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China

• Foreign Church Leaders Deported from China

  Rev. Dr. Brad Long Photo fromwww.prmi.org

  Rev. John Chang Photo fromwww.gcif.org

  On the morning of February 24, a training session for church leaders from across China was raided by Chinese authorities.  Eight Americans, one Taiwanese and an unknown number of South Koreans were detained and interrogated.  They were then ordered to leave the country within five days.

  The training session for about 140 Chinese house church leaders was being held in an office building in a suburb of Harbin city, the capital of Heilongjiang province.  According to ChinaAid, the house church leaders were released that night after being interrogated, fingerprinted and required to give their home addresses and house church affiliations.  Their cell phones were also confiscated, along with 20,000 RMB (about $3000 CDN).  Those deported include Americans Rev. Dr. Brad Long and Rev. and Mrs. John and Susan Chang, and well-known Taiwanese church leader Rev. Lin Yuyuan.

  Pray for the continuing training of Chinese church leaders.  Pray that the Gospel will continue to spread throughout the country.

  For more information on the state of the Church in China,click here.

• Chinese Leader Tortured; Campaign to Free Catholic Leaders Launched

  Pastor Zhuohua Cai

  In other developments in China, ChinaAid has learned from a reliable source that Pastor Zhuohua Cai had been tortured with electric cattle prods to force a confession after his arrest in September 2004 (click here for more details).  He is accused of illegally running a printing press and profiting illicitly from the enterprise.

  On March 5, AsiaNews published a list of 19 Roman Catholic bishops and 18 priests arrested or prevented from carrying out their ministry by the Chinese authorities.  The list includes six bishops who were arrested and have disappeared.  One was arrested in 1996.  The purpose of the article is to raise awareness of their plight and to begin a campaign aimed at gaining the release of these prisoners of faith.  The Voice of the Martyrs encourages your involvement.  A list of these leaders and addresses you can write to on their behalf is available online at (click here).

  On a possibly more encouraging note, Australian news agency, The Age, reported on March 5 that China is preparing to change their policy on "re-education through labour," which allows police to imprison anyone without trial for up to four years.  According to a Chinese Justice Department official, the new system would allow for an appeal to the courts as well as the right to a lawyer.  It is believed this change may be a concession to the European Union in an attempt to lift its arms embargo on China.  VOM Spokesman, Glenn Penner, expressed cautiousness at the news. "Of course, only time will tell," he stated, "whether genuine change in this draconian policy will materialize or if Chinese authorities will simply find another, less obvious, way of violating the basic human rights of those whom they wish to detain without going through the judicial system.  The international community needs to be vigilant in keeping China accountable regarding this.  It is too easy just to accept their stated intentions and believe that this is progress."

  Pray for real and lasting change in China.  Pray that those detained for their beliefs will be strong in their faith and stand firm in the face of torture.  Pray for the release of those detained.

  For more information on persecution facing Christians in China,click here.

• Chinese Christian Released from Prison

  According to the Associated Press, Zhang Shengqi has been released after one year in prison.  Zhang was arrested in late 2003, along with Liu Fenggang and Xu Yonghai.  They were convicted of leaking "national secrets" after posting Internet reports on the destruction of several unregistered churches in Hangzhou.  They were also accused of leaking information about a 2000 court case involving Li Baozhi to an overseas magazine, "Christian Life Quarterly."  Family members contacted by AP confirm his release.

  Thank God for this release and pray for those who are still imprisoned for the faith in China.  Pray that Zhang will not continue to face harassment from Chinese officials.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in China,click here.

• Prominent Church Leader Arrested

  Zhang Rongliang Photo from VOM-USA

  According to China Aid, a prominent house church leader in China, Zhang Rongliang, was arrested on December 1 at his home in Xuzhai village in Henan Province.  His wife and children were able to escape and are presently in hiding. Their apartment has been searched, with authorities confiscating DVDs, photos and other materials that would establish any form of proof that Zhang had relationships with foreign organizations.  According to a reliable source, homes throughout the village were searched, presumably looking for Zhang's wife and children.

