Human Rights and Religious Freedom Issues in the People's Republic of China

The People's Republic of China is an authoritarian state in which the Chinese Communist Party is the paramount authority. Communist Party members hold almost all top government and security apparatus positions. Government officials and the security services often committed human rights abuses with impunity. Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: arbitrary or unlawful killings by the government; forced disappearances by the government; torture by the government; harsh and life-threatening prison and detention conditions; arbitrary arrest and detention by the government and child labor. The constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC), which cites the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), states that citizens 'enjoy freedom of religious belief' but limits protections for religious practice to 'normal religious activities,' without defining 'normal.' The government recognizes five official religions: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Protestantism, and Catholicism. Only religious groups belonging to one of the five state-sanctioned 'patriotic religious associations' representing these religions are permitted to register with the government and are officially permitted to hold worship services.