Responding to a Reuters special report headlined "China co-opts Buddhist sect in drive to discredit Dalai Lama" alleging that the Chinese government is materially supporting Shugden worshippers to undermine the XIVth Dalai Lama, the Chinese government issued a statement on December 21, 2015. The statement asserted that China's "central government and government of the Tibet Autonomous Region fully respect the rights of citizens to freedom of belief. In Tibet, all religions and sects receive equal respect and protection, and normal religious activities and religious belief is protected by the law." It said "'Dorje Shugden' is a protecting deity who has been worshipped throughout history by several schools in Tibetan Buddhism, with special religious practices, forms of worship and séances passed on. Starting from the Fifth Dalai Lama, Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas throughout history have worshipped 'Dorje Shugden'. Whether to believe or not in the protecting deity 'Dorje Shugden' is totally a free and private matter for religious followers. The 14th Dalai Lama has in recent years used all sorts of means, including violent terror methods, to force certain people to abandon their religious belief, which has caused strong dissatisfaction in the Tibetan Buddhist community and among certain religious groups internationally. This kind of behavior, which violates the beliefs of religious followers and persecutes them, once more exposes the 14th Dalai Lama's hypocrisy and real face of the religious tyranny he practices."