" to frame practitioners in legal cases.
In Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, the Public Security Bureau established a dedicated Drone Investigation Brigade in April 2026 specifically to monitor Falun Gong practitioners. Among six practitioners kidnapped by the Xinxing District Public Security Bureau in January 2026, some "evidence" came from drone tracking, surveillance, secret photography, and recording. For instance, 72-year-old Yang Shuguang and his 69-year-old wife Wang Qingrong, along with others, were photographed together by drone and faced intensified persecution based on that footage.
In November 2025, in Xinzhou District, police used a drone to film Zhang Huiqiong hanging laundry before jointly raiding the home of Zhang Linhua and his daughter Zhang Huiqiong. Over ten officers from multiple agencies broke in without warrants, confiscated Falun Gong materials, a computer, and an electric vehicle. The father was released at midnight, but drones were used to monitor the courtyard to prevent escape.
Drones Deployed During COVID and for Blocking Truthful Media
During the early 2020 COVID-19 outbreak and "dynamic zero-COVID" policy, the CCP integrated drones with big data and AI for strict lockdown enforcement. Drones featured real-time audio-video transmission, facial recognition, and loudspeakers for warnings, becoming a key tool for "stability maintenance."
In Xianning City, Hubei Province, starting in 2023, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee and the "610 Office" (an extralegal agency especially created to persecute Falun Gong) used drones to search for satellite dishes receiving New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV) programs, which expose CCP crimes. Once located, crews stole the dishes without notifying residents.
In Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, on May 9, 2022, Falun Gong practitioner Zhang Ping (born 1969), a former securities department employee, was tracked by drone while distributing truth-clarifying materials on the street. Police were waiting when she got off Bus No. 86, kidnapped her, raided her home, and subjected her to torture in detention.
In Luxian County, Luzhou City, Sichuan Province, on May 24, 2021, plainclothes officers used a drone to check if 77-year-old Yang Wenxiu was home before pressuring her to sign the "Three Statements" renouncing Falun Gong. She refused.
Broader CCP Surveillance Apparatus Targets Falun Gong
The CCP has built a comprehensive surveillance network since launching the persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999. The "Golden Shield Project," proposed in 1998 and implemented from 2003, created a massive internet firewall and network police force costing 60 billion RMB to monitor, censor, and block information, particularly Falun Gong materials.
The "Skynet Project," launched in 2011, connected over 20 million cameras nationwide with big data and facial recognition. In one case, practitioner Wang Liqun from Qingyang City, Gansu, was forced to flee after suing Jiang Zemin. His photo was entered into Skynet; he was arrested in late September 2022 after being recognized without a mask and later sentenced to 12 years.
The "Sharp Eyes Project," piloted in 2016, extends this to county, township, and village levels for total coverage. Falun Gong practitioners are prioritized as "stability maintenance" targets, leading to arrests at transportation hubs and hotels.
Additional methods include electronic trackers, phone location tracking, and social media censorship. In Xinjiang, high-definition cameras enable 360-degree monitoring with instant alerts. Former professor Si Deli in Xinyang, Henan, was fitted with an electronic monitor after release from prison. Guangzhou practitioner Li Yuanqiang had a tracker installed under his car and died under prolonged persecution in 2021. Ding Zerong in Huangchuan County, Henan, was rearrested via phone tracking in August 2025.
A June 22, 2024, investigation report by the World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG) exposed the CCP's all-encompassing surveillance system targeting Falun Gong practitioners and extending to the entire population. WOIPFG chairman Wang Zhiyuan noted that monitoring technologies developed against Falun Gong have since expanded to broader societal control.
This pattern demonstrates the CCP's determination to use every available technology—from low-tech raids to high-tech drones and AI—to suppress Falun Gong and crush any dissent.
7/11/2026
