Imprisonment, Forced Disappearance, Torture – Tools China uses to Persecute Religious Leaders

Imprisonment, Forced Disappearance, Torture - Tools China uses to Persecute Religious Leaders

Washington, DC - The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released the following report:

China's Persecution of Religious Leaders - Religious leaders in China-both independent and state-sanctioned-endure egregious religious freedom conditions. Religious leaders must conform to the Chinese Communist Party's political ideology and submit to the state's intrusive system of control in order to legally engage in religious activities. Those who refuse to do so face severe punishments, including surveillance, fines, retribution against family members, detention, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, and other forms of mistreatment and abuse. This factsheet provides an overview of the Chinese government's persecution of religious leaders and highlights recent cases.

In its 2025 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a "Country of Particular Concern," or CPC, for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. In September 2024, USCIRF released a report on China's "sinicization of religion" policy.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected]