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China
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House Church Leaders Arrested
Sources for The Voice of the Martyrs reported this week that three Christian leaders of the "Born Again" house church movement in China were arrested in the last week of January. On January 24, Ms. Chunling of Fangcheng City, Henan province, was arrested during a house church service at Guanlin, Luoyang City. The next day, Mr. Zeng Guangbo, a Beijing military policeman and now prominent leader was arrested at Zengzhuang village in Henan province. He has since escaped and is in hiding.
Also on January 25, Deborah Xu was arrested in Nanyang, Henan Province. While asleep in her niece's home, police entered the home, and led her away in handcuffs. Police also confiscated photos, documents and other materials. Deborah Xu is the sister of Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of the "Born-Again" house church movement which numbers millions of believers. According to one internal source, her case has been assigned to the Department of State Security and local officials have been told to keep silent. There is some suspicion that there may be a connection between these arrests and a recent video documentary released, as well as a new book on the house church movement in China. According to one report, there have been as many as fifty arrests since these resources were screened by Chinese authorities during a recent National Religious Working Conference.
The house church movement in China continues to grow rapidly and Chinese authorities have recently increased their efforts to hinder or destroy these churches. Dramatic video footage of the destruction of the unregistered Tu Du Sha Church at Xiaoshan District of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province in June 2003 was recently obtained by The Voice of the Martyrs and is available on our website.
Tu Du Sha Church Under Destruction (Taken from video footage)
Continue to pray for the many Chinese church leaders in prison for their faith. Pray that God will give them strength to endure hardships as soldiers for Christ. Pray for peace and provision their families.
For more information on persecution in China, go tohttps://www.vomcanada.com/china.htm.
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House Church Raided on Christmas Eve
Just after noon on Christmas Eve, five officers from the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Fengqiu county, Henan province, raided a house church where about one hundred believers were meeting to celebrate the birth of Christ. According to VOM sources, the members were ordered to celebrate Christmas at an approved church or face punishment. The leader of the church, Li Shansong, was taken away and, at last report, his whereabouts are unknown. Li, who is over sixty years old, started the house church four years ago.
Pray that Li will be released. Pray that he will stand firm in his faith, despite the interrogation he is undoubtedly facing. Pray for the members of his church during this time.
For more information on China,click here.
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House Church Internet Activist Arrested
On the morning of November 26, more than ten Chinese Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers raided the house of Ye Jifei in Jilin City in the province of Jilin on the North Korean border. Ye was taken into custody and faced constant interrogation until the next night, when she was released due to serious illness. The next morning she was arrested again and was interrogated about any connection between her fiancée, Zhang Shengqi, and Liu Fenggang, who is in jail in Xiaoshan on charges of "leaking national secrets." (click here). She was released that afternoon.
Ye Jifei and Zhang ShengqiVOM learned this week that Zhang Shengqi has been formally charged and is being held in the same prison as Liu Fenggang and Xu Yonghai (click here) in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang province. Both Zhang and Ye work for a computer company and Zhang is an active Internet writer. It is suspected that he is being accused of helping Liu publish his articles online.
According to Bob Fu from The Voice of the Martyrs, there have been at least six writers sentenced for "subversive anti-Party, anti-socialist language" on the Internet in recent months. If Zhang faces similar charges, he will be the first such Christian writer.
Xu Yonghai and Liu FenggangPlease pray for Zhang's family during this time. Pray for physical and emotional strength for Zhang, as he undoubtedly faces severe interrogation. Pray for physical strength and healing for Ye as well. Pray that their legal costs will be covered.
We encourage you to express your concern over this situation. You can find the address of your local Chinese embassy through links on our website at https://www.vomcanada.com/links.htm. Those who know Chinese can contact the Chuanying PSB Branch office to politely express your concerns. The fax number is 011-86-432-6962911. The phone number is 011-86-432-6962818. The phone number for No.1 Detention Center where Brother Zhang is being held is 011-86-432-2136028.
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House Church Raided; Members Fined and Detained
VOM has learned that on November 23, 2003 at 10:00 a.m., ten Public Security Bureau (PSB) officers raided the Sunday service of a house church located at #1, Building #201 Longguang Hutong, Longyan Road, Hexi Street in Longjing City, Jilin Province where thirty Christians were meeting. All of the Bibles, hymn books and benches were confiscated and the house was declared an "illegal religious site." The officials ordered the Christians not to have similar meetings in this house ever again. Mr. Zheng, the director of the Longjing City PSB office, told them that if the believers were found there again, all of them would be formally arrested. Five of the church members were fined 50 Yuan ($10 CDN). Four visiting Christian business men attending the meeting were detained for five days and the wife of the house, Sister Chen Yufeng, was sentenced to 15 days in the local administrative detention centre. Her husband, Brother Liu Guojun was able to escape during the raid and is being sought by authorities. Three days later (November 26), another member of the church who lives in a neighbouring community was arrested and his whereabouts is unknown.
Pray for the release of those still detained as a result of this raid. Pray for the safety of Liu Guojun.
