People's Republic of China: Religious repression in China

There has been a substantial religious revival in China over the past 15 years. Government officials have stated that "hundreds of millions" of people are followers of the five officially recognized religions in China, Buddhism, Daoism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism. Many religious believers belong to groups which are not recognized by the authorities, whose members are periodically harassed or detained, and some of their leaders imprisoned. The implementation of national and local regulations on religious activities in China has resulted in severe restrictions on peaceful religious activities and in the persecution of members of independent religious groups. Recent crackdowns in the Tibet and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions appear to be aimed at restricting religious activities which are seen by the authorities to "undermine national unity and social stability", resulting in the arbitrary detention of people for the peaceful exercise of their right to freedom of religion. This report describes some such cases and incidents of harassment. The cases cited represent just a few of those known to Amnesty International. Further information about individuals detained or harassed for their peaceful religious activities can be found in "China: Repression in the 1990s, a directory of victims" (AI Index: ASA 17/48/96, May 1996). "Freedom of religious belief is not 'freedom for religion" The Xinjiang Daily,18 May 1996