China's Christian Crackdown - Christianity Today

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“China’s image as a global power, which it hoped to burnish by hosting the Olympic Games, was tarnished by its continued repression of unsanctioned and ethnic minority religious groups and other human rights advocates,” says Scott Flipse, director of East Asia & Pacific programs at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

China Aid Association reports that while imprisonments dropped in 2007, the number of arrests went up by 6.6 percent. The group says authorities arrested 693 Protestants for affiliating with unregistered churches. More than three dozen received prison sentences of more than one year.

The 2007 incidents were relatively consistent with China’s human rights record, says Flipse. But upcoming analysis of 2008 is likely to show a spike in rights violations, he says. Watchdog groups such as China Aid Association, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Compass Direct expected a crackdown on house churches in October. Flipse said, “Unsanctioned religious groups, human rights lawyers, democracy and labor advocates, land petitioners, and independent journalists can expect to remain targets of repression from a government that fears them as ‘undesirable social elements.'”

Among the incidents from last summer:

Authorities removed human rights defense lawyers from Beijing before a scheduled meeting with members of the U.S. Congress.
Officials in Henan arrested seven members of a house church and interrogated them to find out who had been designated to take donation money to a disaster area. Later this summer, they arrested two Protestants who were trying to do earthquake relief work and charged them with “religious inciting.”
Gansu Province police arrested two house-church pianists, accusing them of “engaging in cult activities and undermining public security.”

Even though an October crackdown doesn’t seem to have happened, 2008 has been a year of intensified action against unregistered churches and their leaders. The map, with data compiled by Flipse, shows verified arrests of Chinese Christians in the months before the 2008 Summer Olympics.

