There has been a sharp rise in forced evictions in China by local authorities who seize and then sell off land to offset their debts to state-run banks, a new report from a global rights watchdog said Friday. According to the report, millions have been affected by the evictions following dodgy deals between local governments and property deals.

Local governments borrowed huge sums from state banks to finance stimulus projects and now rely on land sales to cover the payments, the report said.

And it's hazardous to protest the evictions: the incidents have in deaths, beatings, harassment and imprisonment of residents who have been forced from their homes across the country in both rural and urban areas.

The report said that forced evictions, or the removal against their will of individuals, families or communities from the homes or the land they occupy without access to legal or other protections, are banned under international law.

In a new 85-page report, Standing Their Ground, London-based Amnesty International highlights how forced evictions  have increased over two years  to clear way for development.

The ruling Communist Party, claimed the report, promotes "local officials who deliver economic growth, regardless as to how it is achieved".