Authorities in a city in China’s Henan Province are requesting that residents report any private or “illegal” religious activities.
According to rights group ChinaAid, Zhumandian City recently issued a notice to residents to report “privately established religious venues” and “illegal religious activities.”
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An Oct. 10 report from ChinaAid said any religious group or activity is considered “illegal” if not approved by the government.
Residents were encouraged to provide photographic, video or audio evidence of such activity, and information would be rewarded with the equivalent of about $70.
In recent years, other cities in Henan Province — Mengzhou, Jiyuan and Shangqiu — have had similar campaigns, some displaying banners, “reminding residents that they ‘must report any gatherings of three or more people,’” ChinaAid stated.
World Watch
The group explained that “China’s Constitution formally guarantees freedom of religion,” but “ … in practice, all religious groups and activities must be registered with the government and supervised by authorities.”
China is No. 15 on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
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