Freedom of Religion or Belief in full – A blog by CSW
“从来没有哪个机关站出来说我们定了哪些是邪教或邪教组织。这个问题我向侦察人员、检察员、审判人员都问过：‘你们说，在什么地方能查到，哪个部门把比方说呼喊派定为邪教或邪教组织？’我不下几十次在法庭上质问控方，‘有没有？’从来没有一个人说‘有，我可以给你找到’，把文件拿出来。”
中国人权律师
被认定为”邪教“就会被中国共产党公开追捕和迫害。在习近平执政期间，中国几乎所有宗教信仰团体的处境都伴随着全国各地恶化的人权状况而变得更加糟糕。不过，被贴上”邪教“标签的团体已数十载面临困境。
自1997年10月以来，”邪教“在中国一直是非法的。根据刑法第300条定罪，”组织、利用邪教组织破坏法律实施“，可判处三至七年有期徒刑，或更长刑期。
Continue reading “模糊定义与随意打压令中国宗教少数群体的处境更加艰难”
‘I have asked investigative officers, prosecutors and judges: Where can you find me a document in which a department has designated, let’s say, the Shouters as a xie jiao or a xie jiao organisation? I have asked the prosecution dozens of times in court whether there is such a thing. No one has ever said “Yes, I can find it for you” or showed me such a document.’
Chinese human rights lawyer
To be designated xie jiao is to be openly pursued and persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Under the rule of Xi Jinping the situation for almost every religion or belief community in China has deteriorated amid a worsening picture for human rights across the country, but for groups labelled xie jiao, this has been a reality for decades.
Xie jiao – usually translated into English as ‘heterodox teachings’ or ‘evil cults’ – has been illegal in China since October 1997. It is criminalised under Article 300 of the Criminal Law, which prohibits ‘organizing/using xie jiao to undermine implementation of the law’ and carries a punishment of three to seven years imprisonment, ‘or more’.
Continue reading “Vague definitions and arbitrary crackdowns make the struggle of China’s religious minorities that much harder”
Life is not easy for Christians in Pakistan. Many are economically marginalised, struggling to find work, at the mercy of those who wish to make life difficult for them. And they tend to experience an increase in adversity during periods of celebration.
This includes Christmas.
Continue reading “Celebrating in silence: The Christians in Pakistan under pressure this Christmas”In some parts of Pakistan, Christians will be asked by their neighbours not to light their homes with decorations. Others who decide to invest in a tree may be asked to take them down by those who don’t want such symbols of Christianity in their community. Sometimes, neighbours will even forcibly remove decorations from the outside of Christian houses themselves.
‘Todos los días la extraño, espero encontrarla. Un día la encontraré. Si es que está viva.‘
Kyu Li Kim no ha visto a su hermana menor Cheol-Ok desde 1997. Como muchos otros que han huido de la extrema pobreza, el hambre y las violaciones de derechos humanos en Corea del Norte, su familia ha estado separada durante décadas, con poca o ninguna idea de su paradero o siquiera saber como esta.
Kyu Li tenía sólo 20 años cuando salió de Corea del Norte. Huyó a China, donde fue vendida a un chino/coreano por 3.000 yuanes. Ella le dijo a CSW que tenía suerte de que la familia a la que la vendieron fuera amable con ella y tuviera algo de dinero, y que vivieran lejos de la frontera, lo que significaba que era menos probable que la capturaran y la devolvieran a Corea del Norte.
Continue reading “Hermanas separadas por décadas: la historia de Kyu Li y Cheol-Ok”
‘Every day I just miss her, I will find her. One day I will find her. If she’s alive.’
Kyu Li Kim hasn’t seen her younger sister Cheol-Ok since 1997. Like so many others who have fled rampant poverty, starvation and human rights violations in North Korea, her family has been separated for decades, often with little or no idea as to their whereabouts or wellbeing.
Kyu Li was just 20 years old when she left North Korea. She fled to China where she was sold to a Chinese Korean man for 3,000 Yuan. She told CSW that she was lucky that the family she was sold to were kind to her and had some money, and that they lived further from the border which meant she was less likely to be caught and returned to North Korea.
Continue reading “Sisters separated for decades – the story of Kyu Li and Cheol-Ok”