The annual report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported a rise in Chinese persecution of Christians in Hong Kong.
This occurs mainly after the approval of the new National Security Law by the local parliament, which is strongly influenced by the communist dictatorship in Beijing.
The legislation severely restricts freedom of expression, association, assembly and the press, which directly affects religious people residing in the semi-autonomous territory.
In addition to the general rules that affect the entire population, some articles are specifically aimed at the surveillance of religious people. One of them, for example article 23, obliges Catholic leaders to reveal secrets from the confessional that, according to the authorities, can help identify dissidents.
If they disobey the legislation, priests can face a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.
In the report, Hong Kong’s situation regarding religious freedom is classified as “worrying”. The new policy influenced by China has led many churches and religious groups to self-censor to avoid retaliation from the local government or the Chinese regime.
A Protestant pastor, Garry Pang Moon-yuen, was the first Hong Kong cleric to be convicted under the recent National Security Law. He was arrested in 2022, a period in which Beijing had already presented rules for greater control of the territory. The leader was later accused of “seditious preaching”.
The latest USCIRF report highlights that in 2023, conditions for religious freedom in China have deteriorated. The dictatorship intensified its policy of “Sinicization of religion”, demanding that all major religious groups obey the Chinese Communist Party and its ideology.
Persecution of Protestant house churches also increased. According to USCIRF, the communist regime continued its nationwide crackdown on house churches, arresting, imprisoning, and sentencing independent Protestants on charges of “security threats.” According to the survey, Beijing tortured Christians detained in detention centers and secret prisons.
Another recent report from the British and Foreign Bible Society reported that thousands of Hong Kong Christians have fled to the United Kingdom in the face of increasing persecution in recent years, establishing around 30 new churches in the country. Hong Kong became a British colony in 1842 and was returned to China in 1997.
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