China’s Methodical Crackdown on the Church of Almighty God: A Record Year of Persecution

Feb 20, 2026 - 14:00
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China’s Methodical Crackdown on the Church of Almighty God: A Record Year of Persecution
The Church of Almighty God (CAG) released its annual persecution report on February 13, 2026, documenting what its data indicate was the most severe year of state repression since the church began publishing systematic records in 2017. The figures contained in the report — 19,191 arrests, 2,291 prison sentences, 23 deaths attributed to persecution, and at least 330 million RMB (approximately USD 47 million) in confiscated assets — paint a picture of a comprehensive state campaign that operates not as a series of isolated law enforcement actions, but as a coordinated program of institutional elimination.