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China Human Rights and Rule of Law Update
Government Policy on Tibetan Reincarnation Leads to Expulsions, Detentions, Suicide
October 18, 2010
Summary
A series of events from May to July 2010 at Shag Rongpo, a little-known monastery located in Naqu (Nagchu) county, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), has resulted in the expulsion and apparent house arrest of the 75-year-old abbot, the detention of other monks, the sentencing of one monk to imprisonment, the expulsion and apparent sentencing of 17 monks to "public surveillance," and the suicide of a 70-year-old monk, according to reports from Tibetan organizations based in India. The events began when Chinese officials reportedly accused the abbot, who also served as the monastery's senior Buddhism teacher, of contacting the Dalai Lama about the search for the reincarnation of a Shag Ronpgo trulku！a teacher whom Tibetan Buddhists believe is one of a lineage of reincarnated teachers that can span centuries. After the May detentions, officials and People's Armed Police arrived at the monastery to conduct "patriotic education" and pressure monks to denounce the Dalai Lama and the monastery's senior teacher.
The Chinese government issued the Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas in Tibetan Buddhism (MMR, translated by International Campaign for Tibet),effective on September 1, 2007, asserting unprecedented government control over the process of searching for, identifying, seating, and educating all Tibetan Buddhist trulkus in China. This is the first incident since the measures took effect in which the Commission has observed reports of the consequences at a monastery where a senior figure attempted to reach out to a prominent Tibetan Buddhist teacher living in exile！such as the Dalai Lama！on a matter relating to the succession of a trulku. [For more information on the freedom of religion for Tibetan Buddhists in China, see the Commission's Special Topic Paper: Tibet 2008-2009.]
Events at Shag Rongpo Monastery
Based on Phayul (23 July 10, 27 July 10) and Tibetan government-in-exile (TGiE) (27 July 10) reports, the following events took place from May to July.
May 17: Five detentions. Security officials detained Abbot Dawa Khyenrab Wangchug (or Dawa), titled with the honorific "Rinpoche" and apparently regarded as a trulku, Shag Rongpo monks Ngawang Jangchub, Ngawang Thogme, and Dungphug, and layman Tashi Dondrub while the five men were in Lhasa city, the TAR capital. Authorities accused Dawa of attempting to contact the Dalai Lama about the search for a Shag Rongpo reincarnation known as Rongpo Choeje. The reports did not state the purpose of the men's visit to Lhasa or provide information about how the alleged attempted contact with the Dalai Lama took place. Article 2 of the MMR states that Tibetan Buddhist reincarnations "shall not be interfered with" by any "foreign organization or individual." The Chinese government labels the Dalai Lama a "splittist" and seeks to end his influence among Tibetans as a paramount religious leader. [For more information on the anti-Dalai Lama campaign, see the Commission's Special Topic Paper: Tibet 2008-2009.] Officials dealt with the five detainees in the following manner.- Abbot Dawa: Apparent house arrest. Stripped of all of his monastic positions, authorities forced Dawa to leave the monastery and reportedly held him "incommunicado" at his residence in an unspecified location in Naqu. Authorities banned Dawa from any contact with Shag Rongpo Monastery, and monks from any contact with Dawa.
- Monk Ngawang Thogme: Two years' imprisonment. The monastic temple-keeper detained with Dawa was reportedly sentenced for keeping photos of the Dalai Lama in his room. The reports did not provide information about the criminal charge against Ngawang Thogme, the court that sentenced him, or his place of imprisonment.
- Two monks and one layman: Released. Police released from detention after an unspecified period of time monks Ngawang Jangchub and Dungphug, and layman Tashi Dondrub.
After Dawa's detention: Intensive "patriotic education." According to the reports, approximately 50 members of "patriotic education" work teams accompanied by approximately 150 People's Armed Police arrived at Shag Rongpo. The work teams pressured monks to sign or fingerprint denunciations of the Dalai Lama and Dawa, and reportedly threatened monks with expulsion or imprisonment if they failed to comply. Phayul reported that one monk suffered a "severe breakdown" and the monastic disciplinarian became so depressed that authorities "forced" the two monks to leave the monastery.
