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China

• Lawyer Faces Removal of License

  The Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on November 9 that the law firm representing Pastor Cai and several other religious rights cases had been suspended from operations for a year (click here to read more).  With the visit of U.S. President Bush, the head of the firm, Gao Zhisheng, was ordered to leave Beijing to prevent him from contacting the U.S. delegation.  According to a November 22 report from China Aid Association (CAA), Gao now faces the removal of his license to practice law.  He, his wife and 12-year-old daughter have also faced threats from secret police.  Gao reports that the police have repeatedly attempted to force his car off the road. Gao has recently become a Christian and intends to be baptized in a house church soon.

  CAA encourages concerned Christians, particularly those who know Chinese, to express their concern for Brother Gao.  His email address is Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..  His telephone number is +86-10-81990759.  You can also contact Wu Yuhua, Director General of the Beijing Judicial Bureau, to express your concern about they suspension of Gao's law license at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. or phone +86-10-58575683. 

• Bishop and Two Priests Arrested

  Bishop Jai Zhiguo was arrested for the eighth time in less than two years, according to the Cardinal Kung Foundation.  On the morning of November 8, security officials took the 70-year-old bishop for a "study session" in Shijiazhuang City.  One day earlier, two priests from Dingzhou City, Li Suchan (40) and Yang Ermeng (35) were detained by the Security Bureau of Jinzhou City.

  This past week, the U.S. State Department released its list of "countries of particular concern" in regard to human rights.  China is once again included because of its continued disregard for the rights of its citizens.  At the same time, China is listed as a "most favored nation" by the United States in terms of economic trade.  Glenn Penner's November 11 weblog, "Trading with the Devil in the Hope of Changing Hell," discusses the myth that trade and economic reform inevitably leads to improved human rights in repressive regimes like China.  Click here to read his comments.

• Update: Pastor Cai Withdraws Appeals

  Pastor Cai with Son

  China Aid reported on November 16 that church leader Cai Zhuohua has withdrawn further appeals to the three year sentence he received for printing and distributing Bibles and Christian literature (click here to read more). This decision was apparently the result of intense pressure from authorities and threats of more prison time if he continued with his appeals.  Sources report that a court clerk visited Cai at the Qinghe Detention Center and told him that the only reason he was serving prison time rather than a suspended sentence was because he hired lawyers who kept annoying the government.  The law firm representing Cai was ordered to suspend operations for one year on November 4 (click here for the story).  More details are available byclicking here.
• Two Catholic Priests Arrested On October 27, two Catholic priests, Father Wang Xhow Fa and Father P. Paulus Shao Gu Min, were arrested shortly after celebrating Mass.  The two priests have been under significant pressure from the authorities for many years and were recently interviewed by the Italian news service, L'Espresso.  Police would not confirm whether the interview had anything to do with their arrest.
• Six House Church Leaders Arrested in Henan

  

  While worshipping with approximately one hundred other Christians in a house church in the town of Wuquan in Henan Province, six church leaders were dragged from the service on November 6 by officials from the Public Security Bureau and Religious Affair Bureau of Wuyang County.  Those arrested included Mr. Yuan Quansan, Mr. Zhang Xiaowu, Mr. He Zhanying, Mr. Wang Jinzhong and Mr. X Guangwei.  All but Yuan Quansan and Guang Wei were released the next day.  Police told them they would be released if they guaranteed that their house church would either stop meeting or join the official Three-Self Patriotic Church.

• Pastor Arrested for Printing Christian Literature On November 8, Pastor Cai Zhuohua, his wife Xiao Yunfei and her brother Mr. Xiao Gaowen were sentenced to prison for "illegal business practices."  They were convicted of printing and distributing thousands of Bibles and other Christian literature.  Cai was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 150,000 yuan ($22,000 CDN).  Xiao Yunfei was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 120,000 yuan and Xiao Gaowen was sentenced to eighteen months and fined 100,000 yuan.
• Law Firm Ordered to Suspend Operations On November 4, a leading Chinese law firm, Sheng Zhi Law Firm, was ordered to suspend all operations for one year.  The law firm, directed by Gao Zhisheng, was actively involved in many human rights cases, including a case representing Pastor Cai Zhuohua.  Gao Zhisheng was often outspoken in his defense of human rights in China.  Reports suggest that this suspension follows Gao's refusal to renounce a letter he had sent to President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao, as well as his refusal to withdraw from several politically sensitive cases that he was representing.  Speaking to the Washington Post on November 5, Gao said, "We're very angry. By doing this, the Chinese Communist Party is demonstrating it defies all laws, human and divine. They are saying that anyone who believes in law, who criticizes the political system, who exposes crimes against the people, will be targeted."
• Business Closed in Retaliation Against Businessman

  Picture fromChina Aid

  In an apparent act of revenge, the Xinjiang State Security Bureau has ordered Tong Qimiao to close his furniture factory and store after he filed complaints against the officers for torturing him.  According to a reliable source, Tong was ordered to close his store on October 13 and 14.  Several furniture items were also confiscated by the authorities.

  Tong was severely beaten during police interrogation on September 28.  After filing complaints against those responsible, he was ordered to leave the hospital where he was being treated for his injuries, which included a broken chest bone.

• Chinese Leader Arrested and Beaten for Providing Aid

  Picture fromChina Aid

  On October 11, a prominent Christian activist, Hua Huiqi, was arrested in his home in Beijing.  He was accused of aiding Sun Xiaodi who, earlier this year, had sought to appeal to government authorities in Beijing to stop the religious persecution that she and her house church were facing in her native Gansu province.  She was subsequently arrested on April 28, 2005.

  After seven hours of intense abuse and interrogation, Hua was released.  Speaking to Bob Fu of China Aid Association, Hua said he was handcuffed the entire time. He was beaten and kicked repeatedly.  Whenever he was asked a question, he was slapped in the face before he had a chance to answer.  Hua told Fu, "Though I was beaten by the interrogators repeatedly, I told them I love and pray for them instead of hating them. They told me I am a strange man."

  Praise God for Hua's release and for the testimony of Christ-likeness that he was able to demonstrate while being interrogated.  Pray for Hua and others as they serve Christ's Church in this very difficult land.

  For more information on the persecution facing Christians in China,click here.  Several video clips from China are also available on VOMC's multimedia website, www.vomcanada.com. 

• Hospital Pressured to Release Beaten Chinese Businessman

  Picture fromChina Aid

  As reported in the Persecution and Prayer Alert last week, on the morning on September 28, Tong Qimiao, a Christian businessman from Zhejiang Province, was questioned by security agents in Kashgar.  Since he had no idea what they were asking him about, Qimiao was unable to give them the information they were seeking.  Consequently, the police seriously beat him and left him with a broken chest bone.  He was hospitalized and forced to sign a statement that he had not been beaten during his interrogation.

  On October 8, under intense pressure from Chinese security police, the hospital asked Tong to leave the facility, despite his need for continued treatment. This action was because earlier that morning, Tong and his wife had visited the offices of both local State Security Bureau and the Public Security of Kashgar asking them to investigate the abuse and torture he had received at the hands of the State Security officers.  Security officials are still refusing to investigate.