ChinaAid
May 21, 2010
Report by Radio Free Asia
Eight people were arrested and two people were beaten during a gathering of a house church in Suining in Sichuan province. According to the members of the church, the police treated them as if they were criminals, hence the conflict. When a large number of fellow Christians sang hymns in a loud voice in support of the arrested, the eight people were released after being detained for six hours. Analyses show that the house churches in China are increasingly fighting for their rights, and that when they do, freedom of religion is increasingly expanding.
A Christian house church in Suining in Sichuan province was raided by the police and officials from Bureau of Religion when they were gathering at 6 o’clock on the evening of Monday. Eight people, including the believer Wang Dechao, three brothers from Wenzhou, a woman and a 3-year-old child, were taken away by the police. They were detained at Fuyuan Police Station in Suining where they were interrogated separately. By 11 at night, they were still not given dinner. Several dozens of believers gathered in front of the gate of Fuyuan Road Police Station, praying and singing hymns as a protest and demanded that the police release the people. With the support of so many, the eight people were released after midnight.
On Tuesday, the believer Liu Xianbin from Suining, Sichuan told this station: “When three fellow Christians from Wenzhou, Zhejiang gathered together with the fellow Christians in Suining, the Bureau of Religion came with the police and took away eight people from them. The police even beat the people and detained them for several hours. Then, other fellow Christians came to the police station and sang songs outside. The detained people were released after 12 midnight.”
The reporter from this station checked the 114 local directory service and was told neither the Municipal Bureau of Religion or Fuyuan Police Station is listed there. Therefore, the reporter was unable to get into contact with the relevant authorities. This station was told the police beat the people.
It is learned that the police have always wanted to shut down this rented site of the church, but the fellow Christians wouldn’t let them do so. After 5 o’clock on the afternoon of Monday, as 50-60 fellow Christians were gathering together, people from the Bureau of Religion and the police broke in and the police even beat two fellow Christians. Zhao Xiufang, one of the people beaten by the police, said to this station on Tuesday, “We gathered together yesterday afternoon and a guest from afar came to deliver a sermon. After the sermon, I went to the platform and said he had delivered a wonderful sermon. Right at this time, the people from the local police station arrived. As we were singing, he (the police officer) hit me twice with the Bible. I failed to tolerate it and fought with him. The police officer grabbed me by the hand and tried to prevent me from beating him. When other believers saw this, they couldn’t accept the officer’s behavior and argued with him. Later, this person who beat me left in advance.
Then, they took Brother Wang and other believers to the local police station.
Wang Dechao who was taken to the police station said that the police treated them as if they were criminals. Because of this, the fellow Christians fought back. He said: “They were unreasonable and treated us like criminals. One sister and one brother were beaten, but the beating was not serious. A 3-year-old child of a sister of ours was also taken away by them. They came again this morning and threatened to come again this afternoon. Yet, so far, they still haven’t come. We are now singing hymns at this place where they don’t allow us to. They simply want to shut down this place.
Dr. Fan Yafeng from a house church in Beijing told this station that, at this time, the confrontation between the house churches in China and the government are deadlocked in a stalemate. For example, the Shouwang Church of Beijing cannot use the church after they bought it. Wanbang Church in Shanghai has still not resumed its public worship; At the end of 2009, Shanghai Municipal Government promised to let it resume public worship, but then it went back on its word. The building of Linfen Church in Shanxi province is in danger of being demolished. The latest development in this regard is that Pastor Wang Dao from Liangren Church of Guangzhou has been placed under criminal detention and their worship last week was dispersed.
Fan Yafeng said, “Compared with the past years, the severity of the government’s suppression has mitigated to some extent. However, several most important landmark churches haven’t achieved decisive victories in their fight for rights. Therefore, judging from the overall situation, the house churches in China are intensifying their efforts in fighting for their rights, and the room of freedom of religion is increasingly expanding when Christians fight for it. Yet, they haven’t achieved an all-around breakthrough.”
ChinaAid protests the arrest and harsh treatment of house church members by the authorities of the Fuyuan Police Station ChinaAid stands with the bold Christians who were willing to protest on behalf of their imprisoned fellow believers, and we rejoice with them at their release. ChinaAid urges Christians to pray for continued victories in the fight for religious freedom in China.
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