On February 28, 2025, 21 experts and scholars in religious human rights issued an appeal 1 urging the international community to pay attention to the large-scale persecution of members of The Church of Almighty God (CAG).
The appeal highlights that as the most severely persecuted Christian new movement in China, CAG is enduring an unprecedentedly brutal crackdown by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In 2024, nationwide operations resulted in nearly 20,000 arrests and at least 24 deaths. In October 2024 alone, over 600 CAG members were detained in Jilin Province, where two CAG Christians died during covert interrogations.
Two Dead in Four Days: Bodies Bear Horrific Wounds
On October 11, 2024, Chinese authorities raided The Church of Almighty God in Changchun, Jilin Province. Wang Yuxia2, a 61-year-old CAG member, died after six days of secret interrogation in a hotel. Her body showed facial bruising, a blackened eye socket, making her unrecognizable. Her neck and one leg were broken. Police attributed her death to a sudden heart attack.
An insider revealed that on October 14, he heard sounds of banging on doors, furniture being knocked over, and a fall coming from the room where Wang Yuxia was held in the hotel. On October 15, he saw a colleague enter the room with a packet of needles. Soon after, he heard someone screaming repeatedly, “You’re so cruel, using such torture on me!” The screams persisted for a while. The interrogation lasted through the entire night.
Another victim, 49-year-old Wang Fuhua3, was in good health before her arrest on October 11, 2024. Detained at a secret site, she died suddenly after nine days and nights of interrogation. Police also claimed her death was due to a heart attack.
The two deaths occurred in just four days. Some CAG Christians reported that during their secret custody and interrogations in hotels, they frequently heard interrogating roars, sounds of beatings, and screams from different rooms, along with CAG Christians enduring sexual humiliation4.
Internal CCP documents reveal that the Chinese authorities have launched a three-year “Tough Battle”5 to eradicate The Church of Almighty God, with 2024 marking the first year of the campaign. According to incomplete figures, 19,053 CAG members were arrested nationwide in 2024—a dramatic 53% surge6 compared to 2023.
In 2024, at least 168 CAG members received harsh sentences of seven years or longer. The data on arrests and heavy sentences, along with their proportions, reached a record high level in recent years.
One arrested CAG Christian recounted that the Chinese police told them, “We can’t change your beliefs, but we can destroy your bodies.” Another CAG Christian, after receiving a heavy sentence, sought legal assistance from a well-known lawyer for an appeal. However, after meeting with the judge handling the case, the lawyer replied, “They won’t allow me to defend you. If I insist, I’ll be charged with the same crime and given the same prison term as you.”7
Multi-group Rally in Europe to Protest Against CCP’s Persecution of Christians
Following the exposure of the atrocities, protests broke out8 on February 22, 2025, in multiple cities, including Stuttgart in Germany, Vienna in Austria, and Basel in Switzerland. The demonstrations were led by Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, European human rights groups9, CAG Christian fugitives, and local citizens of Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Holding photos of Wang Fuhua and Wang Yuxia, protesters chanted slogans such as “Stop Killings!” “We Demand Human Rights!” “We Want Freedom!” “Faith Is No Crime!” and “Stop Persecution!” condemning the CCP’s brutal persecution of Christians.
In their appeal, religious human rights experts and scholars urged international organizations and democratic governments to include the mass persecution of hundreds of thousands of CAG members in human rights talks with China. They also called on democratic nations to generously grant asylum to CAG refugees.
For further details on their appeal, please click here.
References:
1. The Transnational Persecution of The Church of Almighty God: An Appeal, February 28, 2025, Bitter Winter
4. The Church of Almighty God Publishes Yearly Report of Persecution, February 26, 2025, Bitter Winter
5. CCP Launches 3-Year “Tough Battle” Against The Church of Almighty God, April 02, 2024, Bitter Winter