July 17: Monks expelled, ordered to serve "public surveillance." According to the July 23 Phayul and July 27 TGiE reports, a group of 17 monks led by senior monk Ngawang Lobsang had requested "repeatedly" that officials cease the patriotic education sessions, and presented to patriotic education instructors reasons why the monks should not denounce the Dalai Lama and Dawa, and why the monastery should maintain contact with Dawa. Unspecified authorities expelled the 17 monks from the monastery and, according to the TGiE report, ordered them "to report once a week at the local government office and not to leave the place for two years." Ngawang Lobsang, named in the TGiE report, is the only monk identified so far. Based on the description of the punishment, public security officials apparently ordered the monks to serve "public surveillance" (see Criminal Law, Arts. 38-41). The provisions empower police to impose up to two years of public surveillance without judicial process (Art. 38). A person ordered to serve public surveillance must fulfill conditions that include the following requirements (Art. 39).- Obey laws and regulations and submit to "supervision" by government and public security offices;
- Forfeit rights provided under Article 35 of China's Constitution, including the freedoms of speech, press, association, and assembly unless public security officials authorize the exercise of a right;
- Report on one's activities as directed by public security officials;
- Comply with "regulations for receiving visitors" that public security officials stipulate;
- Remain within one's county-level area of residence unless public security officials grant permission to leave it.
July 20: An elderly monk allegedly commits suicide. According to the reports, 70-year-old Ngawang Gyatso committed suicide on July 20 as a result of "depression" linked to religious repression and pressure to denounce the Dalai Lama. Officials allegedly confiscated Ngawang Gyatso's suicide note and ordered Shag Rongpo monks not to discuss his death as a suicide and to support the government description of his death as "natural."
July 21: "Patriotic education" results in another detention. During a "patriotic education" session that included demands to denounce the Dalai Lama, monk Khyenrab Norbu declared that life in the monastery would be "worthless" if officials maintained the ban on contact between the monastery and senior teacher Dawa, according to the TGiE report. He reportedly threw away the keys to the monastery and said that the authorities should keep them instead. Officials detained him after he left the meeting.
The Panchen Lama Precedent: An Abbot Imprisoned For Contacting the Dalai Lama About Reincarnation
The Chinese government's dismissal as "illegal and invalid" the Dalai Lama's May 1995 recognition of Gedun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama, and the December 1995 installation of another boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, as the Panchen Lama, is an internationally recognized example of government and Communist Party intrusion into Tibetan Buddhist affairs. The government had authorized Chadrel Jampa Trinle, titled Rinpoche and the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the Panchen Lama's seat, to lead the committee searching for the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. During the search he allegedly sent the Dalai Lama a letter listing the boys identified as possible candidates (Tibet Information Network, reprinted in World Tibet Network, 23 August 01). Chinese authorities detained Chadrel Rinpoche on May 17, 1995, and nearly two years later, in April 1997, sentenced him to six years' imprisonment for counterrevolution and disclosing state secrets to "separatist forces abroad" (Xinhua, reprinted in World Tibet Network, 7 May 97.) Chinese authorities have provided no information about Chadrel Rinpoche's location or well-being following his January 2002 release from prison. The U.S. Department of State's 2009 International Religious Freedom Report noted that he "reportedly remained under house arrest."
In addition, Chinese authorities imprisoned Jampa Chung, Chadrel Rinpoche's monastic assistant, and detained or imprisoned 34 other Tashi Lhunpo monks linked to protests against Chadrel Rinpoche's detention, based on information available in the Commission's Political Prisoner Database. The period of detention or imprisonment for the 35 monks ranged from two months to Jampa Chung's four-year sentence. The Commission has not observed any confirmation of Jampa Chung's release or recent report on his location and status.
See the Commission's 2010 Annual Report, 2009 Annual Report, and Special Topic Paper: Tibet 2008-2009 for more information on the freedom of religion for Tibetan Buddhists and on the political imprisonment of Tibetans. See the Commission's Political Prisoner Database for more information on cases of political prisoners named in this report.
| Source: -See Summary (2010-08-16 ) |
Posted on: 2010-11-09 |
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Authorities Continue to Restrict Ramadan Observance in Xinjiang
October 20, 2010
Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang exert tight control over religious practice in the region, in a number of cases imposing limits on religious activities that are harsher than restrictions imposed elsewhere in China. Authorities single out Islam in some instances, as illustrated by a series of recent reports illustrating continued controls over Muslims' observance of the holiday of Ramadan. During the month-long period of daily fasting, which ended in mid-September, some local governments described steps to curb observance of the holiday, including barring some people from fasting, ordering restaurants to stay open, and increasing oversight of religious venues.
