New Act Targets Chinese Officials With Sanctions Over Religious Persecution, Demands Release of Prisoners

The Combatting the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act is a foreign policy bill that sets clear U.S. policy aimed at holding Chinese government officials accountable for human rights violations against religious minorities. Essentially, this bill uses the threat of U.S. sanctions to pressure China on issues of religious freedom.

Putting a Price Tag on Persecution

This legislation establishes a formal U.S. policy that any Chinese official responsible for or directly carrying out abuses against religious freedom—including arbitrary detention, forced labor, torture, and forced sterilization—may be considered to have committed a gross violation of human rights (Sec. 2). Why does this matter? Because this designation opens the door to using the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to impose sanctions on those individuals. For a Chinese official, being sanctioned means they could be barred from entering the U.S., and any assets they hold under U.S. jurisdiction could be frozen. This isn't just a strongly worded letter; it hits them where it hurts—their ability to travel and access global financial systems.

The bill specifically names the religious minorities it is intended to protect: Protestant Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners in China (Sec. 2). For these groups, this provision translates into the U.S. government officially prioritizing their protection and providing a tangible consequence for the officials who persecute them.

Diplomacy Gets a Mandate

The Act doesn’t stop at sanctions; it also mandates specific actions from the State Department. It directs relevant bureaus, including the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to actively support efforts to promote religious freedom within China and monitor the transnational repression of these religious groups (Sec. 2). Transnational repression is when a government reaches across borders to harass, intimidate, or harm dissidents or critics living in other countries. For Chinese nationals living in the U.S. or elsewhere, this means the U.S. government is directed to keep an eye on attempts by Beijing to silence them here.

Furthermore, the bill calls on the U.S. to designate the People’s Republic of China as a “country of particular concern” for religious freedom, a formal diplomatic designation that triggers various actions under existing law (Sec. 3). This move signals to the international community that the U.S. views China's religious freedom violations as among the world's most severe.

The Call for Humane Treatment

Congress also uses this bill to make several direct demands of the Chinese government regarding detainees. It calls for the unconditional release of all religious and political prisoners who are unjustly detained (Sec. 3). For those who remain detained, the bill demands humane treatment, which includes four key provisions that directly affect the lives of detainees and their families:

• Access to family and legal counsel: Allowing detainees to see their loved ones and hire the lawyer of their choice.
• Access to independent medical care: Ensuring health issues are treated by non-state doctors.
• Access to international monitoring mechanisms: Allowing outside groups to check on conditions.
• The ability to practice their faith: Ensuring religious freedom continues even in detention.

This legislation is essentially a blueprint for escalating U.S. diplomatic and financial pressure on China over human rights. While the immediate impact on everyday life for people in the U.S. is minimal, it directly impacts the lives of Chinese officials who may face sanctions and, more importantly, provides a formal, powerful tool for advocating for the release and safety of persecuted religious and political prisoners abroad.