The Persecution of Unorthodox Religious Groups in China:
A Report

In 2020, Dui Hua received a grant to produce a report on the persecution of unorthodox religions in China. The objective of the project was to provide analysis and actionable information that would enable more effective interventions on behalf of practitioners of unorthodox religious groups who face coercive measures under Article 300.
Noting the extensive historical context informing the Chinese government’s approach to religious groups, especially those not sanctioned by the state, Dui Hua found that the 1997 revision to the criminal law placed “cult” trials into the purview of district courts, resulting in less transparency and attention for such cases. By 1999, trials of Article 300 cases—for those accused of organizing and using superstitious sects, secret societies, and religious organizations to undermine the law—soared, largely due to the ban on Falun Gong.
Using legal documents, media reports, case studies, official publications, Chinese government responses to requests for information on persecuted prisoners, court statistics, and the Political Prisoner Database (PPDB), “The Persecution of Unorthodox Religious Groups in China” provides a comprehensive view of how non-state sanctioned religious practitioners come into conflict with the law, how officials at different levels of government criminalize unorthodox worship, and how past trends can inform future advocacy for those undergoing coercive measures for the non-violent expression of their beliefs.
The report is divided into nine sections:
- Introduction;
- Overview of unorthodox religious groups;
- Laws and regulations targeting unorthodox religious groups;
- Analysis of court statistics from 1979-2016;
- Discussion of deteriorating transparency in the disclosure of information on Article 300 cases;
- PPDB statistics and and analysis of religious persecution;
- Dui Hua’s advocacy for such prisoners through the use of prisoner lists and responses;
- Conclusion;
- Recommendations.
Read the report: The Persecution of Unorthodox Religious Groups in China [PDF 1.4 MB]
A select list of relevant Dui Hua publications on the persecution of unorthodox religious groups in China is below:
- Decoding State Security Trials, Part I: ESS Cases in Tibet Rose Sharply in 2020, Human Rights Journal (25 January 2022)
- Shincheonji Church in China Before & Through the Pandemic, Human Rights Journal (12 January 2022)
- Article 299: Criminalizing Disrespect of the National Flag, Part II, Human Rights Journal (25 October 2021)
- Mainland China Administrative Deacon Station: Leaders Receive Lengthy Sentences, Human Rights Journal (21 September 2021)
- Chinese Asylum Seekers in Bangkok, Part I, Human Rights Journal (11 August 2021)
- Resurrecting the Jesus Family, John Kamm Remembers (21 May 2021)
- Hefty Prison Sentences for Selling Audio Bibles, Human Rights Journal (17 May 2021)
- Transparency in Inciting Splittism Trials, Human Rights Journal (13 May 2021)
- The Ongoing Crackdown on Yi Guan Dao, Human Rights Journal (8 April 2021)
- Prisoner Updates 2021 #2, Section 4, “Church of Almighty God in Xuzhou” (23 February 2021)
- Dangerous Border Crossings: The Case of Cho Young-joo, Human Rights Journal (11 February 2021)
- Tablighi Jamaat and Hui Muslims, Human Rights Journal (12 January 2021)
- Detailed Court Statistics on Article 300, Part II, Human Rights Journal (4 June 2020)
- Detailed Court Statistics on Article 300, Part I, Human Rights Journal (28 May 2020)
- “Illegal Business Activity” and Christian Bookstores, Human Rights Journal (9 May 2018)
- Will a New Judicial Interpretation on Cults Lead to Greater Leniency?, Human Rights Journal (24 February 2017)
- China’s “Almighty God” Rises with Threat of Apocalypse, Human Rights Journal (17 December 2012)