Local governments in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) continued in 2010 to impose restrictions on Muslims' observance of Ramadan. The curbs in 2010 follow restrictions on the month-long holiday of daily fasting as documented by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) in previous years (1, 2). An official from the XUAR Ethnic Affairs Commission and Religious Affairs Bureau said in an August 12 China Network TV (CNTV) article that Muslims have the "right to choose whether to fast during Ramadan or not," but reports from the past year indicate local officials have interfered with Muslims' right to observe the holiday. Examples include:
- Officials, Students Forbidden From Observing Ramadan. Some local governments have forbidden broad categories of people from observing Ramadan. The head of Ha'erbake township in Luntai (Bugur) county, Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, said at a meeting of cadres and religious figures that groups such as Communist Party members, cadres, and students "resolutely must not go in and out of mosques and participate in fasting activities," according to an August 11 report on the Luntai county government Web site. The Artush Agricultural and Machinery Bureau adopted six measures during the holiday for its staff, forbidding people from going to sites of Ramadan-related activities, participating in religious activities, and fasting, or else face being "dealt with severely," according to an August 13 report from the Bureau's Web site. Party members in the Artush City Radio and Television Office, along with their family members, were forbidden from fasting during Ramadan and going to mosques and praying, according to an August 19 Radio Free Asia article.
Ramadan restrictions reported in Shache (Yarkand, Yeken) county, Kashgar district, focused on preventing students from observing the holiday. Education officials in Shache reported taking steps to ensure "stability" and prevent religion from "infiltrating" schools during Ramadan, according to an August 6 report on the Shache government Web site. Measures included visiting students' households to convey Party policy, to grasp students' "ideological posture and acts" and "to conscientiously ensure students don't fast, don't believe in religion, and don't participate in religious activities," according to the report. Schools, teachers, and parents were also to sign a series of "stability responsibility forms" to clarify each party's duties in "ideology work" and ensure "safety and stability" during Ramadan. "Indulging" or "letting students alone" to fast during Ramadan is among 23 acts defined as "illegal religious activities" in the XUAR. (See Item 5 in a copy of the "Autonomous Region Definitions of 23 Types of Illegal Religious Activities" posted February 25, 2008, on the Chinggil (Qinghe) county, Altay district, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, government Web site.)
- Forcing Restaurants To Operate. The CNTV article reported, "At the beginning of Ramadan, some Muslim restaurants and stores are closed during the daytime, as most of their customers are fasting." In practice, however, some local governments in the XUAR have ordered restaurants to stay open during the holiday. Trade and commerce officials met with private business association members in Jeminay county, Altay district, Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, in advance of Ramadan to ensure "normal" operations in the restaurant industry during the holiday, according to an August 10 article from Xinjiang News Net. Officials conveyed Communist Party policy on ethnic and religious issues, and businesspeople in attendance "made clear" that they would not suspend their "duty" to engage in business operations during Ramadan, according to the report. The news follows a report of restrictions on the restaurant industry in another part of the XUAR in August 2009. During that time, the Aksu Municipal Construction Bureau issued a notice forbidding Halal restaurants from shutting down during Ramadan on the "pretext" of making repairs or renovations, according to an August 25, 2009, report on the Aksu Municipal Construction Bureau Web site.
- Increased Monitoring of People and Religious Venues. In Ta'erlake township, also in Luntai county, a local Party official called for measures including increasing "education and management" of "key persons," strengthening oversight of mosques, having leading cadres "understand and grasp at all times conditions in mosques and among religious personages," and heightening patrols in the township during Ramadan, according to an August 12 report from the Luntai county government Web site. Officials in Keping (Kalpin) county, Aksu district, called for government organizations to raise their sense of "political responsibility and acumen" during Ramadan, to inspect "hot spots" and "troublesome problems" in the area of religion, and increase oversight of religious venues, activities, and religious figures, according to an undated 2010 report on the Aksu Party Committee Organization Department Web site. Education officials in Shache county, cited above, also called for increased monitoring of schools during Ramadan.
