China’s drive against censoring all "publications and information that weaken, distort, or negate the Party's leadership or China's Socialist system" has escalated since the beginning of 2019. Basically, printing and copying services, online sales platforms, wholesale markets for publications and postal and logistics services come under the purview of this policy. However, a new perspective has emerged after Bitter Winter, an online magazine managed to access a confidential document titled 'Special Campaign Plan for In-Depth Implementation of Eradicating Pornography and Illegal Publications to consolidate the frontier for 2019’. A close examination of the same reveals that the Chinese authorities are suppressing religious liberties and dissent in the garb of the censorship policy. 

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Government inspections 

Issued by a locality in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in April 2019, it directs the "constant blocking, investigating and dealing with" religious publications from abroad and printed materials that are smuggled, carried or mailed. The authorities keep a close tab on the persons sending and receiving the packages. Furthermore, non-approved Bibles, books on Islam, Xinjiang, Tibet, South Korea Christianity, Falun Gong or the Church of Almighty God are their main targets. Strict punishment is meted out to the courier-in-charge ranging from dismissal to imprisonment. The recent case of a house church preacher in the south-eastern province of Fujian is a testimony to this.  

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References to religion removed 

The preacher wanted to gift 170 commemorative albums for an anniversary of his church. However, he was asked to apply for a permit to the local Bureau of Culture to get his album printed. In the bargain, he had to remove all references to religious content.  

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"When policies call for strict measures over religion, every aspect is tightly controlled. This is occurring nationwide. It is the same for Buddhism and Taoism. In fact, it has always been like this. Even if we plan to do something small and simple, the government will first ask whose plan was this and then will try to find out if somebody 'behind the scenes' is financing it. They will also want to know if more than 100 people participate, suspecting that they have other aims. The government will think of many obstacles because it is afraid that we will practice our faith," the preacher added. 

Similar such incidents have been reported from Nanping city, Jiangxi province and Sanming city, where there has been a crackdown on Christian and Buddhist literature.  

(With ANI inputs)

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