Beijing, March 6 -- Chinese authorities have unlawfully detained thousands of individuals for peacefully asserting or exercising their rights over the past six years and have sentenced 1,545 individuals classified as prisoners of conscience, a rights organization reported on Wednesday, according to Radio Free Asia (RFA).

Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), a non-governmental organization consisting of domestic and international rights activists, stated that the extent of unlawful detention by Chinese authorities could amount to crimes against humanity.

"They were convicted and imprisoned based on charges arising from laws that do not align with the Chinese government's domestic and international human rights commitments," the organiz...