For more information on religion in the XUAR, see a related CECC analysis and Section IV！Xinjiang in the CECC 2010 Annual Report.
| Source: -See Summary (2010-08-23 ) |
Posted on: 2010-11-09 |
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Members of Henan House Church Ordered To Serve Reeducation Through Labor
October 27, 2010
A house church pastor and church member in Henan province are currently awaiting a court ruling that will determine whether or not they each will be required to serve one year of reeducation through labor (RTL), a form of administrative punishment without trial. The two had appealed a July 2010 Henan court ruling against them in an administrative lawsuit in which they had challenged the legality of the RTL punishments. Local public security officers detained the two men and several other members of the unregistered church in March and accused them of belonging to a "cult" organization, a designation that authorities have used in some cases to interfere with the activities of religious communities that run afoul of government or Party policy. Public security officers reportedly harassed the two men and other members of the Tianmiao Town Church on multiple occasions while they were in detention. In September, authorities harassed and detained seven members of unregistered Protestant churches who attempted to enter the courtroom during the two men's appeal trial, including members of their families.
Henan House Church Members Appeal After Court Refuses To Hear Lawsuit
In late September 2010, Tianmiao Town Church pastor Gao Jianli and church member Liu Yunhua of Yucheng county, Shangqiu city, Henan province appealed a July ruling of the Weidu District People's Court！located in Xuchang city, Henan province！to challenge the legality of reeducation through labor (RTL) punishments that they received in March 2010, according to a September 22 AsiaNews report and a September 25 ChinaAid report. According to reports from ChinaAid (19 May 10, 3 August 10) and Radio Free Asia (3 August 10), Gao filed an administrative lawsuit against the Shangqiu Municipal RTL Committee in May to challenge the legality of the RTL punishments, but the court ruled in favor of the RTL committee in July. Gao and Liu tried to file a second lawsuit with the same court, which refused to hear that lawsuit on August 2. According to the September 22 AsiaNews report and an October 7 ChinaAid report, after the court refused to hear the second lawsuit, Gao and Liu appealed the decision to a higher level court！the Xuchang Intermediate People's Court！which began to hear the case in late September. Gao and Liu are still awaiting a decision from the Xuchang Intermediate People's Court, which effectively will determine whether or not Gao and Liu must begin to serve the RTL punishments.
As the Xuchang Intermediate People's Court heard the case, authorities reportedly harassed and detained several members of unregistered Protestant churches, including members of Gao and Liu's families, who came to attend the trial. Public security officers from Shangqiu city and Xuchang city took into custody seven people: Beijing-based pastor Zhang Mingxuan, his wife Xie Fenglan, and Yucheng house church members Li Yuxia (Gao's wife), Hua Cuiying, Liu Fulan, Ma Ke'ai, and Liu Sen (Liu Yunhua's son). Public security officers from Yucheng county, Shangqiu city！where the Tianmiao Town Church is based！released Zhang, Xie, Ma, and Liu Sen soon thereafter, but ordered Li, Hua, and Liu Fulan each to serve 15 days of administrative detention, beginning on September 20, according to September 20 administrative punishment orders published in a September 26 ChinaAid report. According to the October 7 ChinaAid report, authorities released all three after they served the administrative detentions.
Authorities Use Cult Designation To Interfere with Unregistered House Church
While the most prominent example of a religious or spiritual group officially designated as a "cult" in China is Falun Gong！a spiritual movement based on Chinese meditative exercises called qigong and the teachings of Falun Gong's founder, Li Hongzhi！authorities continue to use the "cult" designation to interfere with the activities of various religious communities that run afoul of government or Party policy, including some Protestant communities.
The Gao and Liu case stems from "cult"-related accusations that public security officers in Yucheng levied against Gao, Liu, and several other members of the Tianmiao Town Church after detaining them in March, according to an April 9 ChinaAid report and a June 29 South China Morning Post report (subscription required). According to an August 3 ChinaAid report, Gao's attorney noted that authorities determined that Gao and Liu belonged to a cult and issued the RTL punishments on the basis of an internal document that has not been made public: The "Public Security Bureau Circular on Several Issues Regarding the Identification and Banning of Cult Organizations" (Circular). On the basis of the Circular, the Shangqiu Municipal RTL Committee (Committee) reportedly determined that the house church organized by Gao and Liu belonged to the "Full-Scope Church" (also translated as the "All-Scope Church"), a Protestant organization that has appeared on lists of officially designated "cult" organizations, such as a list of Chinese government and Party-designated "cults" issued by the Ministry of Public Security (available via the Zhengqi Net Web site, 5 February 07).
