Human rights in the People's Republic of China (PRC) are severely curtailed. Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and workers' rights are restricted by the government. The Chinese political system is authoritarian, with no freely elected national leaders, and repression of political opposition, as well as a lack of an independent judiciary, rule of law, and due process. Human rights abuses by the Chinese government are prevalent, with extensive censorship, mass surveillance, and repression of ethnic minorities and religious groups, including Christians, Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Uyghurs, and groups the government deems as "evil cults," such as Falun Gong, the Church of Almighty God, and The Shouters.
The Chinese Communist Party and government's stated view of human rights emphasizes economic development, material well-being, and national sovereignty. They have often challenged notions of individual civil and political rights in international human rights law as being universal.
Academics, international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) including Human Rights in China and Amnesty International, human rights treaty bodies and the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review, as well as citizens, lawyers, and dissidents inside the country, have documented how the authorities in mainland China regularly sanction or organize abuses. Human rights groups have also raised concerns about the prevalent use of capital punishment in China, the one-child policy (prior to abolishing it in 2015), and human rights in Tibet. In a human rights report that assesses social, economic, and political freedoms, China received the lowest ranking globally for safety from state actions and the right to assemble.
The World Values SurveyChina (2018). Q253: "Respect for individual human rights nowadays", https://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/WVSOnline.jsp finds that 72% of Chinese are satisfied with the state of human rights in their country.
Some Chinese activist groups are trying to improve human rights. Chinese human rights attorneys who take on cases related to these issues, however, often face harassment, disbarment, and arrest by the Chinese state.Human Rights Watch. Walking on Thin Ice 28 April 2008.Amnesty International, "China: No Rule of Law when Defence Lawyers Cannot Perform their Legitimate Role" , 5 October 2010 Democracy movements in China have been repressed, most notably in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.
Legal system
Since the legal reforms of the late 1970s and 1980s, the CCP has officially moved to embrace the language of the rule of law, and has also attempted to establish a modern court system. During this process, it has enacted thousands of new laws and regulations, and has begun training more legal professionals. The concept of 'rule of law' has been emphasized in the constitution, and the ruling party has embarked on campaigns to promote the idea that citizens have protection under the law. At the same time, however, a fundamental contradiction exists in the constitution itself, in which the CCP insists that its authority supersedes that of the law.Eva Pils, 'Asking the Tiger for His Skin: Rights Activism in China' , Fordham International Law Journal, Volume 30, Issue 4 (2006). Thus, the constitution enshrines the rule of law and simultaneously stresses the principle that the "leadership of the Communist Party" holds primacy over the law and the legal system.
The judiciary is not independent of the CCP, and judges face political pressure; in many instances, party committees dictate the outcome of cases. In 2007, law and the judiciary were further subordinated to the interests of the CCP under the doctrine of the Three Supremes. In 2013, Document Number Nine detailed the CCP's antipathy toward the rule of law. This has produced a system often described as "rule by law" (alluding to the CCP's power), rather than rule of law. Moreover, the legal system lacks protections for civil rights, and often fails to uphold due process. This contrasts with a system of checks and balances or separation of powers. Scholars have noted that these characteristics of China's legal system often undermine due process in practice, particularly in politically sensitive criminal cases handled by defense lawyers, as analyzed in Criminal Defense in China.
Foreign experts estimate that in 2000, there were between 1.5 million and 4 million people in prison in mainland China. The PRC does not allow outsiders to inspect its penal system.
Civil liberties
Rights in the PRC resemble notions of positive law, informed by the legacy of the Napoleonic Code, in which rights are created and granted by the state. The PRC's legal discourse is not based upon ideas of natural law.
Freedom of speech
Although the 1982 state constitution formally guarantees freedom of speech, the Chinese government maintains that "freedom of speech is not the same as free speech". According to the People's Liberation Army Daily, when exercising their right to freedom of speech, citizens "must not disrupt social order, violate the Constitution and laws, or harm the interests of the state, society, or collectives, or the legitimate freedoms and rights of other citizens". The Chinese government often uses the "subversion of state power" and "protection of state secrets" clauses in their law system to imprison those who criticize the government. Another crime used to jail critics is "picking quarrels and provoking trouble".
