H.R. 5838 — Combatting the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act

This section declares it to be the policy of the United States (1) to consider any official of the People's Republic of China (PRC) government responsible for or directly carrying out religious freedom abuses—including arbitrary detention, forced sterilization, torture, forced labor, and serious restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, expression, and movement against religious minorities such as Protestant Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners—as having committed a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights for purposes of sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act; and (2) for relevant Department of State bureaus, including the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, to support efforts promoting religious freedom in the PRC and for State Department programs to promote religious freedom in the PRC and monitor transnational repression of PRC religious minorities by the PRC government.

This section expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should promote religious freedom in the People's Republic of China by—(1) designating the People's Republic of China as a country of particular concern for religious freedom under section 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) for as long as its government continues particularly severe violations of religious freedom (as defined in 22 U.S.C. 6402); (2) strengthening diplomacy on behalf of Christians and other religious minorities, including through engagement of international partners; (3) raising cases of religious and political prisoners at the highest levels with Chinese officials; (4) calling on the Chinese government to unconditionally release all unjustly detained religious and political prisoners and to ensure humane treatment for remaining detainees, including access to family, legal counsel, independent medical care, international monitoring, and religious practice; and (5) encouraging the global faith community to speak in solidarity with oppressed religious groups in China.