Authorities also levied "cult"-related charges against three of the seven unregistered Protestants who attempted to enter the Xuchang Intermediate People's Court as it heard Gao and Liu's case. According to September 20 administrative punishment orders published in the September 26 ChinaAid report, after Yucheng public security officers detained the seven Protestants, the Yucheng PSB determined that Li Yuxia, Hua Cuiying, and Liu Fulan belonged to the Full-Scope Church and carried out activities in connection with the church. Authorities accused them of violating Article 27(1) of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, which provides for administrative punishment for various forms of "cult"-related activity.
Authorities also accused additional members of the Tianmiao Town Church of belonging to a cult on the basis of certain religious practices, including teaching religion to children. According to a June 29 ChinaAid report, on June 24, three plainclothes public security officers entered the home of two elderly Tianmiao Town Church members and told them:
Your beliefs are wrong. What you believe in is a cult. You cry when you pray, you let children believe, and you get baptized in ponds when everyone who gets baptized under the Three-Self Patriotic Movement [TSPM] has a pastor dab water on them. You believe in a cult. Don't worship at home. If you want to worship, go to a TSPM church.
According to the Chinese-language August 3 ChinaAid report, the Committee also determined that conducting Sunday school for children "caused social harm." As discussed in the CECC's 2009 Annual Report (p. 112-113), such a restriction on children's freedom of religion lacks a basis in Chinese national law and contravenes protections in international human rights law.
In addition, according to reports from ChinaAid (9 April 10, 29 June 10) and the South China Morning Post (29 June 10, subscription required), public security officials harassed the detainees and other members of the Tianmiao Town Church while they held them in detention. For example, public security officers in Yucheng reportedly demanded money in exchange for granting visitation rights to the families of some of the detainees, and they reportedly threatened some of the detainees with RTL when those detainees refused to renounce their faith.
For more information on conditions for Protestants in China, see Section II—Freedom of Religion in the CECC's 2010 Annual Report (p. 108-111). For more information on the Chinese government's crackdown on cults, see the CECC's 2010 Annual Report (p. 103-105, 110-111), a CECC analysis, and an October 1999 report on the Web site of the Chinese Embassy to the United States.
| Source: -See Summary (2010-08-17 ) |
Posted on: 2010-11-09 |
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National Conferences Highlight Restrictions on Buddhist and Taoist Doctrine
October 27, 2010
National conferences of China's state-run Taoist and Buddhist "patriotic religious organizations" from the past eight months have highlighted the restrictions that the Chinese government places on the religious activities of those communities. Few reports regarding the restrictions that the Chinese government places on China's Taoists and non-Tibetan Buddhists reach the international media. However, like members of other officially recognized religious communities in China, Buddhists and Taoists who worship at officially sanctioned temples in China encounter state interference in their religious practice and teaching. Chinese government policy requires that Taoist and Buddhist religious groups affiliate with state-run "patriotic religious organizations" that manage their affairs. Those who practice these faiths at religious sites that the government does not recognize face the possibility that their places of worship will be closed or demolished. China's state-controlled Buddhist and Taoist organizations modify doctrine to eliminate some elements that the Communist Party regards as incompatible with its goals. In addition, authorities designate some religious groups that function independently of state control as "cults," raising the possibility of administrative or criminal punishment for religious leaders and followers.
