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| This picture of handcuffed, praying hands accompanied the first of Huang Yizi’s posts asking for prayer. |
ChinaAid
(Wenzhou, Zhejiang—Aug. 11, 2017) Authorities revoked the bail of a pastor in China’s coastal Zhejiang and issued him a subpoena on Aug. 2.
Huang Yizi, a pastor who has been imprisoned multiple times since 2014, was called by police for interrogation on Aug. 2 and held until 9:30 p.m. that day. Immediately after receiving the summons, Huang posted a request for prayer along with a photo of a statue of praying hands in handcuffs. He later followed up with another post after he was released.
In August 2014, Huang was originally detained by Zhejiang authorities after he organized a group of Christians to pray in front of a church as a way to protest the ongoing cross removal campaign across the province.
He was imprisoned for one year, released on Aug. 1, 2015, and then detained again only six weeks later on Sept. 12, 2015, this time held in a black jail and forbidden all contact with the outside world until his release on bail on Feb. 5, 2016.
As of this most recent meeting with the police, Huang learned that his bail—referred to as “enforcement measures”—has been lifted, but despite this, he was still under government surveillance and his case is still open. A translation of Huang’s two messages is included below.
ChinaAid reports on the cases of persecuted Christians such as Huang Yizi and other underground pastors in China in order to expose abuses and promote religious freedom and rule of law.
【Prayer Letter】The government has summoned me. I beg brothers and sisters to keep an eye on this case and pray for me! I hope the government will fulfill their promise and remove the [bail] enforcement measures. God have mercy. God bless you!
——God’s servant: Pastor Huang Yizi
Thank God. Thank you all for praying for me. After being kept by the government by all sorts of excuses, I finally gained temporary freedom at 9 p.m. yesterday [August 2, 2017]. Although the government claims that the [bail] enforcement measures have been removed, the case itself is not finished. I know who is in charge of the future. Our hearts will always be at peace, because Jesus resides there. God bless this era and the pastors and the lawyers who are suffering for the name of God.
Thank you for your likes and comments in Moments [Editor’s note: “Moments” is a feature of the Chinese social media platform WeChat that allows users to access updates from their friends]. Although I cannot reply to them all, I read every comment carefully. There is only one thing I want to say: thank you all. I wouldn’t be so safe without your prayers, your attention, and your reposts of my message in your Moments and group chats. I am deeply moved. Your actions ensured my safety. It is so nice to have you. God bless you all.
——God’s servant: Pastor Huang Yizi
ChinaAid Media Team
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