  Zhang is believed to be held in custody in the Zheng Zhou area of Henan Province. He is the leader of the China for Christ Church, a network of house churches estimated to have more than ten million members. Zhang is well known internationally, being featured in the book, "Jesus in Beijing," as well as many other books and articles. He previously served twelve years in prison for his faith and was last released in August 1999.

  According to Bob Fu from China Aid, Pastor Zhang’s health is questionable as he suffers from serious diabetes. It is feared that Pastor Zhang may not be able to withstand the torture and mistreatment generally associated with the imprisonment of church leaders.

  China Aid reports that Gao Shunping, who assisted Pastor Zhang in getting a travel ID, has also disappeared and at least three house churches in the Fangcheng area have been raided in the past two weeks.

  We encourage Christians throughout the world to protest this latest action against freedom of religion in China. Contact information for Chinese embassies is available through our website (click here). The book, "Jesus in Beijing," is available through VOM's online catalog.

  For more information on persecution facing Christians in China,click here.

• Secret Document Released

  Official Government Seals from the released document Photos and documents fromChinaAid

  On November 17, at a press conference in Washington , D.C. , China Aid Association released a secret document by top Chinese government and Communist Party departments.  The internal government document, dated May 27, 2004 and addressed to various government departments throughout China , was issued to "boost Marxist atheism research, propaganda, and education."  It urges an increase in Marxist propaganda, integrating it into all levels of society."  One intention is to "ban all uncivilized conduct in spreading superstitions," causing people to be "educated, spirits enriched, their state of thought improved."  Stronger involvement is urged in the media, with particular attention to the Internet as "a new tool to conduct Marxist atheism propaganda and education."  While the document purports to support freedom of religion, it calls on officials to make a distinction between religion and "superstition."  This designation has been frequently used against religious beliefs which do not support the government's Marxist position.  This document helps to explain an increase in government suppression of house churches, the Internet and Christian literature in recent months.

  A copy of the original document and an English translation are available (click here).

  Pray for the underground house churches in China , as they face the oppression of government leaders.  Pray for wisdom in ministering in the midst of this persecution.  Pray for strength for those in prison for their faith in China .

  For more information on persecution of the Church in China ,click here. The Voice of the Martyrs has a number of resources on China available through our online catalog.  This includes books, DVDs and VHS tapes at prices typically below what you would pay in bookstores (click here).

• Appeal for Action in Christian's Death

  China Aid has released an appeal from the husband of a Christian woman killed in police custody on June 18 (for more details, click here). Zhang Zhenghua, husband of Ms. Jiang Zongxiu, is calling for the Chinese authorities to investigate and hold the police officers accountable who beat Jiang to death while she was being interrogated.  Despite reports in the Chinese media and several appeals to higher authorities, there has been no serious investigation into the case.  Initially, the authorities claimed she had died of heart failure, despite the obvious wounds on her body from the beatings.  To read the English translation of Zhang's appeal, click here.

  Continue to pray for Zhang and his four-year-old son, Zhang Jun, as they deal with the terrible loss of a wife and mother.  Pray for other families also facing the pain of loved ones killed or in prison in China for their Christian work.  Pray that the authorities will hold responsible those who killed this young mother.

  

  We encourage Christians to call the Chinese authorities to account by politely expressing your concerns to the Chinese embassy in your country.  For contact information, click here. For guidelines on how to write a letter to government officials, click here.

  For more information on the suffering and persecution facing Christians in China ,click here.

• Church Leader Faces Extremely Harsh Sentence

  Pastor Cai Performing a Baptism

  Pastor Cai Zhuohua and his wife face extremely harsh sentences if convicted in an upcoming trial.  The 32-year-old pastor was kidnapped on September 11 by plain-clothed officers while he was waiting for a bus in Beijing .  On September 27 his wife, Xiao Yunfei was arrested while in hiding.  Her brother, Xiao Gaowen, and sister-in-law, Hu Jinyun, were also arrested. According to sources close to the Chinese authorities, the central government has labeled this case the most serious case of overseas religious infiltration since the founding of the People's Republic of China . According to China Aid, Qiang Wei, deputy General Secretary of Politics and Law Commission of Beijing, has issued a handwritten directive "Yan Ban," meaning to deal with this case harshly and severely.

