According to Apple Daily, a Hong Kong based newspaper, the U.S. State Department published its annual global human rights report on March 4, 2002, criticizing China's persecution of Falun Gong and their violations of human rights on other issues. The report criticizes China's ban of Falun Gong and points out that thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been sent to forced labor camps and that some of them have died because of the maltreatment. The U.S. State Department also condemns Beijing for labeling some nonofficial religious organizations as cults for the convenience of persecution.