Religious leaders in China, both independent and state-sanctioned, endure egregious religious freedom conditions. Religious leaders must conform to the Chinese Communist Party’s political ideology and submit to the state’s intrusive system of control in order to legally engage in religious activities. Those who refuse to do so face severe punishments, including surveillance, fines, retribution against family members, detention, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, torture, and other forms of mistreatment and abuse. This factsheet provides an overview of the Chinese government’s persecution of religious leaders and highlights recent cases.