  The authorities reported finding 200,000 Bibles and other Christian literature in a storage room managed by Pastor Cai; literature not printed by the officially-sanctioned press which limits the numbers and distribution of Bibles it prints.  This literature found by the authorities was intended for internal use by the house churches.  Authorities are also reported to be upset about a quarterly magazine for house churches called "Love Feast" (http://www.aiyan.org) with which Pastor Cai has been involved.

  According to one source, authorities are considering criminal charges such as tax evasion or illegal business management, rather than religious charges.  Such criminal charges could lead to a life sentence.  All four arrested are being held at the Qinghe Detention Center , Haidian District, Beijing .  None of their relatives have been allowed to visit.

  Urgent prayer is urged for these four believers in Jesus Christ. Pray also for Pastor Cai's four-year-old son, Cai Yabo, who is under the care of his grandmother.  We encourage all those concerned about religious liberty to contact the Chinese embassy in their country, expressing concern for these and other believers in prison for their faith in China.  For contact information, click here. For guidelines on how to write a letter to government officials, click here.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in China ,click here.

• Appeal from the family of Jiang Zongxiu, Who Died a Sudden Death during Detention

  I am Zhang Zhenghua, husband of Jiang Zongxiu, a villager of Baishi Village of Ganshui Township of Qijiang County of Chongqing City. On June 18, 2004, the Public Security Bureau of Tongzi County of Guizhou Province in the name of “disturbing social order” detained my 34-year-old wife, due to her disseminating the Gospel books of the Bible. And on that afternoon she died a sudden death for an unknown reason. Since our marriage, my wife has been in good health, and has not been afflicted by any disease. Even if she occasionally caught cold, it was no need for her to seek treatment. In the noontime of that day my wife told my mother, who was detained in the same place for the same reason, “The officers kicked me, and I feel very painful.” Over six months have gone by since my wife’s death. The leaders of the Public Security Bureau of Tongzi deceived the upper-level authorities, and intimidated the victim’s family. It is beyond our toleration. I hereby disclose this case to the public, hoping all conscientious people might speak out the truth and bringing those who violated the law to justice.

  The following are our doubts over the death of Jiang Zongxiu:

  1. Jiang Zongxiu had been in good health before her death. Since our marriage, I have been working in Chongqing to sustain the family. All the work of my family, including farming the land, feeding the livestock, raising the child, taking care of my parents, had to be done by her alone. She had never been afflicted by any disease.

  2. Jiang Zongxiu was severly beaten by the officers of the PSB of Tongzi during interrogation, which can be witnessed by my mother Tan Dewei, and some pictures taken on the site of autopsy. There were wounds all over her body. The current law of our country forbids beating or forcing a confession from those who are in custody.

  3. Responsible officers kept lying to my mother, who was detained in the same detention center. In the course of detention, my mother asked the officers several times about Jiang Zongxiu. They had been lying to her and concealing the truth. Suppose Jiang Zongxiu did die of a sudden death as the legal medical appraisers insist, it is not necessary for the PSB to conceal the truth to us. Even at the very moment of my mother’s release on June 23, they still told her that Jiang Zongxiu had gone home. What is more, if Jiang Zongxiu had not died, the detention center would not have released my mother ahead of schedule, who was supposed to be detained fifteen days. And my mother would not have been sent home in car by the police officers. The later development of this case indicates that the PSB knew that their illegal conduct had been disclosed. Therefore, they were surprisingly well behaved.

  4, The PSB ordered the remains to be cremated within three days. The PSB knows an autopsy is inevitable for such an usual case. They are eager to cremate the remains in order to destroy the strong evidence and shirk their responsibilities.

  5, With the hard efforts of our attorney, the autopsy was finally conducted. In order to collect some evidences, to tell our son when he grows up what happened to his mother, we wanted to take some pictures. At first the police officers forbade us to come closer to the site. With our strong demand we were finally allowed to do so. The pictures indicate that there are wounds all over the body.

  6, In the course of autopsy, we heard that one officer said, “It is unnecessary to appraise, for obviously she was beaten to death.”

