Believers take part in a weekend mass at an underground Catholic church in Tianjin, China, November 10, 2013.
A Christian house church leader and his wife were buried alive in China’s central Henan province for protesting against the government-ordered demolition of their church, and while the man managed to escape, his wife suffocated to death.
China Aid reported on the grisly news on Monday, noting the tragedy occurred last week at Beitou Church in Zhumadian, Henan province. Communist government authorities reportedly ordered the demolition of the church after Li Jiangong, the person in charge of the church, and his wife, Ding Cuimei, refused to hand over the church grounds to a local developer.
The husband and wife decided to try and stop the demolition and stepped in front of the bulldozing crew, but were purposefully shoved into a pit, where a bulldozer covered their bodies with soil.
“Crying for help, Li was able to dig his way free, but Ding suffocated before she could be rescued,” the report stated.
The two crew members responsible for the crime are said to have been detained by authorities, while a criminal investigation team from the public security bureau reviews their case.
According to China Aid, one of the demolition team members was heard shouting out the order “bury them alive for me. I will be responsible for their lives.”
China Aid President Bob Fu spoke about the vicius killing by saying, “bulldozing and burying alive Ding Cuimei, a peaceful and devout Christian woman, was a cruel, murderous act.”
Fu added in a statement: “This case is a serious violation of the rights to life, religious freedom and rule of law. The Chinese authorities should immediately hold those murderers accountable and take concrete measures to protect the religious freedom of this house church’s members.”
Christians in China have been heavily targeted throughout the past couple of years by the ruling Communist Party due to their rapidly increasing numbers. Although Chinese officials claims that church demolitions and the forced removal of church rooftop crosses are connected with building code violations, human rights activists and other Christian leaders have said it is clear persecution against a religious group.
“The top leadership is increasingly worried about the rapid growth of Christian faith and their public presence, and their social influence,” Fu told The Christian Post back in February.
“It is a political fear for the Communist Party, as the number of Christians in the country far outnumber the members of the party,” he added.
The targeting of Christians in China has also reached the highest levels, notably with the arrest earlier this year of the Rev. Gu Yuese, the former leader of Hangzhou’s Chongyi Church, the largest government sanctioned church in the country.
Gu, who had spoken out against rooftop cross removals, but was formally held on embezzlement charges, was released earlier in April.
Groups such as the International Christian Concern said that while it is good news that the pastor was released, the move by the Communist Party was “likely a precursor to the Chinese president’s visit to the United States,” referring to President Xi Jinping’s meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama.
“Pastor Yuese is not completely out of the woods because residential surveillance could likely be or become the notorious black jail. If he is placed under its restrictive rules, he will not be allowed to leave his home or speak with anyone,” ICC said at the time.
Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/china-church-leaders-wife-buried-alive-killed-for-protesting-church-demolition-162067/#7mlcUDfchzDjq3Zu.99
■ A pastor’s wife was killed after being buried while protesting the destruction of a church in China, according to a human rights organisation.
China Aid said that Ding Cuimei suffocated to death when she and her husband, church leader Li Jiangong, stepped in front of a bulldozer in an attempt to stop the demolition on April 14.
The bulldozer reportedly pushed the two into a pit, where they were covered in soil. Li was able to escape, but Ding was killed.
The incident took place at Beitou Church in Zhumadian, in China’s central Henan province.
Founder and president of China Aid, Bob Fu, denounced Ding’s death as a “serious violation of the rights to life, religious freedom and rule of law”.
The Communist Party is believed to be becoming
progressively more suspicious of the influence of Christianity,
which is experiencing significant growth in China.
Reuters
“Bulldozing and burying alive Ding Cuimei, a peaceful and devout Christian woman, was a cruel, murderous act,” he said.
“The Chinese authorities should immediately hold those murderers accountable and take concrete measures to protect the religious freedom of this house church’s members.”
According to China Aid, police said they are investigating the incident and two members of the demolition team have been detained.
The Communist Party is believed to be becoming progressively more suspicious of the influence of Christianity, which is experiencing significant growth in China. Up to 1,700 churches have been demolished or had their crosses removed in Zhejiang province to the east of Henan, and a significant number of pastors and human rights lawyers have been arrested and imprisoned.
Activists believe that Zhejiang is being used by the government as a test-ground, and fear that anti-Christian measures may soon be rolled out in other provinces.
In November, five church leaders were arrested in Henan over accusations they were involved in cult practices.
China Aid Contacts Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chinaaid.org