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Harassment

  • Persistent Harassment Against Church Deacons
    Ding Shuqi and Jia Xuewei
    Jia Xuewei (right) with his friend, Ding Shuqi
    Photo: ChinaAid

    In 2018, the Early Rain Covenant Church was violently raided by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities, resulting in multiple arrests. Since then, members of the church have continued to face harassment, including a church deacon named Jia Xuewei. Click here for previous reports on Jia's situation.

  • Over 100 Christians Forced from Their Homes
    A white church building is surrounded by trees with a hillside in the background.
    A church building in Hidalgo.
    Photo: Wikimedia / Frankms (cc)

    For several years, community leaders in the villages of Coamila and Rancho Nuevo, which are both located within the state of Hidalgo, have been inciting trouble for members of the Great Commission Baptist Church – pressuring them to participate in festivals that go against their beliefs. In December 2022, one of the non-compliant members was admitted to hospital after being tied to a tree and beaten. Additionally, since 2018, the children of church members in these villages have been banned from attending school.

  • Multiple Raids of Unregistered Gatherings
    Two people are studying Bibles while sitting at a mosaic style tabletop. No faces can be seen.
    A Bible study in Kazakhstan
    Photo: VOMC

    Police in the Shu district of southern Kazakhstan raided four worship gatherings during the months of March and April, resulting in a total of seven fines being laid. During the raids, officers filmed those who were present and demanded that they provide written statements explaining the reasons for their gatherings. These raids affected the worship activities of three unregistered Protestant churches.

  • Police Question Church Elder and Confiscate His Computer
    Li Yingqiang is standing at a pulpit.
    Elder Li Yingqiang
    Photo: ChinaAid

    For the past five years, Elder Li Yingqiang has been repeatedly subjected to questioning and detention since the Chinese Communist Party began targeting the Early Rain Covenant Church. (For previously published reports on Elder Li, see this list.)

    In the most recent incident, Elder Li was taken by Deyang police officers for interrogation on December 15th. They questioned him about a pre-recorded message that was played on December 9th as part of an online event commemorating the fifth anniversary of the government's crackdown on the church. After being summoned again on December 19th, the church elder was detained for another eight hours for further questioning. In addition to warning him against participating in any future online church activities, the authorities confiscated his computer.

  • More Harassment and Sentences for New Life Church
    Vyacheslav and Irina GoncharenkoPastor Vyacheslav and his wife Irina Goncharenko
    Photo: New Life Church

    For several years, the New Life Church in Minsk has faced opposition from the government, including the complete destruction of their place of worship on June 20th. (For more details, click here.) That act of destruction, however, did not stop ongoing harassment from government officials.

  • Believers Denied Access to Their Homes
    Men talking outside
    Security guards blocked church members
    from returning to their residences.
    Photo: ChinaAid

    Several members of the Early Rain Covenant Church who reside in the Languang Changdao apartment complex have been prevented from entering the building. Around noon on June 6th, families who tried to return to their homes were denied access to their apartments. When they attempted to go into the building, security guards and others assaulted the believers.

  • Official Charged After Disrupting Service
    A man studying scripture
    An evangelist in Indonesia.
    Photo: VOMC

    On February 18th, a local village official forced his way into a church service in the Indonesian village of Rajabasa Jaya and demanded that the Christians stop worshipping immediately. He claimed that the church was meeting without a permit. Other villagers also joined in the attack and, during the turmoil, one of the intruders attempted to choke the pastor. For more details on the initial incident, go to this page.

  • Seven Young Christians Fined
    New Life Church meeting outside
    New Life Church outdoor service
    Photo: New Life Church (cc)

    A court in Minsk has fined seven young Christians the equivalent of two months' average wages each. The charges were laid against the believers as punishment for talking to others about the meaning of Easter on April 15th, the day before Orthodox Easter Sunday.

  • Threatened Christian Mother of Five in Shelter
    Women kneeling in prayer
    Photo: VOMC

    A Christian woman and her five children have been forced into hiding after receiving death threats demanding that she convert to Islam. Despite these warnings, Naseem Bibi has refused to abandon her faith, even though it means having to flee home with her five children, who range in age from eight to 22.

  • Community Members Pressured to Reject Christians
    Zhang Fan's wedding - Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid
    Taken at Zhang Fan's wedding
    Photo: WeChat via ChinaAid

    Two separate incidents that recently took place in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan, demonstrate the effectiveness of the Chinese Communist Party authorities in dividing communities to bring about harassment of Christians and, in particular, members of the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC). The first incident involved the wedding of a congregation member from the church.

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