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July 27, 2006
China to Christians: 'We Will Break You'
China Aid Association learned 4 well-known House Church Leaders in Sichuan were formally sentenced to 2 years re-education through Labor July 25, 2006. The PSB of Langzhong City delivered the sentence document to the official village offices where the four pastors reside. However, none of the pastor's family members have received these papers yet.
The four Pastors LI Ming, WANG Yuan, LI Mingbo and JIN Jirong are major leaders of the Chinese House Church Alliance. They were detained June 27 after they went to the local police station to try to free the other 14 Christians who were arrested during a Christian worship service early that morning. CAA also released the latest religious persecution report regarding intensive persecution against house churches in Wendeng City, Shandong Province.
According to eyewitness reports, at 9:40 AM, June 11, 2006, Hou Chengxun, the head of the Domestic Security Protection Squad of Wendeng Public Security Bureau in Shandong and the head of the Fifth Squad; Cong Peiqing, the head of Public Security Squad; The Director General and a Department Director, led more than 50 policemen in 10 police wagons to our family church at Bukou Village, Bukou Port Management Committee, Wendeng, and besieged the nearly 60 Christians. They barricaded each door of the house, forbidding them to leave and shouted into the microphone, "Stand still, get in a wagon." While shouting, they continued taking photos and recording the meeting and Christians, forbidding them to speak. If someone said, "Free belief," the police would cry out, "Take him/her away!" Two Christians, Liu Yujie and Zhang Shuzheng are more than 60 years old had several strong men drag them into a police wagon with their arms pinned behind their backs.
None of the police agents showed their identification to the Christians in compliance with the law, not even a summons paper. Without giving the Christians any chance to legally defend themselves, they took these Christians to Bukou Police Station of the Public Security Bureau of Wendeng, ignoring their protests, where each Christian was imprisoned and interrogated in individual rooms. This time, the Public Security Bureau of Wendeng caught 31 Christians, the rest escaped in the chaos.
Dr. Li Baiguang, well-known Christian rights lawyer who met with President Bush in the White House in May, went to Wendeng City and filed a legal administrative appeal on behalf of the 3 Christians. The Police have threatened to confiscate the house church where the Christians worship. (Read the full report and legal paper written by Dr. LI Baiguang at www.ChinaAid.org at "Special Report" section).
CAA called for the immediate release of these illegally sentenced Christian leaders. Letters of protest and concern can be sent to the the Administrative officials at Wendeng City Shandong province and the Chinese Embassy. Communist Party General Secretary of Wendeng City Mr. Wang Liang and Mayor Mr Gao Jie Office phone numbers ; ; ; ; )
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong, Embassy of the People's Republic of China 2300 Connecticut Ave NW, TEL:
Fax: ;
Director of Religious Affairs:
Source: CAA
Posted by tim at July 27, 2006 3:32 PM