persecute

Jiang Qing, Mao Zedong’s wife, led the Gang of Four, a radical faction that used the 1966-1967 Cultural Revolution to persecute perceived enemies and throw China into upheaval.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

It has many tools to persecute people who exercise or facilitate reproductive freedom within its borders.

From Slate ● May 15, 2026

“Throughout the Scripture, there are two kinds of leaders: those who persecute faith communities and those who protect them,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

He said many had grown used to Assad’s rule, which was authoritarian but at least did not actively persecute Armenians.

From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2024

It seemed that Bobby had lapsed over the years into a state of increasingly frequent paranoia, believing as he did that people and organizations, bonded in a conspiracy, were out to persecute him.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

It must send an unequivocal message that the United States will not supply weapons to military and security services whose leadership persecutes journalists and activists.

From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2021

While Emperor Domitian persecutes the Christians, the aged apostle John has prophetic visions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2019

In the Bible, Saul persecutes Christians before he has a conversion experience on the road to Damascus and becomes the apostle Paul.

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 11, 2018

When Americans hear about “tribalism,” they often imagine a faraway land where one ethnic or religious faction mercilessly persecutes another for generations.

From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2018

O my friend," said Bennaskar, "accuse me not, my own heart persecutes me sufficiently.

From Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers by L. (Laura) Valentine

The administration says it seeks assurances from those countries that the deported persons will not be not be abused or persecuted, but it refuses hearings for individuals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

Many of the boats heading south from the Myanmar Bangladesh border that year instead headed to Aceh in Indonesia, whose fishing communities initially welcomed these fellow, persecuted Muslims.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Even after 1964, when Leonid Brezhnev halted reforms, persecuted dissidents and presided over what came to be regarded as “the era of stagnation,” the arbitrary arrests of millions did not resume.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“I had always hoped that this land might become a safe and agreeable asylum to the virtuous and persecuted part of mankind, to whatever nation they might belong.”

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2026

There is no record of Democritus having been persecuted for his opinions—but then, he came from Abdera.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Rome’s shift from persecuting Christians to forming partnerships with them helped stabilize a weakened political order and opened a new era in the empire’s history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

This is a declaration that faith is not on the side of persecuting the most vulnerable communities.

From Slate ● Feb. 27, 2026

According to a statement from the US Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Alsheikh concealed his employment at the prison and denied persecuting anyone in his US visa and citizenship applications.

From BBC ● Dec. 13, 2024

But they became giants in an era when employers were effectively free to pull out all the stops in blocking and, in some cases, persecuting union organizers.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2024

“Lance, have you heard the news? A messenger has just arrived to say that this girl who is persecuting you is on her way to court, bringing the baby. She will be here this evening.”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White