BITTER WINTER

Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

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LATEST ARTICLES

An African Detective Story: Who Killed Bishop Osório Citora Afonso?

A murder in Mozambique raised embarrassing questions for the government and for the Catholic Church itself

Hunting “Teacher Li”: Italy Finds Beijing’s Transnational Repression in Milan

Ten suspects, including leaders of two Fujianese associations, allegedly tracked and stalked a dissident influencer on behalf of the Chinese police.

Atheists Behind the Trafficking Anti-Religious Crusade? The R-1 Visa Lawsuit

A FOIA complaint against USCIS shows secularist activists eager to recast foreign priests, nuns, and temple volunteers as potential slaves—OneTaste style.

The Fifth Plenum: Fewer Chairs, More Rules for CCP Members

Beijing’s autumn gathering of the Central Committee promised cadres tighter discipline, endless study sessions, and lifelong scrutiny, while purges emptied a quarter of the seats.

A Defendant Who Was Not Even in the Country: The AROPL Case Gains a New Absurd Chapter

A man accused of crimes committed in Crewe at a time when he had never set foot in the United Kingdom exposes an ill-conceived police operation

“The Quiet State”: Unveiling China’s Subtle Control in Tibet 

Robert Barnett’s book unveils new ways invented by the regime to control Tibetans, particularly nuns and monks.

Deprogramming Returns: The Korea-Japan-China Axis of Evil in Action

Recent abductions of Shincheonji devotees and an agreement signed in a Tokyo law office suggest that a criminal practice may be revived.

Shunning, Subsidies, and the Secular State: Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Courts of Norway and Sweden

Scandinavian media and politicians targeted a minority’s internal discipline, but judges in Oslo and Stockholm demanded evidence and found none.

Xi Jinping’s War on Humor: Taiwanese Comedian Hit for a Joke

A staged car crash in Taiwan shows how far Beijing goes to punish laughter and how fragile the ruler’s public image has become.

Former Ragya Abbot Sentenced to Five Years

Lobsang Tenpa had already spent months in custody in 2025. He was accused of encouraging devotees to pray for the Dalai Lama.

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