A new report from China Aid says that Christian persecution in China significantly climbed during 2014.

The Texas-based advocacy group said that China saw a 300 percent increase in instances of religious – mostly Christian – persecution in 2014 compared to 2013.  The 572 confirmed cases of persecution impacted 17,884 people, a rise of over 10,000 from the previous year.

“In 2014, the scope, depth, and intensity of persecution against religious practitioners far surpassed that of 2013,” China Aid reported. “The increase in government-sanctioned persecution against religious practitioners and human rights lawyers and advocates reflects the overall political transformation that is occurring within the Communist Party in China (CPC), namely an orchestrated effort to consolidate power and suppress dissent and any perceived threats to the Chinese government, including the growth of religion in China.”

A significant rise was seen in the detention of church leadership.  In 2013, 54 church leaders had been arrested or detained by government officials.  In 2014, that number jumped to 449.

The Chinese government claimed that actions taken against Christian groups, which included the destruction of churches and the removal of crosses from church buildings, were attempts to eliminate “attacking cults.”  They said the “cults” were attempting to “undermine law enforcement.”

The report from China Aid backs up the earlier report from Open Doors regarding religious freedom worldwide that showed China deteriorating in freedom.  China fell from 37th to 29th in the most recent Open Doors report.