Mass Arrests in Tibet a Stark Contradiction to China’s Religious Freedom Claims
On Christmas Day, December 25, 2024, Chinese authorities escalated their campaign against religious freedom by arresting and charging 10 Christians from the house church “All Ranges Church” in Tibet. This latest crackdown starkly highlights the hypocrisy of the Chinese government, which claims to uphold constitutional guarantees of religious freedom while systematically targeting independent faith groups.
The arrests occurred in the Bayi District of Nyingchi City, Tibet, where the accused were charged under Article 300 of China’s Criminal Law for “sabotaging the enforcement of laws by organizing and utilizing cult organizations.” This controversial provision has been repeatedly used to suppress religious communities that operate outside state-approved systems. The detained individuals are Yao Xilin, Zhang Wei, Ren Xiaoyun, Wang Haiying, Li Chunjie, Qin Chenglan, Li Xiaolin, Xiao Mingzhi, Wang Ying, and Li Yan — they include church leaders, youth ministers, and members.
Authorities allege they revived the outlawed “All Ranges Church” in Tibet, held meetings, and used platforms like Zoom and WeChat to conduct prayer services, labeling these actions as threats to national order. “The timing of these arrests on Christmas Day underscores the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) blatant disregard for the significance of religious observances and its ongoing hostility toward Christians,” said a ChinaAid spokesperson. Despite China’s claims of protecting religious freedom under its constitution, it consistently persecutes faith groups that reject state oversight.
The “All Ranges Church,” founded in 1984 by Pastor Xu Yongze, has been a frequent target since being labeled a “cult organization” in 1995. The church’s refusal to join the state-sanctioned “Three-Self” Patriotic Movement has made it a focal point of government suppression, with members often detained, forced to confess, and subjected to harsh sentencing. Church documents, including “Basic Church Building Proposal” and “Cross Salvation,” were deemed evidence of illegal activity. Such actions expose the CCP’s contradictory stance: while officially guaranteeing freedom of thought and belief, the government criminalizes peaceful religious practices.
This is not an isolated incident. Similar crackdowns on “All Ranges Church” members in Ningxia and Hubei provinces in recent years have followed the same pattern, with forced confessions and convictions. Observers warn that the CCP is now employing the same suppression tactics in Tibet.
Dr. Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, condemned these actions:
“The CCP Xi Jinping government’s recent large-scale arrests and prosecutions of orthodox house churches in Tibet and Northwest China is purely religious persecution and also a sign of increasingly severe religious persecution throughout Tibet. These arrested church leaders and Christians are innocent, and their prosecuted actions fully comply with religious freedom practices protected by the Chinese Constitution and international law. We strongly call on the international community to unite in pressuring the CCP to stop persecution and release these detained church leaders.”
Website: chinaaid.org
(SOURCE: ChinaAid)
