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15 years ago, Congress passed the International Religious Freedom Act, asserting international religious freedom as a top priority of the United States, as well as a fundamental human right. The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, created by the act, released a summary of the state of international religious freedoms. In the report, China was cited under the "Government Restrictions and Abuses" section, meaning laws and policies impede on the religious freedoms. The report states: 

The Guardian writer, Edward McMillian-Scott, and famous Chinese activist, Chen Guangcheng, have called upon the US and the EU to join forces to promote human rights worldwide, not just in smaller nations. The pair argue that there seems to be different standards for human rights with smaller "insignificant" countries, compared to larger strategic partners. China as an economic superpower, yet a continuing systematic violator of human rights is highlighted, and it is suggested that the western superpowers cannot ignore the rights violations in favor of economic partnership any longer.

On Tuesday, May 14^th China released a paper detailing the claimed progress of human rights in 2012. The paper largely focused on the right to a clean environment, as well as freedom of speech. The report noted that environmental protection has become a large problem in China, and that the right to a clean environment is a right everyone is entitled to.

A number of prominent 'rights' lawyers, attorneys who work on civil rights issues, were detained and beaten in a Sichuan 'black jail.'  Black jails are illegal detention facilities local officials use to incarcerate petitioners and political dissidents. The use of black jails has flourished in recent years as government officials across China seek to fulfill central government directives to maintain social stability.

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