Municipal governments are following in the steps of authorities in other provinces to discriminate against students who hold religious beliefs.
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News
Henan Authorities Assault Buddhist Sites
Two giant Buddha statues were demolished in September, despite the attempts by local believers to protect them.
Anti-Gang Campaign Targeting Believers in Full Swing
Cities and villages across Shanxi are implementing special measures as part of the nation-wide “struggle to clean up gang crime and eliminate evil.” Promoted as a campaign against organized crime, it is yet one more of President Xi’s initiatives targeting religious groups and churches in China.
Lao-Tzu Statue Demolished in Henan
In the wake of Communist Party’s quest for complete eradication of religious belief, the Chinese authorities are attacking the country’s ancient Taoist religion.
Testimonies
Harassed and Robbed by Authorities
Local officials in Henan’s Yongcheng city raided two state-approved churches and confiscated their offering money. One of the churches was permanently closed down, and all their belongings were seized, leaving the congregation with nothing.
Owners of Destroyed Factories Punished for Seeking Justice
Last year, Fujian authorities forcibly shut down and demolished some factories on the pretext of “combating pollution.” The owners were denied compensation and illegally detained while fighting for their rights.
Zhejiang Resident Driven out of Home by Intimidation
Taizhou city authorities sought to expropriate the land and forced protesting villagers to give up their property by threatening to implicate their family members.
Believer Dies in Detention Under Suspicious Circumstances
A member of The Church of Almighty God from Hubei Province was arrested in September and died almost a month later. The family of the deceased suspect foul play on behalf of authorities, which may have caused her death.
Weekly Feature
Shen Yun: the Show the CCP Loves to Hate
Five different companies continuously bring classical Chinese dance and music to 155 cities around the world. Shen Yun has been founded and is managed by Falun Gong practitioners, and the CCP has repeatedly tried to prevent theaters in the West from hosting it.
Articles
China’s Desperate Attempts to Hide the Genocide that Drives its Transplant Industry
China announced in 2015 that it will end its decade-long policy of harvesting organs from executed prisoners for its booming transplant industry. Figures, however, indicate that prisoners of conscience are still victims of this barbarous practice.
Rights’ Activists Tried and Sentenced as Criminals
An activist fighting for the rights of villagers in Fujian was recently sentenced to 11 years in prison. Bitter Winter looks back at the events that have led to the arrest of Li Xinlin and six others whose trial has been disguised by the Chinese authorities as the “fight against organized crime.”
Interviews
The List of the Xie Jiao, a Main Tool of Religious Persecution
Hong Kong scholar Edward Irons explains the historical roots of the proscription of certain groups as xie jiao (heterodox teachings), and how being on the list of the xie jiao means being a main target for persecution.
Anti-Refugees “Demonstrations” in South Korea: The Real Story
On September 2–4, 2018, Austrian journalist Peter Zoehrer was an eyewitness to false “spontaneous demonstrations” staged by the CCP and Korean anti-cultists against asylum seekers of The Church of Almighty God in Seoul. He tells the whole story to Bitter Winter.
Documents
The Persecution of The Church of Almighty God Continues in China (Video)
As a commentary to our coverage of the recent crackdown on The Church of Almighty God, we publish the text and the video of the speech by a representative of that Church at the rally in Geneva on November 6, 2018 during the Universal Periodic Review of China.
Partners in Crime: North Korea Urges China to “Continue to Fight Against Cults”
We publish the statement by North Korea at China’s Universal Periodic Review in Geneva. Defying ridicule, the country rivaling China for the worst human rights record in the world praises the Chinese government for its “promotion and protection of human rights” and its fight against “cults”.
