Screenshot of the Human Rights Watch webpage for the 2026 World Report.
[People News] The 2026 World Report released by the human rights organization Human Rights Watch states that in 2025 the Chinese government significantly deepened domestic repression while expanding methods of silencing dissent overseas, placing greater pressure on freedom of expression, civil society, ethnic minorities, and overseas critics.
According to a report by Voice of America, the section on China in the report, released on February 4, notes that under the leadership of Xi Jinping, the Chinese authorities emphasized ideological conformity and absolute loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party, further eroding citizens’ fundamental freedoms nationwide. “Under Xi Jinping, the Chinese government has amassed an increasingly dire human rights record, expanding and deepening repression of fundamental freedoms,” said Maya Wang, Associate China Director at Human Rights Watch.
The New York–based international human rights organization stated that in 2025, Chinese authorities continued to use vague charges such as “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and “inciting separatism” to target filmmakers, writers, editors, and online commentators. The report specifically mentions the case of Taiwanese publisher Fucha (real name Li Yanhe), who was arrested in mainland China and sentenced to three years in prison on charges of “inciting separatism” for publishing books considered sensitive by Beijing. Another well-known case cited is filmmaker Chen Pinlin, who was sentenced in January to three and a half years in prison for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” after filming the 2022 “White Paper” protests.
Regarding religious freedom, the report states that the Chinese government continues to push the “Sinicization” of religion, “seeking to transform religions into tools that promote CCP ideology and leading to intensified crackdowns on ‘house churches.’” Last April, a court in Shanxi Province sentenced more than a dozen leaders and coworkers of the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church on fraud charges. In October, authorities arrested nearly 30 members of Zion Church, including its founder and lead pastor Jin Mingri.
The report says the Chinese government continues to impose strict controls on Uyghurs in Xinjiang and Tibetans in Tibet, including restrictions on religious, linguistic, and cultural activities. Human Rights Watch noted that new laws and draft legislation introduced by the authorities seek to further institutionalize ideological censorship and cultural assimilation policies, intensifying systemic pressure on minority communities.
In Tibet, the report says, the government continues high-pressure policies, including measures aimed at forcibly assimilating Tibetans, such as harassing and detaining Tibetan educators and shutting down schools that promote the Tibetan language and culture. When Xi Jinping visited Tibet last August, he called for “Tibetan Buddhism to adapt to socialism,” signaling that state interference in the religion will further deepen.
In Xinjiang, the report states that since late 2016 the Chinese government has committed a series of crimes against humanity. Authorities conflate everyday behavior of Uyghurs, including practicing Islam, with extremism and terrorism, using punitive measures to force assimilation and turn Uyghurs into subjects loyal to the Chinese Communist Party.
The report also says repression in Hong Kong continues to escalate. Since the implementation of the National Security Law in 2020, civil liberties, freedom of expression, and assembly long protected in Hong Kong have been steadily eroded, while space for independent media and dissenting voices continues to shrink. Human Rights Watch points out that Jimmy Lai, founder of the once-symbolic pro–press freedom newspaper Apple Daily, faces long-term imprisonment, and Hong Kong’s political space continues to narrow.
The latest report also emphasizes a clear strengthening trend in the Chinese government’s “transnational repression” and urges governments worldwide to take measures to protect Chinese dissidents and exile communities within their borders. These methods include harassment and threats against overseas activists and critics of the Chinese government; pressure on family members in China to silence overseas dissidents; and cases showing signs of cross-border surveillance and intimidation.
At the time of the report’s release, Human Rights Watch also called on major democracies to strengthen cooperation to resist authoritarian governments’ impact on the global human rights system. In the introduction to the 2026 World Report, Acting Executive Director Philippe Bolopion wrote, “Governments that still value human rights, along with social movements, civil society, and international institutions, must form strategic alliances to push back.”
The World Report annually assesses the human rights conditions of countries around the globe, covering freedom of expression, judicial independence, religious belief, minority rights, and more. This year marks the 36th edition of the report. According to the latest report, Human Rights Watch urges Beijing to “immediately end crimes against humanity and other human rights abuses in Xinjiang, repeal Hong Kong’s national security laws, allow independent observers access to Tibet and Xinjiang, and release human rights defenders detained across the country.”△
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