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August 25, 2008 | Zhengding, HebeiBishop Julius Jia Zhiguo was arrested for violating the terms of his house arrest by resuming administrative duties in his parish. It was the twelfth time Bishop Jia had been arrested. He was released on September 18 and is not allowed visitors.
August 8, 2008 | The Olympic Games begin in Beijing.
July 14, 2008 | Jining, ShandongLian Dehai was taken by police and put in criminal detention.
July 8, 2008 | Fanzhi, Taiyuan, Shanxi A Catholic priest and two laypeople were beaten by a mob when the three were investigating building crews on land that had been confiscated from their church.
July 6, 2008 | BeijingPastor “Bike” Zhang Mingxuan and his wife, Xie Fenglan, were forced to live on the streets, arrested, and severely interrogated. The officials said they pursued them “because Bike Zhang met the Americans, and destroyed the harmony of the Beijing Olympic Games.”
July 4, 2008 | Jining, ShandongZhang Zhongxin was accused of cult participation for missionary work in Tibet and other places. He was immediately sentenced and sent to two years of re-education through labor.
July 2, 2008 | Beijing, Chongwen District House church pastor Hua Huiqi, his father, his wife, and his brother were forcibly evicted from their apartment and beaten.
July 2, 2008 | Hegang, Heilongjiang Two female church members were taken to the police station and threatened with arrest if they ever attended church again. On the same day, house church missionary Jiao Chunbao was also forcibly taken to a police station and threatened.
July 2008 | Dongtou County, Zhejiang Human rights defense counsel Lin Bingchang was forced to leave his town of residence to avoid local police harassment.
July 2008 | Inner MongoliaWang Shuang was tortured by police after he and three other missionaries were arrested and their homes searched.
June 29, 2008 | Beijing Authorities interfered with human rights defense lawyers who had been scheduled to meet with U.S. Congressmen Christopher H. Smith and Frank Wolf. During the visit from the congressional delegation, lawyers Teng Biao and Li Baiguang were forced to leave Beijing, and independent writer and house church leader Yu Jie was detained by police officials.
June 25, 2008 | Honghui Mine, Pingchuan, Gansu At a house church, Chen, his wife, and Wang Fayung were placed under 10 days of administrative detention and fined on suspicion “of engaging in cult activities and undermining public security.”
June 24, 2008 | Honghui Mine, Pingchuan District, Baiyin, Gansu Two house church pianists were placed under three days of administrative detention on suspicion “of engaging in cult activities and undermining public security.”
June 1, 2008 | Beijing Six house churches associated with Beijing Gospel Church were forced to move locations.
June 1, 2008 | Taikang County, Henan Seven members of a house church were held in detention and interrogated to find who had been designated to take donation money to a disaster area.
June 2008 | Chengdu, Sichuan Christian human rights defender Huang Qi was charged with illegally possessing state secrets.
May 31, 2008 | SichuanThree Protestants were arrested while carrying out relief work.
May 28, 2008 | Hua County, HenanTwo Protestants were kept from earthquake relief work and detained under the charge of “religious inciting.” They were released on June 2 after paying a penalty and distributing “gifts.”
May 27, 2008 | XinjiangAlimujiang Yimiti (Alimjan Yimit in Uyghur) was accused of engaging in illegal religious activities and tried for endangering national security.
May 25, 2008 | Beijing House church pastor Gao Zhen was detained and interrogated.
May 24, 2008 | Xuanhua, HunanFather Zhang Jianlin and Father Zhangli were arrested during a pilgrimage to a Shanghai shrine. Reports say they have not been heard from since then.
May 16, 2008 | Qingshuihe, XinjiangLou Yuanqi was placed under criminal detention on the charge of inciting separatism.
May 9, 2008 | BeijingDong Yutao was arrested and placed in criminal detention on his way to collect a shipment of Bibles.
May 8, 2008 | Qingzhou, ShandongZhang Yongliang and his parents were detained while organizing a Bible study group. Police charged them with “obstructing justice.”
May 5, 2008 | Erli, Guizhou Four Protestant leaders Wu Xinquan, Wu Guangqing, Li Shizhen, and Zhang Shaolin were detained and charged with “disturbing social order” by “participation in an evil cult.”
May 5, 2008 | Qingzhou, Shandong House church leaders Qiao Lie and Wang Qin were detained and accused of being “evil cult members.”
May 4, 2008 | Jilin, Yanji House church pastor Hau Yujie was beaten for his independent church activities.
May 3, 2008 | Jiaxiang, Shandong House church leaders Cao Guanggen and Jin Heshui were detained.
May 2008 | Zhongxiang, Hubei Christian human rights defender and writer Zhou Zhiyuan was placed under house arrest.
April 16, 2008 | Hetian, XinjiangWusiman Yiming‘s appeal was denied, and his sentence to two years of re-education was upheld. Wusiman (Osman Imin in Uyghur) was accused of “assisting foreigners in illegal activities.”
March 30, 2008 | Bameng, Tianxing, Qu, Sichuan House church leaders Lei Shibi and Wan Chaobi as well as host of Sunday worship Li Xianbi, Yan Chuanfang, Yu Liyu, two elderly women, and four children were detained after a morning Sunday school service let out. The pastors were accused of being “suspected of using evil cult to obstruct the enforcement of the law.” The others were sentenced to five days of administrative detention for “illegal gathering for evil cult activities.” Later in the day at the same house church, police arrested Xiao Yu and Li Chixia “for organizing or utilizing superstitious sects or secret societies to undermine the implementation of law.” After 12 days of detention, Xiao was released pending trial. On April 29, Li was sentenced to one year of re-education through labor.
Spring 2008 | Weifang, Shandong Officials raided House Church Seminary. They beat Fan Meiling, ordered students to return home, and confiscated academic materials. Teacher Jin Xiuxiang and seminary principal Lu Zhaojun were detained, released, then redetained after they inquired about confiscated goods. They have been sentenced to a month of criminal detention. Zhang Yage, another teacher, was detained after officials attacked the seminary.
March 29, 2008 | Bameng Village, Sichuan Qujiang, Qu, Sichuan House church leaders Wang Qingxiu, Wan Huabi, as well as members Wang Zhenping, Zhou Yanmei, Luo Qinghua, and Zhang Mingxiu were detained after their house church service was disrupted. Wang Qingxiu was accused of “undermining the implementation of state law and regulations by utilizing a cult organization” and sentenced on April 29 to one year of re-education through labor. Zhang was sentenced to five days of administrative detention. Luo was detained for 17 days, and then she was acquitted.
March 19, 2008 | Beijing Shi Weihan was arrested for publishing Bibles and other Christian literature. He has been tortured in prison and his health is seriously deteriorating.
March, 2008 | Heilongjiang Activist Yang Chunlin was sentenced to five years “for initiating the petition ‘Human Rights before Olympics.'”
February 28, 2008 | Xinjiang An 18-year-old girl and a 20-year-old boy (minors under Chinese law) were detained without notice. Their parents were informed they would be released when they denied their Christian faith.
December 17, 2007 | Hedeng, Linyi, Shandong270 house church leaders were detained for an “illegal religious gathering.”
December 2007 | Gansu Two prominent house church leaders were detained while conducting a church service.

Compiled by Scott Flipse, director, East Asia & Pacific programs at the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Most reports used are from China Aid Association. Go to Christianity Today’s website for more of our coverage on China and religious rights.