PINGDINGSHAN, Henan, China (WordNews.org) June 4, 2012 — A house church in Hebei provice was surrounded and raised by 200 police and government officials, China Aid is reporting.
Fifty-four believers were arrested only seven have been detained and formally charged.
The seven who were charged are:
Han Hai, male, aged 60, previously administratively detained twice, was also sentenced to a labor camp for three years, now held in the Ye County Detention Center.
Hu Linpo, from Singapore, male, aged 49, the house church’s main preacher, was detained in 1989 for 30 days. Criminally detained on April 18 and is now held in the Ye County Detention Center.
Yang Lianbin, male, aged 23, working in Zhengzhou. Now held in the Ye County Detention Center.
Zhang Mian, female, aged 37, owner of the home where the church meets. Criminally detained on April 20, now held in the Pingdingshan Detention Center.
Cao Xia, female, in her 50s, owner of another home where the church meets. Police seized from her home CDs of Hu Linpo preaching and a computer used to make copies of the sermon CDs. Police also confiscated a Chinese-made Liebao SUV parked outside Cao’s home that belonged to a Christian man who was there to listen to the preaching. Cao was criminally detained on April 20 and is now held in the Pingdingshan Detention Center.
Wang En, female, in her 20s, taken from Cao Xia’s home, said to have helped make copies of Preacher Hu’s sermon CDs. Held in the Ye County Detention Center.
Li Dan, female, in her 20s, taken from Cao Xia’s home, probably for copying CDs. Held in the Pindingshan Detention Center.
The families of Preacher Hu, Zhang Mian and Wang En have already signed documents hiring lawyers for their detained family members.
“We are shocked by this new wave of persecution against China’s house churches,” said ChinaAid founder and president Bob Fu. ” The ‘cult law’ has already been used to detain tens of thousands of individuals, often without trial or due process. Now it is increasingly being used to target Protestant ‘house church’ gatherings.”
He added, “Our independent investigation finds that these house church members who are under arrest have not done anything wrong nor anything illegal. They are being persecuted for nothing more than the exercise of their right to religious freedom by peacefully gathering to worship God. We urge the international community to pay close attention to this case so that those who have perpetrated this persecution are held accountable.”
PINGDINGSHAN, Henan, China (WordNews.org) June 4, 2012 — A house church in Hebei provice was surrounded and raised by 200 police and government officials, China Aid is reporting.
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