ABSTRACT

This contribute examines the issue of religious persecution and asylum requests by Chinese citizens within the framework of the Italian Court of Cassation’s recent decisions.

While religious freedom is formally guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution, international reports highlight the presence of severe violations of the right of religious freedom for those whose worship does not align with government-recognised religions.

The analysis will focus on the Chinese legal framework concerning religious freedom and on the comparison between the restrictive approaches of Italian lower court jurisprudence and the more rights-based orientation of the Court of Cassation.