Washington DC — US State Department's Office of International Religious Freedom has released it's 2023 annual report on religious freedom around the world. The report states, "The CCP continued to promote Sinicization policies aimed at reinterpreting and rewriting religious doctrines to bring them (Tibetan Buddhism) into accordance with CCP ideology and emphasize loyalty to the CCP and the state. Authorities required monks and nuns to undergo political indoctrination and individuals entering monastic training to pledge loyalty to the CCP and reject “splittism.”
International Religious Freedom released its 2023 Annual Report on the status of religious freedom in nearly 200 countries on June 26, 2024, in the Treaty Room of the Department of State in Washington, D.C. US.
At the launch of the 2023 International Religious Freedom Report, Secretary Antony J. Blinken said, "Today governments around the world continue to target individuals, shutter places of worship, forcibly displace communities, and imprison people because of their religious beliefs. Some countries place restrictions on wearing certain types of religious dress; others enforce it."
Rashad Hussain, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom said, "We even see the PRC attempt to reach across its borders to target individuals and silence critics, such as the reports of Chinese authorities engaging in transnational repression against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong, and many more."
"The report also continues to cast light on the ongoing crimes against humanity and genocide the Chinese Government is perpetrating against Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. This repression follows decades of persecution of religious communities – from Tibetan Buddhists, to Christians, to Falun Gong practitioners. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s crackdown on Falun Gong practitioners," Ambassador Hussain added.
The Religious Freedom Report states, "CCP regulations stipulate official control of all aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, including the recognition of lamas, religious venues, groups, personnel, and schools. They prohibit “accepting domination by external forces,” which authorities said included Tibetans living outside the country – particularly the Dalai Lama."
"Regulations require all clergy to pledge allegiance to the CCP and socialism and to “resist illegal religious activities and religious extremist ideology, and to resist infiltration by foreign forces using religion.” On September 1, new administrative measures took effect requiring monasteries, temples, and other “places of religious activity” to uphold the leadership of the CCP, implement “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics,” and promote the “Sinicization” of religion," the report added.
The report states, "In the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas, there were reports of forced disappearances, arrests, physical abuse, and prolonged detentions without trial of monks, nuns, and other persons due to their religious practices. The CCP continued to promote Sinicization policies aimed at reinterpreting and rewriting religious doctrines to bring them into accordance with CCP ideology and emphasize loyalty to the CCP and the state. Authorities required monks and nuns to undergo political indoctrination and individuals entering monastic training to pledge loyalty to the CCP and reject “splittism.”
"Authorities continued to require Buddhist monasteries to translate texts from Tibetan to Mandarin in what observers said was an effort to erase the Tibetan language. Authorities also continued to force monasteries to display portraits of CCP leaders and Tibetans to replace images of the Dalai Lama and other lamas in their homes with portraits of CCP leaders, including former Chairman Mao Zedong and General Secretary and PRC President Xi Jinping. Images of the Dalai Lama were banned, with harsh repercussions for owning or displaying his image. Repression, including arbitrary surveillance, increased around politically sensitive events, religious anniversaries, cultural events with religious components, and the Dalai Lama’s birthday. Authorities canceled or curtailed lay attendance at religious events, including some that had received advanced official approval," the religious freedom report mentioned.