  7, I found out on the autopsy site that, my wife wore prison clothes. My request for her original clothes was declined. As material evidence her clothes shall be submitted for appraisal and analysis.

  8, The legal medical report makes no explanation about what cause the sudden death. The report detailed the situation of the interior organs, but failed to mention the fingerprints, imprints, and stripes on the body, which any lay people can identify are caused by beating. Is it done so carelessly, or to help the PSB shirk responsibilities?

  Zhang Zhenghua
  Jiang Zongxiu’s husband

  Letter courtesy of ChinaAid

• Freedom is More Than Just the Freedom to Make Money

  Canada's best gift to the changing role China is playing in our globe may be the lesson that freedom is more than just the freedom to make money. One wonders what historical Canadian connections to China would think of the recent extensive (sixty-five page) weekend coverage in the Globe and Mail which elevated financial profit ahead of human rights. At the very least, it is an affront to the sacrificial work of Canadian pioneers like Jonathon and Rosalind Goforth who, as Presbyterian missionaries in the late 1800's, dedicated their lives to give the masses in China the right to freedom of religious conscience. They and hundreds of highly educated Canadian missionaries knew they were arriving in a China where national and expatriate Christians were being martyred, yet they went to assist in the educational and medical development of China without compromising their commitment to sharing the Christian message with those whom they served. This tragically ended with the rise of communism in 1949 when most foreign missionaries were forced to leave the country, never to return.

  Their impact, however, did not end. Until recently, Canadian ambassadors to China were typically the children of these missionaries. And the churches the missionaries left behind have flourished. Indeed, it is the rapid growth of the Church that causes Chinese authorities the greatest concern. Since 1949, the number of Chinese Christians has grown approximately 4 million to an estimated 90 million today.

  Religious liberty in today's China is largely restricted to those groups that submit to government control over their operations. Those who resist on the basis of religious conscience may be fined, imprisoned, or sent without trial to camps for "re-education through labour." Since December of 2000, hundreds of unregistered church buildings, temples and other religious meeting places have been torn to the ground. It is still illegal for those under 18 years of old to receive religious instruction.

  Now, as a century ago, Canadians are flocking to China. This time, however, they go as missionaries of commerce. Tragically, however, there is little or no concern for freedom of conscience driving these new missionaries; only the freedom to do business. As in the recent Globe coverage, any reference to human rights was strictly in reference to capitalism and the freedom to make money and lots of it.

  Making profit is, of course not intrinsically wrong. But tragically, Canadians are contributing to the myth that increased trade will inevitably result in greater human rights in restrictive nations like China. Ignored is the fact that this economic revolution in China is actually fueling an increased preoccupation by the Chinese government in maintaining the control over the country. Free expression by the Chinese press has declined in recent years rather than improved. Newspapers, websites, and magazines are closed when their content threatens the government hegemony over the beliefs and values of Chinese society.

  There are some who are brave enough to incur official wrath for the sake of freedom, like Liu Fenggang, Xu Yonghai and Zhang Shengqi, who were caught relaying information on religious rights abuses and convicted on August 6, 2004 with "providing national intelligence to overseas organizations." They were sentenced to 1-3 years in prison for this "crime." Church leaders and evangelists continue to be detained and are often beaten and tortured, sometimes with fatal results. As recently as June 18, a 34-year-old woman was beaten to death in jail by Chinese police after being arrested for handing out Bibles in the southwest Chinese province of Guizhou. According to news reports, Jiang Zongxiu was arrested for "spreading rumours and inciting to disturb social order." Later that day, police informed her family that she had died of a sudden illness. Relatives report that her body was covered with bruises and blood stains.

  As part of The Voice of the Martyrs, a Canadian organization dedicated to assisting persecuted Christian believers around the world, I have seen absolutely no improvement in China's religious liberty policies as a result of economic reforms. Increasingly in the last two years, we have been called upon to assist prisoners of religious conscience with funds for as good a legal defense as is possible in a regime sadly in need of legal reform. Our work of advocacy in China both officially and on the grassroots level has also increased in the new millennium. It is ironic that while some Canadians are benefiting from the economic revival sweeping China, others are forced to invest in defending those whose rights are being stripped from them.

