Intro: Human Rights Watch reports China deepened control in 2025, suppressing freedoms and targeting minorities severely

Bangkok

The Chinese government significantly intensified repression across the country in 2025, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its World Report 2026. Under President Xi Jinping, authorities tightened ideological control and curtailed fundamental freedoms, particularly targeting minority and religious communities.

HRW highlighted that Tibetans, Uyghurs, members of unofficial Christian churches, and other minority groups faced the harshest violations. The report also noted a sharp rise in repression in Hong Kong. “The Chinese government under Xi Jinping has amassed an increasingly disastrous human rights record,” said Maya Wang, HRW Deputy Asia Director. She added that foreign governments have largely failed to counter Beijing’s growing threats to international human rights.

The 529-page report, HRW’s 36th edition, reviews human rights in over 100 countries. Executive Director Philippe Bolopion warned that reversing global authoritarian trends is a generational challenge, urging democracies and civil society to form strategic alliances to defend freedoms.

Xi Jinping’s visits to Tibet in August and Xinjiang in September 2025 aimed to showcase strict state control. Authorities plan new laws to further repress minorities, strengthen ideological oversight, and expand China’s influence abroad. Thousands of Uyghurs reportedly remain imprisoned, while Dalai Lama birthday celebrations were banned in Tibet.

In Hong Kong, repression intensified under the National Security Law. The League of Social Democrats disbanded, and several pro-democracy figures, including Jimmy Lai, remain imprisoned. HRW reported campaigns to “sinicize” religions, forcing churches to align with party ideology. Dozens of Protestant church members were arrested or sentenced on charges such as fraud.

HRW also documented arbitrary detentions, including harassment of overseas activists and their families. Cases included the arrest of France-based student Tara Zhang Yadi and pressure on filmmakers linked to the IndieChina festival in New York.

The report called on Beijing to end abuses in Xinjiang, repeal Hong Kong’s security laws, allow independent observers in Tibet and Xinjiang, and release detained human rights defenders.