Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], October 3 : On China's 76th National Day, survivors of persecution, international rights activists, US lawmakers, and activists convened at the US Capitol for a major conference titled "Faith Under Siege: Confronting Religious Persecution and Oppression in China." The gathering shed light on the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) intensifying crackdown on religious and faith-based communities, as reported by Phayul.
According to Phayul, former Tibetan political prisoner Namkyi was among the most powerful voices at the event. Recalling her 2015 protest in Ngaba County with her sister Tenzin Dolma, she recounted their subsequent arrest and torture. "We were subjected to solitary confinement, military drills, political indoctrination, forced labour, poor food, and denial of medical treatment," she told the audience, while displaying photographs from the protests. Her testimony highlighted the brutal methods used by Chinese authorities to silence dissent in Tibet.
The conference, hosted at the US Capitol Visitor Center's Congressional Auditorium & Atrium, was jointly organised by several prominent advocacy groups, including the International Republican Institute (IRI), International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the Center for Uyghur Studies, Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation, Uyghur American Association, International Religious Freedom Summit, the Office of Tibet, and the Luke Alliance. Bringing together 27 speakers from Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Kong, Christian, and Falun Gong communities, the event was described as one of the most comprehensive platforms yet to unite survivors of China's repression.
Daniel Twining, President of the IRI, emphasised that religious liberty is at the core of all human rights. "Why is religious freedom so central? Because it binds together all the other rights we cherish," he said. Damon Wilson, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, echoed this sentiment, calling China's suppression of faith groups a global concern. Former Students for Free Tibet campaigns director Chemi Lhamo stated that such platforms challenge China's propaganda machine. She urged the need for ordinary citizens worldwide to support legislation that pushes back against CCP narratives, as highlighted by Phayul.
Other Tibetan leaders, including Tenzin Gyatso of ICT and Bhuchung Tsering of the Tibet Action Institute, along with Uyghur, Hong Kong, Christian, and Falun Gong representatives, shared similar stories of forced labour, surveillance, indoctrination, and imprisonment, highlighting the breadth of China's war on religious freedom, as reported by Phayul.