Human rights in China

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 Survey 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. Democracy movements in China have been repressed, most notably in the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.