During the 2008 Summer Olympics, the government promised to issue permits authorizing people to protest in specifically designated "protest parks" in Beijing. However, a majority of the applications were withdrawn, suspended, or vetoed, and the police detained some of the people who applied.
References to certain controversial events and political movements, as well as access to web pages considered by the PRC authorities to be "dangerous" or "threatening to state security", are blocked on the internet in the PRC; and content disputed by or critical of PRC authorities is absent from many publications, and subject to the control of the CCP within mainland China. An unsanctioned protest during the Olympics by seven foreign activists at the China Nationalities Museum, protesting for a free Tibet and blocking the entrance, was cleared and the protesters deported.
Foreign Internet search engines including Microsoft Bing, Yahoo!, and Google China have come under criticism for aiding these practices. Yahoo!, in particular, stated that it will not protect the privacy and confidentiality of its Chinese customers from the authorities.Gunther, Marc. "Tech execs get grilled over mainland China business: Yahoo, Google, Microsoft, and Cisco, facing attack in Congress, say they're doing more good than harm in China" . CNN. 16 February 2006.
In 2005, after Yahoo! China provided its personal emails and IP addresses to the Chinese government, reporter Shi Tao was sentenced to imprisonment for ten years for releasing an internal CCP document to an overseas Chinese democracy site. Skype president Josh Silverman said it was "common knowledge" that TOM Online had "established procedures to...block instant messages containing certain words deemed offensive by the Chinese authorities"."China 'spying on Skype messages'", BBC News. 3 October.2008.
Reports indicate both prisoners have developed severe health problems, including organ damage, memory loss, and physical injuries, as a result of repeated beatings and torture, yet have been denied adequate medical care. Their cases have drawn attention from human rights groups as examples of China's systematic repression of Tibetan activists, including arbitrary detention, harsh treatment in prison, and punitive transfers when their situations are raised internationally.
In July 2025, Chinese authorities arrested Zhang Yadi, a 22-year-old student and advocate for Tibetan rights, in Shangri-La, Yunnan province, while she was visiting from France. Zhang was detained under Article 103(2) of China's Criminal Law for allegedly "inciting separatism," a charge that carries a sentence of up to 15 years. She was involved with Chinese Youth Stand for Tibet, a group promoting Tibetan rights and interethnic dialogue. Human Rights Watch and other organizations called for her immediate release, urging international governments to intervene as she was due to begin graduate studies in London.
On April 27, 2026, ARTICLE 19 reported that the Victoria and Albert Museum removed content from catalogues under pressure from Chinese authorities, illustrating China's extraterritorial censorship of cultural institutions. The case reflects broader efforts to control narratives on Taiwan, Tibet, and ethnic minorities, raising concerns about cultural freedom and human rights.
On May 27, 2026, thirty-seven years after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre, the Tiananmen Mothers, representing families of those who died, called on the Chinese government to address past injustices. They were subsequently blocked from visiting Wan'an Cemetery to pay their respects at the graves of those killed.
On 19 July 2026, the Tibetan Youth Congress started a worldwide relay hunger strike in Dharamshala after Tibetan activist Lobsang Palden (Lobga Rangzen) died in a self-immolation protest outside the United Nations Headquarters. The campaign was meant to draw attention to Tibetan political issues and raise concerns about China’s actions in Tibet, which Tibetan groups say are harming their culture and way of life. The protesters also called for the release of Tibetan prisoners and asked the international community to pay more attention to human rights issues in Tibet.
On 5 August 2026, the United States section of Amnesty International called for the release of Chinese activist and human rights defender Zhang Yi a Chinese activist and human rights defender who was detained by authorities in Lhasa, Tibet, on 1 July 2026, after showing a photograph of the Dalai Lama on his phone to a Tibetan worshipper at Sera Monastery. He was later formally arrested on suspicion of "inciting separatism".
Freedom of the press