Buddhist and Taoist National Conferences Infuse Political Themes Into Religious Practice
According to Chinese media sources (see below), the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) and the Chinese Taoist Association (CTA)！both state-controlled "patriotic religious organizations"！held their eighth national conferences in February and June 2010, respectively. In a speech to the eighth national conference of the BAC (via a February 1, 2010, transcript on the Buddhism Online Web site), Wang Zuo'an, director of the government's State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA), praised the BAC's adherence to its 2002 seventh national conference agenda, making contributions to the advancement of "economic development, social harmony, ethnic unity, [and] unification of the motherland." He also said that BAC-affiliated communities need to work to improve the "patriotic quality" of religious personnel and believers, that clergy must be "politically reliable," that Buddhist education should lead followers to "uphold the leadership of the Communist Party," and that Buddhists should "follow the road of socialism with Chinese characteristics." Wang also highlighted the "political quality" of official controls over Buddhist doctrine when he praised BAC-affiliated communities for their repudiation of the Tibetan organizations and individuals, and their supporters, whom Chinese officials collectively refer to as the "Dalai clique," as well as the Lhasa protests and rioting of March 2008. According to the transcript of Wang's remarks posted by Buddhism Online, Wang stated:
...our struggle with the Dalai clique is not a question of religious belief, but is rather a major political struggle to oppose separatism and to protect the unity of the motherland and ethnic solidarity. The masses of religious personnel and believers ... must resolutely oppose and consciously resist the Dalai clique's activities that exploit religion to split the motherland, to damage ethnic solidarity, and to disrupt social order´
The June 2010 eighth national conference of the Chinese Taoist Association (CTA) reportedly sounded similar themes. According to a June 2010 article from the CTA Web site, the CTA conference focused on encouraging "progress" and "unity," "implementing Party religious policy," and "taking an active role in the development of social harmony and economic development." A June 2010 article from the Eastern Taoism Web site stresses the need to engage in "serious study" of Party policy and the words of high-level Party officials and SARA officials. According to a June 2010 Xinhua report (via the Web site of the Central People's Government), in a visit with representatives of the conference, Politburo Standing Committee member Jia Qinglin commended the CTA's commitment to the Chinese Communist Party and stated his appreciation for its "adherence to the socialist road, its work to maintain social stability, and its contributions toward realizing ethnic unity and the unification of the motherland." Jia further stressed the need for the CTA to "encourage patriotism" among its followers.
Officials Continue Campaign Against "Unauthorized Religious Sites"
One theme that emerged in both conferences was that Buddhist and Taoist sites of worship must be approved by the government, and that unregistered sites should be closed or demolished. Wang Zuo'an's speech and the CTA article both emphasize the construction of "harmonious" temples, echoing a SARA campaign started in early 2009 and described in a June 2009 article on the Web site of the Zhouzhi County People's Government, Xi'an city, Shaanxi province. According to the article, "harmonious" temples, churches, and mosques must maintain high "patriotic" standards and "safeguard the unification of the motherland, ethnic unity, and social stability." On October 19, 2009, the Wuxi City Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Jiangsu province posted a manual on its Web site outlining how to manage unauthorized temples. The manual describes some unauthorized religious sites as centers of "superstition, cults, and illegal criminal activities" and claims that they "distort, mislead, and debase religious belief" and "influence the true implementation of the Party's policies on religious freedoms." The manual offers four methods of dealing with unauthorized temples: "transform," "demolish," "change," or "co-opt"; the manual specifies that the majority of unauthorized temples should be dealt with through "demolition" or "changing." A plan for handling unregistered religious spaces published on the official Web site of the Dingshu town People's Government, Wuxi city, Jiangsu province criticizes "privately erected, indiscriminately constructed" (sida luanjian) temples and indicates that official investigations had uncovered 13 such unregistered religious venues within Dingshu town limits. The plan recommends that these unregistered sites be demolished and that their grounds be reclaimed or be made into green space.
Authorities Continue To Label Unauthorized Groups of Buddhist and Taoist Origin as "Cult Organizations"
As reported in the Commission's 2010 Annual Report (p. 105), the Communist Party's 6-10 Office, an extralegal security apparatus created to enforce a ban against Falun Gong, targets other groups that the government deems "cult organizations," including groups of Buddhist or Taoist origin. Lists of officially designated "cult" organizations, such as a list of Chinese government and Party-designated "cults" issued by the Ministry of Public Security (available via the Zhengqi Net Web site, 5 February 07) include two alleged "cults" primarily of Buddhist progeny: the Quan Yin Method (also known as Guanyin Famen), led by Ching Hai, and the True Buddha School (lingxian zhen fozong), a syncretic sect that combines elements of Tibetan Buddhism and Taoism. While the most prominent example of a religious or spiritual group officially designated as a "cult" in China is Falun Gong！a spiritual movement based on Chinese meditative exercises called qigong and the teachings of Falun Gong's founder, Li Hongzhi！authorities continue to use the "cult" designation to interfere with the activities of various religious communities that run afoul of government or Party policy, including some Buddhist and Taoist-inspired organizations. In some cases, authorities use Article 300 of the Criminal Law as a basis to punish people deemed to "use" cults to undermine state laws or commit other crimes. Authorities placed particular emphasis on anti-cult propaganda and education in the lead-up to and during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. See, for example, a brief June 2010 introduction to cults published on the Qidong City People's Government Web Site, Jiangsu province and an April 2010 announcement from the Wushan Community Web site, Gulou city, Fujian province, specifically stating that increased supervision of religious organizations is attributable to the Shanghai Expo. A December 2009 Mashang town, Shandong province work summary found on the Zhangdian District Public Information Network particularly emphasizes the need for education campaigns against the Quan Yin Method and Falun Gong. An April 2010 article posted on the Shanghai People's Government Web site also announced the launch of a campaign to "Welcome the World Expo, Speak in a Civilized Way, and Oppose Cults."
