Hong Kong Watch makes submission to UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief

Today, Hong Kong Watch made a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief in response to the call for input on the Special Rapporteur’s ‘Report on religion or belief and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment’ for the 58th Human Rights Council session in March 2025.

The office of Ms. Nazila Ghanea, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, will review this submission and include it where relevant in their assessment of freedom of religion or belief around the world.

The submission made extensive reference to Hong Kong Watch’s November 2023 report on freedom of religion or belief, Sell Out My Soul: The Impending Threats to Freedom of Religion or Belief in Hong Kong. This report was the first of its kind, finding that the draconian National Security Law has had a chilling effect on religious believers in Hong Kong, including widespread self-censorship in sermons and other religious activities, threats to faith-based schools, and the increasing introduction of Beijing’s campaign of ‘Sinicization’ of religion. 

In addition to referencing previous Hong Kong Watch research, the submission highlighted more recent violations of freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong, including incidents faced by Christians, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners, and by political prisoners in Hong Kong, including British citizen Jimmy Lai. 

Please click here to read the full submission. 

Megan Khoo, Research and Policy Advisor of Hong Kong Watch, said:

“As part of this important report on freedom of religion or belief for the Human Rights Council, it is essential and timely to consider threats to and violations of freedom of religion or belief in Hong Kong, as we monitor how Beijing is increasingly Sinicizing religion or belief in the city. This includes displaying patriotic flags in churches, harassing Falun Gong practitioners, and leveraging the Buddhist Association to persecute other religions, amid an atmosphere of self-censorship. We look forward to reading the final report, in which it is vital to include Hong Kong where the on-the-ground situation mirrors Beijing’s twisted targeting of individuals like Jimmy Lai and groups like Falun Gong as part of its overarching strategy to squash religion or belief.”