In Shijing town in Xi’an’s Huyi district, authorities tore down a Catholic church at the end of December, sparking a protest by around 300 church followers who gathered later in front of district government offices with banners calling for the right to religious freedom, local sources said.

In Drago county, images from late last year of authorities demolishing a 30-meter (100-foot) tall Buddha statue and a monastery school were leaked to the Tibetan government-in-exile. The demolitions were first reported by Radio Free Asia, a U.S.-funded news agency, and confirmed by AP and others using satellite imagery.
Jampa of the Garze county foreign affairs office said he had not heard of the demolitions, and denied any restrictions on faith. Religious freedoms are protected by the Chinese constitution, he said, “like in America.”

Religious freedom

Meaning

Noun

Synonyms