Continuing religious repression in China

the long version

Despite the release of several dozen religious prisoners, the Chinese government's repression of religious freedom intensified in 1992 and 1993. The tightened control was apparently fuelled by an unprecedented growth in religious activity and a sharp rise in the number of new young adherents. The crackdown has been characterized by a change in tactics in handling violations of official religious policy. Instead of long prison sentences for violators, the Chinese government has increasingly relied on other forms of punishment, including short-term detention, prohibitive fines, destruction of personal property, surveillance, forced relocations of influential clergy, disruptions by police of religious services and meetings, arbitrary church closings, destruction of church buildings, required attendance at "political study" classes and general harassment. The report contains detailed case studies of detentions and deaths in custody and documents the restrictions that "released" religious prisoners face.