For more information about the patriotic religious organizations, China's policies on religion, harmonious temples, and government and Party control of Buddhist and Taoist practice in China, see Section II—Freedom of Religion in the CECC's 2010 Annual Report. For more information on the Chinese government's crackdown on cults, see the CECC's 2010 Annual Report (p. 103-105, 110-111), a CECC analysis, and an October 1999 report on the Web site of the Chinese Embassy to the United States.
| Source: -See Summary (2010-07-30 ) |
Posted on: 2010-11-09 |
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Xinjiang Authorities Target Beards, Veils in Campaigns To Tighten Control Over Religion
October 18, 2010
Authorities in the far western region of Xinjiang have carried out campaigns in 2010 and previous years targeting Muslim men who wear large beards and women who wear veils (singling out face veiling in a number of cases), tying the practices in the Muslim-majority region to "religious extremism" and "backwardness." The campaigns against beards and veils come as Xinjiang authorities continue to tighten controls over religion in the region. Amid these campaigns, newly available information indicates that authorities imposed prison sentences on two men in 2007 and 2008 in cases that reportedly have connections to the men wearing beards.
Authorities in the XUAR have carried out campaigns in 2010 and previous years to restrict wearing beards, veils, and clothing perceived to carry religious connotations, associating the practices with "religious extremism" and "backwardness." In some cases, authorities have focused their efforts on younger people, in an apparent effort to stem perceived "religious extremism" among segments of the population deemed more likely to challenge official authority. In at least one reported campaign, authorities described using legal punishments to address wearing beards and veils. As part of the work to implement Communist Party directives in Aksu district in 2009, local officials were instructed to discern the thinking, motives, and behavior of people with beards, veils, or "bizarre" clothes and then to deal with them according to these "different situations," through measures including "punishing severely in accordance with law" (yifa yancheng), "handling [matters] through coercion" (qiangzhi chuli), and "helping" to "liberate" (bangzhu jietuo). See a report posted December 11, 2009, on the Shayar county, Aksu, government Web site. In addition, authorities in Shayar county went to people's homes to carry out "face-to-face propaganda and education" and to have them sign pledges that they would no longer wear "bizarre" clothes or beards, according to the report. In Wensu (Onsu) county, Aksu, the propaganda bureau engaged in "propaganda and education activities" resulting in 569 women "voluntarily" removing face coverings, 606 women no longer wearing "bizarre" clothes, and 295 young men shaving their beards, according to the report.
The previous year, officials from the religious affairs bureau in Awat county, Aksu, noted in a summary of accomplishments from 2008 that it carried out work aimed at "big beards" worn by young men and face veiling by women, according to a November 11, 2008, report from the Awat county government Web site. (The document has been removed from the Awat county Web site. A partial excerpt is available from Fast Document Net.) Authorities provided "study and education" to young men with big beards and women with veiled faces, and "in accordance with the principle of channeling responsibility to the proper authorities, each relevant department carried out beard-shaving and unveilings directed at young men with big beards and young women covering their faces." Also in 2008, government and Communist Party officials in the town of Yengi Mehelle, Shayar county, Aksu, called for taking various "effective measures" during the month of Ramadan to have men with big beards shave them off and have women remove face veils, according to an August 28, 2008, report on the Shayar county government Web site (available via Open Source Center, subscription required, CPP20080905072001).
