A state-run organisation responsible for monitoring human rights has issued a statement calling on the Icelandic government to publicly apologise and pay damages to Falun Gong practitioners who were mistreated last June in connection with the visit of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin to Iceland.

The Icelandic agency, Persónuvernd, has determined that the Ministry of Justice did not have permission to disclose the names of alleged Falun Gong followers to Icelandair and Icelandic embassies, and that the government’s actions surrounding Zemin’s visit to Iceland were shameful.

After receiving the ‘black list’ of names, Icelandair and certain Icelandic embassies took action to keep those mentioned on the list from coming to Iceland. In total, roughly 205 alleged practitioners of Falun Gong were not admitted to Iceland during the Chinese President’s visit, while 49 practitioners who had already arrived in Iceland were detained, and three alleged practitioners deported.

“The actions taken by the government were sad and not befitting of a democratic state,” said the statement released by Persónuvernd.