China Aid Releases 2007 Persecution Report

China Aid Association

China Aid Releases 2007 Persecution Report
Posted
Feb 06 2008

China Aid today released its annual persecution report to an anticipatory
audience. According to the report, 2007 saw an increase in overall persecution
since last year.

In 2007, the known religious cases in which house churches were
persecuted by the government covered 18 provinces and one municipality directly
under the jurisdiction of the Central Government and there were 60 cases of
persecution, up 30.4% from that of 2006. The total number of people
persecuted was 788, up 18.5% from that of the year before. The total number of
people arrested and detained is 693, up 6.6% from that of the year before. 16
people were sentenced to imprisonment, down 5.9% from that of the year before.

To view a downloadable version of the 2007 Persecution Report in English [click here]

To view a downloadable version of the 2007 Persecution Report in Chinese [click here]

Four Characteristics of Persecution

(1) Against the house church leaders: This is also the characteristic in 2006
which is different from the large-scale persecution of ordinary believers in
2005. A total of 415 church leaders were arrested in 2007. This accounts for
59.9% of all people arrested and for 52.6% of all people suffering persecution.
(Please refer to Part 3 of this report. 4. Diagram)

(2) Against house churches in urban areas: Among the 60 cases of
persecution, 35 of them occurred in urban areas (not including small towns)
which accounts for 58.3%. Among these, the number of people persecuted in
urban areas is 599 which accounts for 76% of a total number of 788 people.
(Please see Part 2)

(3) Against Christian publications: There are seven persecution cases related
to the operation, printing, transportation and distribution of Christian
publications. They account for 11.7% of all the 60 persecution cases. Though
the percentage of this type is not very high, two religious cases aroused
concerns from the international community: one is the case in which Zhou Heng
was persecuted for receiving a shipment of Bibles and operating legal Christian
publications; another is that Mr. Shi Weihan in Beijing, who was persecuted for legal
operation of Christian publications.

(4) Against foreign Christians and missionaries: Because of “Operation
Typhoon No. 5,” a total of over 100 (84 already confirmed) foreign Christians
were arrested, interrogated and expelled from the country. Most of these were
Christians from the West and a few of them were Christians from South Korea and
other countries. About 70 foreign Christians were persecuted in Xinjiang. Some
of these foreign Christians were not missionaries, but had their own secular
professions in China.

However, as they preached the Christian belief or were associated with local
Christians and churches, they were persecuted by the government. This is the
largest persecution operation of expelling foreign Christians since the early
1950s when the CPC drove out all of the foreign missionaries.

2007 has seen a widespread increase of persecution across China.
Statistics show that the number of cases of persecution, the number of people
persecuted and the number of people arrested and detained has made a dramatic
increase since 2006.

Concern is that in 2009, after the Beijing Olympics, that the persecution on
churches and Christians will escalate and the human rights condition will
seriously worsen.

Released by CAA February 6, 2008