In Chabucha'er (Chapchal) Xibe Autonomous County in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, "abnormal" big beards, veiling one's face, and other forms of expression with a "religious hue" were among 16 situations to be "reported on" and "dealt with," according to the answer sheet for a knowledge contest on "promoting ethnic unity, opposing separatism, and upholding stability" (Item 64) posted August 31, 2009, on the Chapchal Xibe Autonomous County, Ili, government Web site. The answer sheet also connected wearing big beards to a religious organization--called the "faithfulness" organization, or zhongcheng zuzhi in Mandarin, based on the original Uyghur name, ita'et or "obedience"！described as having members with a "Wahhabi" outlook who disregard the laws of the state, refuse to pay taxes, advocate jihad, and prohibit eating food that has "MSG, butter, and seasonings made in factories in [China's] interior" (Item 161).
Authorities have continued campaigns targeting beards and veils in 2010. The XUAR Women's Federation carried out campaigns in the past year to persuade women to stop wearing veils, describing one pilot project as successful in making women "realize that wearing a veil is not a form of expression of ethnic dress but rather of extreme religion, an expression of a type of ignorant and backward way of thinking, and an expression not suited for the developments of the times." See a related CECC analysis for detailed information. In May 2010, authorities in Hanikatamu (Xaniqatam, Xaniqa atam, Hankhatam) township in Kucha, Aksu, assessed a campaign connected to "illegal religious activities" as an effective step in attacking "religious fanaticism" and changing "outmoded thinking" regarding "bizarre" apparel worn by some women in Hanikatamu and "big beards" worn by some young men. See a related CECC analysis for detailed information. A person from the township reported to Radio Free Asia in September that authorities strengthened controls over face coverings, beards, and "religious" clothing during Ramadan, according to September 21 and September 24, 2010, articles from Radio Free Asia. Sources cited in the articles also reported fines for people who didn't remove face veils or beards, as well as restrictions on beards and religious apparel in force elsewhere in the XUAR.
As authorities have politicized beard wearing, newly available information indicates that authorities levied prison sentences on two men in 2007 and 2008 in cases that have reported connections to the men wearing beards. Public security officers in Yining (Ghulja) municipality, Ili, detained a Uyghur laborer, Nurtay Memet, in 2007 on grounds related to "superstition" and to violating the region's social order regulation, according to an August 20, 2010, report from Radio Free Asia's Uyghur service. Nurtay Memet's wife connected the detention to her husband wearing a beard. The Yining (Ghulja) Municipal People's Court tried and sentenced Nurtay Memet in 2007 to five years' imprisonment on the "superstition"-related charge. Under Article 300 of China's Criminal Law (English, Chinese), "using superstition to undermine the implementation of the laws and administrative rules and regulations of the State" is punishable by prison sentences between three and seven years or sentences of no less than seven years in serious cases. Nurtay Memet is reportedly held in a prison in Wusu (Shixo) city in Tacheng (Tarbaghatay) district in Ili. His wife said that her husband, now 52 years old, is in poor health. She also reported that authorities forced her to stop covering her face.
In a separate case, the same court sentenced Uyghur trader Ghojaexmet Niyaz to six years in prison in 2008, which a source familiar with the case connected in part to Ghojaexmet Niyaz's refusal to shave his beard, according to a September 13, 2010, report from Radio Free Asia's Uyghur service. Public security officers in Weihai city, Shandong province, initially detained Ghojaexmet Niyaz in May 2008 during a security sweep in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, on the grounds that he did not have an identification card, according to the report. Ghojaexmet Niyaz had just come to the city with his family for work, and authorities returned him to his home in the XUAR. The specific charges against him at trial are not known, but the source familiar with the case said he had committed no other misdeed than not having identification and connected the sentence to Ghojaexmet Niyaz's refusal in court to shave his beard and show remorse. Ghojaexmet Niyaz is currently held at a prison in the Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in the Bayangol Mongol Autonomous Prefecture within the XUAR, according to the report.
For more information on conditions in the XUAR, see Section IV！Xinjiang in the CECC 2010 Annual Report.
| Source: -See Summary (2010-09-17 ) |
Posted on: 2010-11-09 |
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| Link directly to this item with: http://www.cecc.gov/pages/virtualAcad/index.phpd?showsingle=147641 |
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