Beijing [China] September 13 (ANI): The Chinese regime is continuing to use state violence and political coercion to suppress religious freedom and target human rights lawyers, according to a report by The Epoch Times (TET).
Human Rights Watch reported on September 9 that, during the first half of 2026, more than a dozen cities across China introduced measures offering rewards to citizens for reporting what authorities describe as “illegal” religious activities, as surveillance is tightened nationwide.
The TET report cited the case of Chinese lawyer Ruth Wang as a recent example of the pressure faced by legal professionals representing religious groups. Wang fled to Taiwan on September 2 after Chinese authorities allegedly threatened to shut down VDoor Law Firm, where she serves as a partner.
VDoor Law Firm represents members of Zion Church, described in the report as one of China’s largest underground churches.
Shen Ming-shih, a research fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told The Epoch Times that Wang’s decision to seek asylum during a layover in Taipei reflected what he described as the regime’s continued use of state violence and systemic methods to suppress religious freedom.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) detained Zion Church founder and pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, along with several congregants, in October 2025. According to the TET report, Jin was released in July after senior-level diplomatic talks between Washington and Beijing.
However, Shen said Jin’s release should not be interpreted as a sign of an improving religious environment in China, arguing that the broader crackdown also affects lawyers defending religious organizations.
“Beijing’s strategy is to eliminate their legal counsel, leaving all religious organizations completely isolated and entirely without a voice,” Shen said, according to TET.
China officially recognizes five religions, Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism and Taoism, through what are known as “patriotic religious associations.” However, Vicky Hartzler, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, said during a hearing in October 2025 that China “severely restricts religious groups and micromanages their affairs,” as cited by TET.
Tseng Chien-yuan, an adjunct associate professor at Taiwan’s National Central University, said Beijing permits only state-sanctioned churches while aggressively promoting its policy of “Sinicization.”
According to Tseng, the policy involves rewriting religious texts such as the Bible and Quran and interfering with religious practices while demanding complete loyalty from religious groups.
“Their forced veneration of the communist regime and Chinese leader Xi Jinping operates exactly like a religion, with Xi acting as the supreme leader,” Tseng told The Epoch Times.
Tseng also said the pressure against Wang and her law firm bypassed normal legal procedures.
“By directly pressuring the firm to dissolve, the regime is applying raw political coercion against the profession,” he said, according to the TET report.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, the government agency responsible for handling cross-strait affairs, said it has established procedures for dealing with such cases. However, Taiwan does not have a formal asylum system, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, as cited by TET. (ANI)
China uses state violence, political coercion to suppress religious freedom and target human rights lawyers
