Persecution is the state of suffering or being maliciously discriminated against mainly due to a conspicuous difference in the person who is being persecuted—such as having a distinct race, religion, political preference, level of income or societal position, a handicap, or even an ideology.
It is the condition of being subjected to what the persecuted regards as unfair treatment.
Persecution can be synonymous with bullying.
Criminal organizations being pressured by attempts law enforcement to reduce or eliminate their activities invariably interpret this as malicious discrimination; and individual criminals fairly convicted, sentenced and imprisoned all protest that they are being persecuted and treated unfairly.
President Donald J. Trump insisted that he was unjustly persecuted by the Democratic Party.