(Kunming, Yunnan Province – August 27, 2024) On August 2, 2024, Christian lawyer Xie Qida posted a Christian hymn using his Tik Tok account under the name “Lawyer Xie Qida”, and was issued a notice by the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau of Xishan District, Kunming City to stop (correct) illegal behavior, requiring him to delete all videos of singing Christian hymns posted on social media.

The content of the rectification notice is as follows:

Xie Qida:

You are suspected of singing a large number of Christian hymns in the short videos of the Tik Tok account “Lawyer Xie Qida” (Tik Tok account xqd18314312315). This behavior has violated Article 17 of the “Internet Religious Information Service Management Measures“, stipulating that “except for the circumstances stipulated in Articles 15 and 16 of these Measures, no organization or individual may preach on the Internet, conduct religious education and training, publish sermons or forward or link related content, organize religious activities on the Internet, and broadcast or record religious ceremonies such as worshiping Buddha, burning incense, receiving precepts, chanting scriptures, worshiping, mass, baptism, etc. in text, pictures, audio and video.”

 

Now, in accordance with Article 29 of the “Internet Religious Information Service Management Measures“, you are hereby ordered to:

Immediately stop illegal activities and complete the rectification before 12:00 on August 5, 2024. The specific rectification content and requirements are as follows: Delete videos of singing Christian hymns on all online media.

In mainland China, although freedom of religious belief is a citizen’s right and is protected by the Constitution and laws. Article 5 of the Common Program adopted by the first plenary session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference on September 29, 1949 stipulates that the people of the People’s Republic of China have the freedom of religious belief. Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China promulgated in 1954 stipulates: “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China have the freedom of religious belief. No state organ, social group or individual may force citizens to believe in religion or not believe in religion, nor discriminate against citizens who believe in religion and citizens who do not believe in religion. The state protects normal religious activities. “However, the Chinese government departments continue to issue various administrative orders and industry regulations that violate the Constitution, causing the religious environment in mainland China to deteriorate.

Lawyer Xie Qida’s Douyin account was censored and ordered to be deleted because of its religious content. It is just one typical example of religious persecution that occurs every day in various places.