Chinese Regime Serious Offender of Religious Freedom, US Report

The US State Department released its 13th “Annual Report on International Religious Freedom” on Tuesday. It detailed the plight of religious believers in over 200 nations. Eight among the most serious offenders were dubbed “Countries of Particular Concern.” These are countries that haven been chronic, long-term violators of religious freedom.

Of the eight, China, under the Communist Party, continues to worsen, even as new economic prosperity fills the government’s coffers. The situation for Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghur Muslims, Falun Gong practitioners, and many Christian groups remains grim. So-called “sensitive dates” lead to intensified persecution, as was seen during the Shanghai World Expo and Asian Games in 2010.

The persecution of Falun Gong again tops the list as the largest, most systematic assault on religious believers in the world today. After his official visit to China, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak, reported that two-thirds of all torture cases in China filed with his office in 2006 were Falun Gong. Hundreds of thousands languish in labor camps at any one time. According to the report, the communist regime pushes forward a campaign to “transform” adherents. Transformation involves forcing someone to give up his or her beliefs through brainwashing and torture.

The Chinese regime is an officially atheist state. On Wednesday, China slammed the US report. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said, “China is firmly opposed to the US attacking its religious rights situation by issuing reports of this nature year after year and interfering with China's internal affairs.”