BEIJING — A southern Chinese city is offering cash rewards for information about “illegal religious groups” as the ruling Communist Party continues to tighten its grip over faith communities. China has sought to defend itself against charges of cultural genocide, painting its critics as seeking to smear China’s reputation. It originally denied the camps’ existence, then said they were established to provide vocational assistance to steer people away from extremism. China has rejected any independent outside monitoring of the camps. China’s reputation for taking a hard line against religions — Muslims in particular — has drawn growing global attention.

Source: National Post March 29, 2019 10:07 UTC