High-profile prisoner of conscience Gong Piqi allegedly died of a “sudden brain hemorrhage,” but his body had telltale signs of torture.
Death of a Colonel: Falun Gong Military Man Dies of “Natural Causes” in Detention
China: National Security Education Day Focused on Fighting Illegal Religion
On April 15, Chinese were called to support repression of banned religions, including Falun Gong, The Church of Almighty God, and the Association of Disciples
Grid System Used to Target “Illegal” Religion
The Orwellian system of dividing China into 100×100 meter grids for surveillance now includes grid officers in charge of hunting members of banned religious groups.
News From the World
Pakistan: Another Ahmadi Mosque Attacked
A mob demolished the minarets and mihrab of the building in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan. Again, the police sided with the thugs.
Costa Rica: Religion-Based Conscientious Objection to Taking Oaths Denied
A hairdresser refused to submit a sworn declaration about the health inspection of his shop, claiming swearing is against the Bible.
EU Draft Regulation Against Terrorist Content Online: Dangerous for Religious Freedom?
Leading NGOs believe the proposed rules would encourage Internet giants to discriminate against free speech and “marginalized religious communities.”
Testimonies From China
Rural Settlements Ordered to Intensify Crackdown on Religion
In order to qualify as “Beautiful Villages,” they should report that illegal (and preferably also legal) religious activity has been eradicated.
Bloody Holy Spirit Members Sentenced in Jiangxi
Bloody Holy Spirit: devotees from the Ji’an area of the Taiwan-based religious movement received jail terms up to 4 years and six months.
The Sad Story of Uyghur Soccer Proves China Unfit to Host Olympics
Uyghurs love soccer, but Chinese authorities do not love Uyghur players and supporters. Their discrimination is another argument for an Olympic boycott.
Testimonies From the World
“Protest, Conscience, and Human Rights” Discussed in a Webinar
CESNUR’s and HRWF’s webinar on the questions raised by the Tai Ji Men case in Taiwan honored the International Day of Conscience.
Operation North: When Stalin Deported the Jehovah’s Witnesses
Seventy years ago, 9,793 believers were taken from their homes in Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and sent to Siberia.
Monsignor Óscar Romero: His Lesson for Freedom of Religion or Belief
A speech at the webinar “The Right to Truth on Human Rights Violations: The Tai Ji Men Case in Comparative Perspective” held on March 24, 2021.
Interviews
Scientology, Anti-Cultists, and Scholars: An Interview with Bernadette Rigal-Cellard
The internationally well-known French scholar tells Bitter Winter how she decided to study both the Church of Scientology and the “irrational hatred” targeting it.
Op-eds China
China’s Scholars Thorn Between Self-Censorship and Beijing’s Ostracism
Those who tell the truth are sanctioned by the CCP. Those still allowed to visit China and attend events there are asked to stop telling the truth.
Featured China
Party History Study: Xi Jinping’s Main Campaign in 2021
All Chinese are mobilized. But “history,” Xi explains, in a Marxist context, has not the same meaning it has in a bourgeois academia.
Op-eds International
More Money to MIVILUDES: The French “Mind Police” Is Back
The governmental anti-cult mission that his former member, sociologist Olivier Bobineau, denounced as a “police des esprits” will receive € 1 million per year.
Featured International
Taxes and Religious Minorities in Italy and Taiwan: A Comparison
Repressing movements labeled as “cults,” including through a misuse of taxes, and denying tax justice also happens in Italy. But more remedies exist there.
Documents
A White Paper on the New French Law: “Laïcité, How to Preserve It”
Book in free download.
Benedict Rogers’ Christmas Letters to Xi Jinping and His Victims
A noted British human rights and religious liberty activist has 12 demands for the CCP leaders.
New Rules Regarding Foreign Religious Activities in China
Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Provisions on the Administration of Foreign Religious Activities in the People’s Republic of China (Revised Draft)
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