BITTER WINTER

China

Government Treats “Generalization of Halal” as Extremism

Government Treats “Generalization of Halal” as Extremism

In acts that remind of the Cultural Revolution era style policing, the Chinese Communist authorities have intensified their attack on Islam. “Halal” is a term that is usually applied to food and drinks and defines what is permissible or traditional as per Islamic...

Government Shuts Down Home for Orphans in Henan

Government Shuts Down Home for Orphans in Henan

The authorities closed down a charitable institution for children because it was established and run by Christians from abroad. Last month, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities shut down the Xinmi Welfare Home, House of Mercy, a home for orphans in Xinmi city...

Believers Persecuted for Possession of Religious Books

Believers Persecuted for Possession of Religious Books

Since the end of March, the Chinese authorities have forbidden the sales of the Bible online and restricted the distribution of religious literature, closing down numerous sellers. Individuals who ordered religious texts have also been apprehended and monitored. On...

Family of Arrested Believer Not Allowed to See Her

Family of Arrested Believer Not Allowed to See Her

A believer in Almighty God was detained in May, and her family has not been able to visit her or even get any information on her whereabouts. As Bitter Winter reported earlier, over 100 members of The Church of Almighty God, a Chinese Christian new religious movement,...

Christian Students at Universities Persecuted by the CCP

Christian Students at Universities Persecuted by the CCP

The CCP targets Christian students at universities in Shaanxi, Liaoning, and Jiangxi Provinces. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) firmly believes in controlling the spread of religious faith at the university level, as young students tend to play pivotal roles in...

Persecuted for Religious Faith, Family Torn Apart

Persecuted for Religious Faith, Family Torn Apart

Members of a Christian family in the Anhui Province have been separated due to CCP sanctioned persecution. On August 25, 2015, three police officers lured Chen Xiulan (pseudonym) who was an active member in a local house church to the station under the pretext of...

Police Use Deceit to Send Xinjiang Muslims Into Camps

Police Use Deceit to Send Xinjiang Muslims Into Camps

An inside source revealed to Bitter Winter how officers from Ulan-Usu town of Shawan county use false pretexts to lure Muslims into the police station, later locking them up in a local “transformation through education” camp. One evening at the end of March this year,...

Family of Believers Detained During Ambush

Family of Believers Detained During Ambush

A family of three who are all members of The Church of Almighty God were detained during the “Operation Thunder” in Liaoning’s Dandong city. As Bitter Winter reported earlier, on June 26-28, a full-scale “Operation Thunder” was implemented in Liaoning Province,...

House Church Coworker Sentenced for Believing in Xie Jiao

House Church Coworker Sentenced for Believing in Xie Jiao

A believer was arrested in 2015 and sentenced to two years in jail for believing in a heterodox religious movement. Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code states that “using” a xie jiao (heterodox teachings) is a crime punishable with jail penalties from three to...