Religious repression in China has worsened in the past three years, despite China's increasing economic and diplomatic engagement with other countries, says a religious freedom watchdog organization.
Religious repression in China has worsened in the past three years, despite China’s increasing economic and diplomatic engagement with other countries, says a religious freedom watchdog organization.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom released its China report February 13, citing an increase in arrests of religious leaders, and the systematic persecution of unregistered religious groups. The commission, an independent organization that advises the U.S. government on religious freedom issues, noted in particular the recent arrests of thousands of Falun Gong members, who practice a form of meditation.
John Graz, public affairs and religious liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist world church, attended the meeting marking the release of the report, and he says it’s time for the international community to rethink its approach to the human rights situation in China.
“The entry of China into the World Trade Organization, and China’s successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics, led many people to predict the gradual easing of some of these civil rights abuses,” says Graz. “But this expectation has not been borne out in reality. China’s internal policy remains undisturbed. Religious groups that choose to operate outside the government’s system of religious registration continue to face harsh government action.”
Christian minorities are not the only groups that experience persecution, notes Graz. Many Islamic and Buddhist groups, along with any organization the government labels a “cult,” have also felt the force of the government’s recent crackdown.
“In general, any religion that is not registered—that is not under government control—is viewed as a potential enemy to the unity of the nation,” says Graz. While this is China’s national policy, he adds, the country’s immense size means that in practice the level of state interference with religious activities may vary on a province-by-province basis.
Papers published last week, believed to be official documents of the Chinese state, also lend support to the U.S. commission’s conclusions that the human rights situation in China has deteriorated. The documents were made public by a group known as the Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China. They outline China’s widespread campaign against unregistered religious groups—a campaign that includes arrest, torture and state-sanctioned killings.
