For more than a decade under President Xi Jinping, China has moved steadily toward a system defined by centralised political control, intrusive state surveillance, and diminishing personal freedoms. The year 2024 marks one of the bleakest chapters yet, as repression tightened across every sphere of civic life speech, religion, minority rights, gender equality, and regional autonomy. Hong Kong’s long-standing civil liberties have largely collapsed, while Tibet and Xinjiang remain under near-total authoritarian control.

Global human rights observers warn that this escalating crackdown threatens not only China’s 1.4 billion citizens but also the norms and values that underpin international human rights law.
The Canada-based organisation Global Alliance Against Atrocity and Violence on Humanity (GA3VH) expressed “grave concern” over Beijing’s actions, urging the international community to recognise the broader implications of China’s domestic policies.

Freedom of Expression: A State of Permanent Censorship

China’s information environment is now one of the most heavily controlled in the world.
All major media television, radio, newspapers, digital outlets operate under strict state supervision. The Great Firewall continues to expand, blocking foreign platforms, restricting online discourse, and filtering global information.

In 2024, suppression of dissent intensified

Coverage of the White Paper Protests and public concerns over contaminated food supplies led to the punishment or arrest of several journalists.

Independent stories that briefly reached the public were swiftly censored.

Citizens spreading unofficial information online faced interrogation, detention, or criminal charges.

Combined with ideological restrictions in the education system, China’s public sphere has shrunk to the point where meaningful debate is nearly impossible. The state now shapes not only what citizens may say, but increasingly what they may know.

Religious Freedom: Sinicization and State Control

Beijing recognises only five official religions and demands that all religious institutions operate under state oversight.
Under the Sinicization of Religion policy, implemented since 2016, clergy and worshippers are expected to demonstrate loyalty to the Communist Party above all.

Key developments in 2024 include

Removal of unauthorised religious apps, videos, and teaching materials.

Ongoing raids targeting house churches and members of Falun Gong.

Continued state control over Catholic bishop appointments despite the Vatican–China agreement.

Arrests, harassment, and long-term imprisonment of religious leaders.

The combined effect is a religious landscape shaped by political loyalty rather than personal belief—a direct violation of international norms of religious freedom.

Human Rights Defenders: Disappearances, Intimidation, and Prison Sentences

Beijing’s treatment of rights activists in 2024 reflects an increasingly hostile environment

Prominent lawyer Gao Zhisheng and protester Peng Lifa (“Bridge Man”) remain missing.

Women’s rights activist Li Qiaochu received a prison sentence approaching four years.

Journalist Zhang Zhan, previously jailed for reporting on COVID-19, was re-arrested after release.

MeToo activist Huang Xueqin and labour organiser Wang Jianbing were handed lengthy sentences.

The Chinese government has expanded its use of vague charges such as “picking quarrels” or “subverting state power,” enabling the criminalisation of peaceful activism.

Women’s and Girls’ Rights: Declining Autonomy

Gender discrimination remains deeply entrenched in 2024. Reports highlight:

Worsening wage and employment inequality.

Rising cases of domestic violence and sexual harassment.

State promotion of “traditional family values” in response to declining birth rates.

Legal setbacks: single women lost landmark cases involving reproductive rights, including egg-freezing and custody issues.

These policies collectively undermine women’s autonomy and reinforce structural gender inequality.

LGBTQ+ Rights: Small Legal Wins, Broad Social Crackdowns

China’s LGBTQ+ community faces an increasingly restrictive climate:

Closure of queer community spaces and censorship of online LGBTQ+ content.

Restrictions on university LGBTQ+ organisations.

Police pressure on event organisers.

Still, 2024 saw a rare positive milestone: a court case involving two mothers (the “Didi case”) recognised both women’s parental rights—an important, albeit limited, legal first for China. Yet, in practice, restrictions on family contact and administrative harassment remain common.

Isolation, Surveillance, and Cultural Suppression

Tibet remains one of the world’s most restricted territories for journalists, researchers, and foreign observers. In 2024:

Residents faced arrest for communicating with Tibetans abroad.

Lengthy prison terms were issued for online posts deemed “unapproved.”

Protests over environmental destruction and land rights were suppressed.

In Sichuan’s Derge County, large numbers of monks and villagers were arrested in February and March.

These patterns reflect Beijing’s deeper objective: breaking Tibetan cultural continuity through surveillance and enforced assimilation.

Hong Kong: Civil Liberties in Freefall

The transformative impact of the 2020 National Security Law (NSL) deepened in 2024 with the passage of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO):

Peaceful activism and symbolic acts such as posting Tiananmen commemorations online were criminalised.

Six individuals were arrested for “seditious acts” linked to social media posts.

Authorities cancelled passports of certain exiled dissidents and revoked their public benefits.

Hong Kong’s once-vibrant culture of debate, protest, and press freedom is effectively dismantled. The city increasingly resembles mainland China in its political and legal architecture.

Global Response and Warnings

International rights groups have condemned China’s policies, arguing that unchecked repression risks normalising violations at a global scale.

GA3VH cautioned

“If China continues to undermine its citizens’ most basic rights without consequences, the foundations of international human rights law will face unprecedented erosion.”

Analysts fear that China’s model authoritarian governance paired with advanced surveillance may inspire similar crackdowns in other states.

A Critical Turning Point

China’s human rights climate in 2024 presents a severe and urgent challenge.
Across all indicators—freedom of expression, religious liberty, gender equality, minority rights, and regional autonomy—repression has intensified. State laws, surveillance systems, and political ideology now overshadow fundamental freedoms for more than a billion people.

International observers argue that only sustained diplomatic pressure, global advocacy, and support for civil society can stop the ongoing deterioration.
Unless meaningful reforms emerge, China’s human rights crisis may harden into a long-term reality with far-reaching implications for global justice and human dignity.