What are the consequences of labeling the arrests as violations of religious freedom?
On the one hand, religious freedom is inseparable from other freedoms. Where there is the freedom to believe, so too is there the freedom to speak, associate, and publish. This is certainly our current experience in America. On the other hand, all politics is local, and the establishment and evolution of freedoms related to religious freedom is contextually dependent. (Witness the U.S. example: official state religions were not officially disestablished until the 1830s and African slaves and women did not receive the right to vote until 1870 and 1920 respectively.) While there is certainly a place for outcry at these arrests, they do not appear to be particular violations of religious freedom for two reasons. First, non-religious activists were also arrested. Over the past five months, independent trade unionists, democracy activists, and opposition party leaders have been either arrested, detained, interrogated, or harassed due to their political stances.5 According to various release
