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The former bishop of Hong Kong, Cardinal Joseph Zen, was reportedly arrested on 11 May and released on bail after being questioned for a number of hours. The Vatican stated that it was following developments “with extreme attention” in a statement issued on the same day.

Independent house church leader Pastor Hao Zhiwei has been sentenced to eight years on ‘fraud’ charges by the authorities in Ezhou in China’s central Hubei province. At least ten leaders and co-workers from four unregistered Protestant churches were arrested in 2021 and are facing similar charges.

Authorities in Guiyang, in China’s southwestern Guizhou province, appear to have charged church elder Zhang Chunlei with an additional charge of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ on top of the charge of fraud he is already facing.

The pro-Beijing newspaper Tai Kung Pao, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Hong Kong, has issued articles criticising “Western” religions and Falun Gong, and attacking religious leaders and teachers for inciting people to participate in demonstrations.

Over 240 human rights organisations have called for action on human rights in China ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics, scheduled to take place from 4 to 20 February. In a statement issued at 12am (GMT) on 28 January, signatories, including CSW, stated that the 2022 Olympics will open “amid atrocity crimes and other…

An award-winning artist was sentenced to eight years in prison for reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic and practising Falun Gong  by a court in Beijing, China, on 16 January 2022. Chinese human rights site Weiquanwang (Rights Defense Network) reports that Xu Na was also fined 20,000 yuan (approximately £2,300 GBP). Xu Na…

Further strict regulations concerning the sharing of religious content online, due to take effect on 1 March 2022, were published by the Chinese government in December 2021, amid ongoing violations against religious communities over the Christmas and New Year period in China. The new Measures for the Administration of Internet…

The UK Tribunal to Investigate Chinas Alleged Genocide and Crimes against Humanity against Uyghur, Kazakh and other Turkic Muslim Populations published its final judgement on 9 December. It concluded that the Chinese state is responsible for genocide, torture and crimes against humanity against Uyghur, Kazakh and other ethnic minority citizens…

CSW welcomes the announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics by the United States, on account of widespread human rights violations perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In a statement issued on 6 December White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US could not…

A Christian couple in China have each been sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of RMB 250,000 (approximately £29,240) for “illegal business operations,” after their appeals were rejected. According to the Chinese human rights site Weiquanwang, Chang Yuchun and Li Chenhui, from Shaanxi province, lost their appeal…