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Wife of Christian Prisoner Appeals to Christians Around the World to Pray
As reported in the Persecution and Prayer Alert, Dr. Xu Yonghai, a prominent Christian psychiatrist was arrested in Beijing on November 9, 2003 and interrogated about the activities of Liu Fenggang, a house church leader who has been held by the PSB since October 13 (click here). VOM sources learned this week that Brother Liu has been moved from Beijing to Xiaoshan City in Zhejing Province, where Liu Fenggang is also being detained. Apparently, authorities are continuing to try to tie Xu together with Liu who has been falsely charged with revealing national secrets (click here for more information). Xu's wife was not informed of her husband's whereabouts by authorities and only learned of her husband's location through VOM sources this week. She has written an open letter to Christians around the world on her husband's behalf:
Liu Fenggang"Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord, the Church of Christ in the world. Peace to you in the Lord.
My husband, Dr. Xu Yonghai, is a Christian believer. He is a graduate of the medical school of the Beijing University and is now a doctor at Pingan Hospital. He has been a believer for many years. Since the day I met him until the day he was arrested, he has been spreading the gospel. Besides his professional job as a doctor, he dedicated most of his time to the Lord. He shares the gospel to everyone he knows and dedicated his only house (which is only 10 square metres in size) as a house church and by God's grace, many people have come to believe in the Lord in that house.
Every Sunday, brothers and sisters gather together at that house, praying, singing and having Bible studies. In order to prepare for church services, my husband often read the Bible and studied the Lord's lessons when he returned early on Sunday morning from his Saturday night shift without taking any rest. Though facing all types of persecution, yet he relied on Christ and our house church meetings persisted until the government forcibly destroyed our house.
Dr. Xu Yonghai & Li Shanna in the remains of their houseMy husband is a good believer and a good doctor. He has been bringing the love of our Lord Christ to anyone whom he has been able to encounter. He cares very much for everyone and is always busy interacting with ordinary people. Their difficulties became his difficulties. He was raised in an ordinary family and he was dedicated to serving ordinary people. Wherever there is injustice, you can find his shadow. He is a very fine social activist.
His arrest today is a great irony to the phenomenon of social injustice. I am convinced that my husband is innocent, having committed no crime. I call upon the Chinese government to release my husband. I plead to the brothers and sisters in the Lord to pray before the Lord on Brother Xu's behalf. Pray that the Lord will protect him with peace. Pray that he will come back home peacefully as soon as possible.
Dr. Xu YonghaiEmmanuel,
Li Shanna
November 27, 2003"
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Imprisoned Bishop Located After Six Years
In 1997, Su Zhimin, the underground Bishop of Baoding, Hebei, China was arrested and was not heard from until he was taken to hospital for treatment in mid-November. According a November 20 report in Zenit, Bishop Su was taken to the Baoding Central Hospital for an eye operation and for heart ailments. His name was never officially registered at the hospital and he was closely guarded by about twenty security personnel. Su has been arrested at least five times and spent approximately twenty-seven years in prison.
According to the Cardinal Kung Foundation, every bishop of the underground Roman Catholic Church is currently in jail, under house arrest, under strict surveillance or in hiding. Earlier this month, it was reported by the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy that over four hundred Buddhist temples and Christian churches were closed in Zhejiang province; some destroyed by authorities while others were converted into entertainment centres.
In recent months, the state-controlled church in China has become increasingly outspoken in supporting the Communist system. Speaking at the East China Theological Seminary in Shanghai in September 2003, the influential Bishop Ding Guangxun of the official Three Self Patriotic Church called for increased "theological construction," saying, "We must remold Chinese Christianity to become a Christianity which...will be welcomed by the Chinese Communist Party and is compatible with socialism."
Bishop Ding GuangxunPray for the Church in China suffering under the repression of the Communist government. Pray for the hundreds of Christians in prison for their faith. Pray for strength and healing for Bishop Su. Pray for his and other church leaders' release.
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Zhang Beaten in Custody
Zhang Yi-nan was arrested on September 26 and sentenced to two years of "re-education through labour" for his role in the house church movement (click here for more details).
Zhang Yi-nanVOM sources have learned that, on the first day of his sentence (November 3) in Ping Ding Shan City Lao Dong Jiao Yang Suo, Zhang was badly beaten by other prisoners, at the urging of prison guards. According to an official at the prison camp, who spoke to VOM sources, guards considered this the first lesson in his "re-education." "Zhang Yi-nan is a strong man," said the official, "but he was terribly beaten. His hands were bleeding badly."
Pray for physical, emotional and spiritual strength for Zhang Yi-nan. Pray for healing and protection from further physical harm. Pray that his faith in Christ will be strengthened, even as the officials try to destroy it. Christians are also urged to write a letter of encouragement to Zhang. The address at the prison camp is:
Zhang Yi-nan
Ping Ding Shan City Lao Dong Jiao Yang Suo
Pei De School
Ping Ding Shan City, Henan Province, 467300
People's Republic of ChinaFor help in writing a letter, visit our website.
