persecute

Persecute is a verb meaning to subject someone to persistent hostility, harassment, or oppression, often because of a personal characteristic or belief that the person cannot readily change. The act can be carried out by individuals, groups, or state actors and may take the form of discrimination, coercion, violence, detention, or other violations of fundamental rights. Persecution is typically understood as enduring or systematic in nature, rather than a single hostile act.

Common bases for persecution include religion, ethnicity or nationality, political opinion, membership in a particular social group, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Persecution can involve deprivation of rights such as freedom of worship or speech, property confiscation, restriction of movement, arrest or torture, or expulsion from a country. It may be motivated by prejudice, power, or political aims, and may occur as part of state policy or by non-state actors that the government fails to protect against.

In international law and human rights contexts, persecution is a defined form of abuse and can be a crime against humanity when part of a systematic attack against civilians. Under refugee and asylum law, individuals who face persecution on protected grounds may be eligible for protection. The concept is also distinguished from general criminal wrongdoing by its targeted, large-scale, and state-orchestrated or state-tolerated nature.