USCIRF highlights crackdown on Uyghur imams, Tibetan monks, and Christian clergy
by Alp Uyghur, Sep 29, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) warns that China’s persecution of religious leaders continues to intensify, targeting Uyghur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, and Christian clergy under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) campaign of “sinicization.”
The September 2025 factsheet details how Chinese authorities force clergy to align with CCP ideology or face imprisonment, torture, and even death in custody.
Key Findings from the Report:
- Uyghurs:
- At least 1,000 imams and religious figures have been imprisoned since 2014.
- Notable cases include Uyghur imam Dadihan (20-year sentence) and Kazakh imam Erjan Quwash (21-year sentence).
- In 2024, 96-year-old imam Abidin Damollam died in prison after a nine-year sentence tied to his religious teaching.
- Uyghur women religious leaders have also been jailed, such as Tursungul Ghopur (14 years) and Heyrinisa Memet (14 years).
- Tibetan Buddhists:
- Monks face expulsions, restrictions, and surveillance tied to loyalty to the Dalai Lama.
- Over 1,000 monks and nuns were expelled from Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in 2025.
- Prominent figures like Go Sherab Gyatso remain imprisoned, while others such as Humkar Dorje Rinpoche died under suspicious circumstances.
- Christians:
- Independent pastors face harsh prison sentences for rejecting state-controlled churches.
- Pastor Wan Changchun received five years in prison in 2025; another, Kan Xiaoyong, was sentenced to 14 years.
- Dozens of house church leaders were detained on “cult” charges across multiple provinces.
Campaign for Uyghurs reacted on X, welcoming the report and stating:”CFU welcomes the release of the @USCIRF‘s new report, China’s Persecution of Religious Leaders. The report documents the systematic detention, imprisonment, torture, and even deaths in custody of imams, clerics, pastors, and monks across China. For Uyghurs, this has meant the deliberate targeting of our religious leaders to erase faith and identity. CFU calls on governments, faith groups, and international institutions to demand the release of all religious leaders imprisoned in China. The persecution of clerics, imams, pastors, and monks is a direct assault on religious freedom and human dignity. The global community must act with urgency to stop this repression.”