Italy did join Belt and Road, but Xi’s visit to Italy was not as smooth and successful as some claimed.
Massimo Introvigne
Universal Periodic Review of China: NGOs Strike Back
In the debate about the very soft UPR report, NGOs say they are not happy. Some insist on religious persecution.
Universal Periodic Review of China: A Disappointing Document
The troika including Saudi Arabia, Kenya, and Hungary delivers a document that simply lists the opinion of different countries on human rights in China, without taking any position.
U.S., China Clash on Human Rights Report
Annual U.S. Report on Human Rights singles out China as worst violator, denounces torture against Uyghurs, Falun Gong and The Church of Almighty God.
Xi Jinping and Winnie the Pooh: The Story That Doesn’t Go Away
A popular Taiwanese video game was banned in China because of another joke about Xi Jinping looking like Winnie the Pooh.
Ministerial for Religious Freedom in Taiwan: “End Persecution in China”
As a follow-up to the 2018 Washington DC Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, an event inaugurated by Taiwan’s President denounces persecution in China.
Kazakhstan Arrests Activist Who Exposed Atrocities in Xinjiang
Serikzhan Bilash, the leader of the NGO Atajurt, denounced the mistreatment and torture of 10,000 ethnic Kazakhs in the “transformation through education” camps.
Catholic Church Suspends Pro-CCP Priest
A priest in Hebei who urged Chinese Communist Party to arrest his (underground) bishop was punished by his diocese with the approval of the Holy See.
The Church of Almighty God’s Refugees in Japan: A Statement at the United Nations
No refugee of The Church of Almighty God has been granted asylum in Japan, a country with a very restrictive policy on refugees in general. The situation has been discussed at the United Nations
The Drama of Kazakh Muslims in China: Imprisoned, Tortured, Silenced
Kazakhstan is becoming the epicenter of a dramatic confrontation between Muslim activists, human rights defenders, and Chinese blackmail-style diplomacy.
Massimo Introvigne
Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955 in Rome) is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press' Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the "Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions" of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.