  I am not naively arguing for a complete cessation of business with China until its human rights record improves. But corresponding naivety or deliberate ignorance on the part of Canadian government and business only contributes to the maintenance of China as not only an economic superpower, but a superpower of oppression. There should be, to my mind, at the very least, certain restrictions placed on trade with China. The sale of surveillance equipment and technology that can be used to suppress freedom of speech and religious expression should be curtailed. Companies should diligently (read not simply taking the Chinese government's word for it) prove that goods manufactured in China have not used prisoner labour in their production. Three years ago, The Voice of the Martyrs obtained confidential reports of imprisoned Chinese pastors being forced to work in inhumane conditions, without pay, assembling strings of Christmas lights for export to countries such as Canada. This is especially ironical given the Chinese government's veiled threat in 1992 when its state-run press noted that "the church played an important role in the change" in Eastern Europe and warned, "If China does not want such a scene to be repeated in its land, it must strangle the baby while it is still in the manger."

  The Chinese government must be reminded that the abuse of religious dissidents is not simply an internal Chinese matter, but a violation of international conventions that they have signed, such the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. Trade with China must not be pursued at any price. Freedom to make money cannot be allowed to continue to trump other, even more fundamental, rights.

  (The Voice of the Martyrs' multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com, has a number of videos and interviews on China. Login is necessary, but membership is free.)

• Baptist Officials Impressed by Freedom to Worship While Christians Are Arrested

  Last Friday, the Baptist World Alliance issued a press release extolling the freedom to worship seen by a BWA Friendship Tour to China after their General Council meeting in Seoul. While briefly acknowledging that China does not have "the Western understanding of religious freedom which includes witness beyond the walls of the church building," the remainder of the article sings the praises of the China Christian Council and the seminary in Nanjing, which the majority of Chinese Christians see as tools of China's communist regime. In particular, the news release expresses their delight in being able to view in Hong Kong the "Exhibition of the History of the Bible in China" sponsored by the China Christian Council. Glenn Penner, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs commented, "It is tragic to see how these well-meaning people were naively used by the Communist government in an attempt to rehabilitate China's flagging public image as one of the most egregious religious rights violators in the world. One would think that Christians would have learned long ago from experience in the Soviet Union that you just cannot trust what government sanctioned religious organizations show and tell you."

  Bob Fu Photo courtesy of China Aid

  Responding to the news report, Bob Fu, President of China Aid Association and China analyst for The Voice of the Martyrs commented:

  "Ironically when the date of the Exhibition started on August 6, more than 100 house church Christian leaders were arrested in Henan and many more of their relatives were arrested the second day. Three Christian activists were sentenced to three years in prison on the same day as well.

  "Instead of changing its repressive religious policy and bad behavior, the Chinese government and its 'patriotic religious' subordinates try to put blame on the western media and so-called 'anti-China' forces for its negative image. Who creates these images when three crying children were arrested along with their parents pastor Zhang Xiaofang and Xiang Zhi with 100 others were arrested by over 200 military police on August 6, 04 at Mu Xian Zhang Village, Tongxu County, Kaifeng city, Henan province? Who creates these images when at least six relatives of the arrsested received official criminal detention notice on August 7 that their loved ones were 'Evil Cult' leaders? Who creates these images when Ms. Ru Xifeng and Ms. Ma Na, the mother of arrested pastor Xu Feng and the wife of arrested pastor Han Quanshui respectively were taken away from their houses by police on August 8, 2004.

  "It's a good thing to exhibit and auction a piece of Imperial Bible for the SARS epidemic researchers (as was done at the Exhibit). However, questions regarding the record of history should be answered. Before the last Imperial dynasty disappeared, there were recorded over 400 churches in Beijing and Shanghai. Now, there are barely thirty churches left for a population of over 30 million. Where have the rest gone? Where was Bishop KH Ting, Vice President of the National Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference when his close allies and comrades were busy covering-up when SARS erupted and lives were lost in Beijing?

  "It's time to acknowledge this is not about PR campaign but it is about truths and lies."

  For more information on persecution of Christians in China,click here.