Seven House Church Christians in Henan Province Have Been Charged with Engaging in Cult Activities

China Aid Association

(Ye county, Henan–Nov. 25, 2012) Seven house church Christians in Henan province who were arrested in the spring have been charged with engaging in cult activities, but the believers and their church leaders say the government is framing them by accusing them of being part of the "Shouters."

Several Christian lawyers from Beijing are now involved in handling the case, which was supposed to go to trial on Nov. 27.  But that hearing was suddenly canceled.

In May, ChinaAid reported that the Ye county house church was being persecuted by the local authorities, who had taken many believers into custody and were holding some under criminal detention.

On Oct. 19, the Ye County Procuratorate issued its indictment against Hu Linpo, Han Hai, Yang Lianbing, Wang En (female), Li Dan (female), Zhang Mian (female) and Cao Xia (female) on the charge of “using a cult meeting to interfere with law enforcement.”  It said that they were taken into custody on April 14, 2012, at about 10 a.m. during a worship service, and that on April 20, they were criminally detained by the Ye County Public Security Bureau.  On July 27, their case was turned over to the Ye county courts, who later handed the case back to the police for insufficient evidence.  The public security bureau concluded after further investigation that the seven detainees and their meeting were all part of the cult group known as the "Shouters" because among the items confiscated from the meeting site was literature associated with the "Shouters," including a Recovery Version of the Bible.

But the church and its members deny being part of the "Shouters" and believe the public security bureau is deliberately framing them and trying to use the "cult" label to persecute them. 

ChinaAid will continue to closely monitor the developments in this case, and calls on the Ye county authorities not to frame churches of pure faith but rather to protect according to the law the legitimate rights of citizens to freedom of religion.

 

Below is a translation of the indictment followed by scans of the original indictment papers (in Chinese):

 

People’s Procuratorate of Ye County, Henan Province

Prosecution Paper

Ye Procuratorate’s Criminal Prosecution (2012) NO. 194

Defendant Hu Linpo, male, born on November 27, 1962. ID card number: 410422196211275914, Han ethnicity, junior high school graduate, farmer, resident of Ziran village, Zhangzhuang, Qianwang village, Xiantai township, Ye county, Henan province.

Defendant Han Hai, alias Han Shixin, male, born on April 16, 1953. ID card number: 410422195304164813, Han ethnicity, elementary school graduate, farmer, resident of Group 1, Mengzhuang-Hanzhuang, Yeyi township, Ye county, Henan province.

The above two defendants were criminally detained by the Public Security Bureau of Ye county on April 18, 2012, on suspicion of “organizing and using a cult to interfere with law enforcement”.

Defendant Yang Lianbing, male, born on November 19, 1989. ID card number: 410482198911195937, Han ethnicity, junior high school graduate, farmer, resident of Group 10, Maqing village, Xiaotun township, Ruzhou city, Henan province.

Defendant Wang En, female, born on October 28, 1988. ID card number: 410422198810283341, Han ethnicity, junior high school graduate, farmer, resident of South Group, Zhangzhuang, Xiali township, Ye county, Henan province.

Defendant Li Dan, female, born on August 10, 1988. ID card number: 410101198808102021, Han ethnicity, junior high school graduate, unemployed, resident of No. 41, Row 6,Chaohua Street, Zhengzhou Coal Corporation, Zhengzhou city, Henan province.

The above three defendants were criminally detained by the Public Security Bureau of Ye county on April 19, 2012, on suspicion of “organizing and using cult to undermine law enforcement”.

Defendant Zhang Mian, female, born on May 13, 1975. ID card number: 410422197505132227, Han ethnicity, elementary school graduate, farmer, resident of Group 4, Daying village, Xiantai township, Ye county, Henan province.

Defendant Cao Xia, female, born on February 15, 1961. ID card number: 410422196102152229, Han ethnicity, junior high school graduate, farmer, resident of Group 3, Daying village, Rendian township, Ye county, Henan province.

