China's war on freedom escalates: Global alarm over widening human rights crisis

New York [US] October 9 Human Rights in China (HRIC) has released its latest weekly brief, painting a grim picture of escalating repression under President Xi Jinping's rule, highlighting the Chinese Communist Party's tightening control over civil liberties, religious freedom, and dissent across the country and beyond its borders.

During China's 76th National Day on October 1, Xi reaffirmed his uncompromising stance against Taiwanese independence, signalling Beijing's continued crackdown on perceived separatism.

According to HRIC, security measures in Tibet and Xinjiang intensified around the national celebrations, with heightened surveillance, mass arrests, and movement restrictions imposed on local populations.

Globally, thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Chinese consulates and embassies to denounce Beijing's authoritarianism, while digital activists launched online campaigns criticising the regime's censorship and territorial ambitions.

HRIC further reported that former Tibetan political prisoner Namkyi testified in Washington, DC, exposing the Chinese government's systematic persecution of religious practitioners in Tibet.

In a troubling sign of transnational repression, political exile Zhou Junyi was detained by Thai authorities days after commemorating the Tiananmen Massacre near Bangkok.

Zhou believes the arrest was carried out at Beijing's behest, a claim that echoes HRIC's repeated warnings about China's growing influence over neighbouring countries' law enforcement.

Similarly, UN experts have demanded explanations from Vietnam regarding the death of Tibetan monk Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche in custody, raising concerns about Chinese involvement.

Amnesty International's new findings expose China's judiciary as an essential instrument of political repression. Courts, it said, routinely convict activists, journalists, and lawyers on vague charges such as "subversion" or "spreading false information."

Censorship continues to expand in digital spaces. Ahead of the Global Women's Summit in Beijing, numerous feminist blogs and social media accounts were deleted, reflecting what HRIC describes as "a sustained campaign to silence women's rights voices." Hong Kong's plans to install 60,000 AI-powered surveillance cameras by 2028 have further raised alarm over the city's eroding privacy protections.

International reactions remain strong but cautious. UN experts and Nordic nations raised fresh concerns at the UN Human Rights Council, while UN High Commissioner Volker Turk acknowledged "painfully slow" progress in Beijing's engagement on rights issues, the Communist Party's tightening internal control and expanding global reach continue to pose an unprecedented challenge to fundamental freedoms worldwide.

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