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Christian Woman Beaten to Death While in Police Custody
The Voice of the Martyrs learned on November 11 about the death of a Christian woman while in police custody. On October 29, Zhang Hong-mei was arrested by local police in Dong Miao Dong village in Jiu Dian Town near Ping Du City in Shandong Province. That afternoon, her family was called and told to pay a bribe of 3,000 RMB (about $475 CDN). When they were unable to raise the money, her husband, Xu Feng-hai, and her brother went to the Public Security Bureau station to request her release. There they witnessed her chained, visibly beaten, and unable to speak to them. The following afternoon, the family was called and told that she had died. An autopsy showed wounds to her face, hands and leg, and serious internal bleeding. The following day, the family went to the city officials to ask for an inquiry, accompanied by one thousand people in a peaceful protest.
Pray for the comfort of the Holy Spirit for Xu Feng-hai and the other relatives and friends of Zhang Hong-mei. Pray that the truth of her death will be revealed. Pray that the international community will be prepared to confront China about its human rights record. We encourage you to contact your local political representatives, asking them to raise these cases as examples of the way China treats its citizens. For contact information, visit our website athttps://www.vomcanada.com/links.htm.
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Another Prominent Christian Leader Arrested
On the morning of November 9, Dr. Xu Yonghai and his wife, Li Shanna were finishing their night shifts at Ping'an Hospital in Beijing where Dr. Xu is a prominent psychiatrist, when they were arrested by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and taken for interrogation. According to Li, who was released later that day, they were questioned about the activities of Liu Fenggang, a house church activist who has been held by the PSB since October 13. Li was told that Dr. Xu was accused as "a suspect of espionage the national secrets" in collaborating with Liu Fenggang. This arrest is only the latest in a new crackdown on leaders of the house church movement in China.Dr. Xu Yong-hai
Dr. Xu previously spent two and a half years in "re-education" for his faith. He is a prominent advocate for the house church and has spoken out against corruption in the Chinese medical system.
Dr. Xu had come to faith in Christ in 1989, after loosing faith in the Communist system and seeing the spiritual void. In an interview with Associated Press in 2000, Xu said, "Life without faith is unbearable. But after I found God in 1989, my life totally changed. I felt like a new person."
On the morning of November 9, Dr. Xu Yonghai and his wife, Li Shanna were finishing their night shifts at Ping'an Hospital in Beijing where Dr. Xu is a prominent psychiatrist, when they were arrested by the Public Security Bureau (PSB) and taken for interrogation. According to Li, who was released later that day, they were questioned about the activities of Liu Fenggang, a house church activist who has been held by the PSB since October 13. Li was told that Dr. Xu was accused as "a suspect of espionage the national secrets" in collaborating with Liu Fenggang. This arrest is only the latest in a new crackdown on leaders of the house church movement in China.
Dr. Xu previously spent two and a half years in "re-education" for his faith. He is a prominent advocate for the house church and has spoken out against corruption in the Chinese medical system.
Dr. Xu had come to faith in Christ in 1989, after loosing faith in the Communist system and seeing the spiritual void. In an interview with Associated Press in 2000, Xu said, "Life without faith is unbearable. But after I found God in 1989, my life totally changed. I felt like a new person."
Pray that Dr. Xu's faith in Christ will be strengthened during this time of suffering. Pray for other Christian leaders. Pray that uncertainty and fear would not hinder the spread of the Gospel in China in any way. Pray that others will come to Christ through Dr. Xu's imprisonment.
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One Christian Released; One Sentenced to ''Re-Education''
Zhang Yi-nan
Xiao Bi-guang and familyXiao Bi-gaung, a Christian leader and advocate for the underground house churches in China has been released from prison since a link could not be found to prove the charges that he was involved in activities that "subverted the Chinese government and socialist system." Sources spoke to his wife, Gou Qinghui, who reported that he was not beaten or physically abused while incarcerated. The outcry resulting from the publicity around his case is seen as a major factor in his release. Police asked Xiao, "How did you get your story on the Internet?" Xiao wishes to express his thanks for the prayers and support of Christians around the world.
Another Christian leader arrested with him, Zhang Yi-nan, however, has been sentenced to two years of "re-education through labor." A source within the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) told VOM sources that "Zhang doesn't have a criminal problem. He has a mind problem. He is too superstitious." Entries in his personal journal and written prayers, such as asking the Lord to "destroy the strongholds in China," were used against him, proving his need for "re-education." Zhang has sixty days to appeal the conviction as well as ninety days to request an administrative trial in the People's Court.
We encourage Christians to politely protest this conviction to the Chinese Embassy in your country. Contact information can be found on our website at https://www.vomcanada.com/links.htm. Chinese-speaking Christians may wish to contact the Re-education Through Labor Commission of Lu Shan County by calling (from North America) 011-86-375-2924123, extension 23050.
Please pray for our brother Zhang, as he faces this "re-education" to endeavour to convince him to deny his faith. Pray that the Lord will also sustain his family and fellow Christians during this ordeal.