The above two defendants were criminally detained by the Public Security Bureau of Ye county on April 20, 2012, on of “organizing and using a cult meeting to interfere with law enforcement”.

This court approved the above seven defendants for arrest on May 24, 2012 and their arrest was carried out the next day by the Public Security Bureau of Ye county.

After the Public Security Bureau of Ye county finished investigating this case,  defendants Hu Linpo, Han Hai, Zhang Mian, Cao Xia, Wang En, Li Dan and Yang Lianbing were handed over on July 24, 2012 to this court for review and prosecution on the suspected crime of “organizing and using a cult meeting to interfere with law enforcement”. After receiving the case, this court notified the defendants of their right to hire defense lawyers, questioned the defendants according to the law, reviewed all the materials involved in this case, and at one point, turned over the case to the Public Security Bureau for more investigation which postponed the deadline for review and prosecution by half a month.

 

The review according to the law shows that:

At about 10 a.m. on April 14, 2012, based on the information collected, the Public Security Bureau of Ye county identified and investigated a case of illegal gathering of the cult – “the Shouters”, took into custody 32 people gathered at the scene, and seized some books used by the cult including 440 copies of Holy Word for Morning Revival, 340 copies of the New Testament Life Bible Reading, 271 copies of the Collected Works of Watchman Nee, 90 copies of the Bible, 50 copies of the Hymns, 20 copies of Truth Lessons, 10 copies of the Proper Sisters, 16 copies of Journey into the Bible, 260 video tapes of worship services, 330 CDs, 3 computer mainframes, 4 LCD monitors, and 2 keyboards. The Domestic Security Protection Squad and the Anti-Terrorism Branch Squad of Pingdingshan city identified the Holy Word for Morning Revival, the Collected Works of Watchman Nee and the Recovery Version of the Bible as propaganda materials used by the cult “the Shouters”.

The investigation found that defendants Hu Linpo, Han Hai, Zhang Mian, Cao Xia, Wang En, Li Dan and Yang Lianbing have long been involved in the illegal activities of the cult “the Shouters”. Hu Linpo and Han Hai recruited and developed new members for “the Shouters” and often conducted propaganda activities such as teaching lessons. Defendants Zhang Mian and Cao Xia provided food and lodging for believers, boiled water and cooked meals for them, and picked up and dropped people off . Defendants Li Dan and Wang En were responsible for making videos of the gatherings of the cult “the Shouters” and composing music. Defendant Yang Lianbing was a longtime participant of “the Shouters’” activities.

The facts above were confirmed on the basis of the evidence listed below:

1. The confession of the defendants Hu Linpo, Han Hai, Zhang Mian, Cao Xia, Wang En, Li Dan and Yang Lianbing

2. The testimony of witnesses Qi Siyu, Ma Dayong, etc.

3. The written record on the investigation of the scene

4. Material evidence, written evidence and other materials

This court decides that defendants Hu Linpo, Han Hai, Zhang Mian, Cao Xia, Wang En, Li Dan and Yang Lianbing have long been involved in the cult “the Shouters” and their behaviors have violated Article 300 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. The facts of their crime are clear and the evidence is sufficient. They ought to be subjected to prosecution for criminal responsibility on the charge of “organizing and using a cult meeting to interfere with law enforcement” and the joint crime is applicable to Article 25 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. This court hereby initiates public prosecution according to Article 141 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China and expects the defendants to be convicted according to the law.

Best regards,

People’s Court of Ye county

Prosecutor: Duan Anmin

Prosecutor: Chen Jinrong

October 19, 2012

Attachments:

1. Defendants Hu Linpo, Han Hai, Yang Lianbing and Li Dan are currently detained at the Ye county detention center; defendants Wang En, Zhang Mian and Cao Xia are detained at the Pingdingshan No. 1 detention center

2. Three copies of all the case material

3. A list of witnesses and a list of evidence

 

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Seven House Church Christians in Henan Province Have Been Charged with Engaging in Cult Activities

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