Concurrently, while economic ties between the Russian government and the Chinese Communist Party have grown, so has the Russian Federal Migration Service’s discrimination against Falun Gong practitioners.

2005

Li Zhihe (male), Zhang Guirong (female), Li Cheng (male), Moscow
A family of three. They were granted United Nations (UN) refugee. However, the Russian Federal Migration Service (FMS) denied them refugee status, and they were forced to leave Russia. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) helped them to relocate to Sweden.

2006

Sun Lezhi (male), Moscow
He is the head of the Falun Dafa Association of Russia, and he lived and was employed in Russia for 17 years. Despite this, without explanation, the Russian FMS refused to extend his stay and mandated that he leave Russia by October 19th of that year. The United States accepted him as a refugee and later granted him permanent residency.

Yang Jianmin (male) Qi Yan (female), Moscow
Husband and wife. They were granted UN refugee. The FMS denied them refugee status, and they were forced to leave. The UNHCR helped them to relocate to the United States, where they now are permanent residents.

2007

Ma Hui (female), Li Jing (female), St. Petersburg
Mother and daughter. They were granted refugee status by the UN. The FMS denied them refugee status. They were forcibly taken from their apartment and deported to China, where they have been subjected to persecution.

Gao Chunman (male), St. Petersburg
He received UN refugee status. The FMS denied him refugee status. Despite that his wife is a Russian citizen, he was still deported to China, where he was subjected to persecution. He died in China in 2011 as a result of the persecution.

Li Chenguang (male), St. Petersburg
He is a member of the Falun Dafa Association of Russia. After the FMS deported his wife and daughter (Ma Hui and Li Jing) back to China, the UNHCR helped him to relocate to Sweden, where he received permanent residency.

Liu Mingting (female), Moscow
Wife of Sun Lezhi. She received refugee status from the UN. The FMS refused to grant her refugee status, and she was forced to leave Russia. The UNHCR helped her to immigrate to the United States, where she is now a permanent resident.

Yu Hong (female), Moscow
She received UN refugee status, but the FMS did not grant her refugee status, and she was forced to leave. The UNHCR helped her to relocate to Norway, where she is now a permanent resident.

Wu Xin (female) and Yan Yan(female), Moscow
Mother and daughter. They Received UN refugee status, but the FMS did not grant them refugee status, and they were forced to leave Russia. The UNHCR helped them to relocate to Norway, where they are now permanent residents.

2009

Li Hong (female), Moscow
Falun Gong practitioner. She received UN refugee status. The FMS did not grant her refugee status in Russia. She had been living in impoverished conditions and died in Moscow in 2009.

2010

Sun Fengwu (male), Zhang Yuqin (female) Songsong (male), Moscow
A family. They were granted UN refugee status. The FMS denied them refugee status, and they were forced to leave Russia. The UNHCR helped them to go to the United States.

Xu Tingze (male), Moscow
He had a Russian passport and all documents necessary to live and work in Russia. In 2010, he went to Malaysia on a business trip. Upon returning to the Moscow airport, he was denied entry back into Russia. Guards told him he was on a blacklist. After two days of waiting in the airport, he was forced to fly to Hong Kong, leaving his business in Moscow. He then went to Malaysia.

Xu Shaofei (male), Tomsk
He had a Russian passport and all documents necessary to live and work in Russia. However, Russian government agents privately told him to leave Russia. He currently works in Canada.

March 2011

Kuang Shiming (male), Moscow
He received UN refugee status. The FMS did not grant him refugee status, and he was forced to leave Russia. The UNHCR helped him to immigrate to the United States.

January 2012

Xie Xiaomu (male), St. Petersburg
A member of the Falun Dafa Association of Russia. St. Petersburg FMS told Xie Xiaomu that his temporary residency permit was revoked. His wife and two children are Russian citizens. In March he was forced to leave, and he went to the United States.