UN WATCH: Press Releases

WOLF: OBAMA ADMINISTRATION NEEDS TO ‘FIND ITS VOICE’
ON HUMAN RIGHTS
Delivers Major Speech on House Floor Similar to Floor Remarks Criticizing
Bush Administration in December 2008

Washington, D.C. - Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and a long-time advocate for human rights around the world, last night delivered a major speech on the House floor urging the Obama Administration to "find its voice" on human rights.

During the Bush Administration it was not uncommon for Wolf to press the president and the State Department to be more outspoken on human rights. In December 2008, Wolf spoke at length on the House floor about various "missed opportunities" on human rights and a failure on the part of the Bush Administration to "consistently apply their rhetoric." However, as Wolf noted last night, the Obama Administration has struggled even to "find its voice when it comes to the promotion and protection of basic human rights and religious freedom."

Among the countries Wolf mentioned in his remarks were Sudan, China, Vietnam, North Korea, Iraq, Egypt and Morocco. He specifically highlighted the struggles of different faith communities including Uighur Muslims, Tibetan Buddhists, Ahmadi Muslims, Coptic Christians and Baha’is.

In addition, Wolf noted troubling developments within the State Department which threatened to "institutionalize the marginalization of these core issues." He also called on Congress to "stand in the gap" when the administration fails to advocate for those around the world whose voices have been silenced.

Wolf acknowledged that there are multiple dimensions to America’s bilateral relations with countries around the globe, but said if the United States of America cannot be relied upon to speak out on behalf of the vulnerable and oppressed, then it is indeed a dark day for millions around the world yearning to breathe the sweet air of freedom.

"Where the administration fails to find its voice, Congress must stand in the gap," Wolf said. "For decades human rights enjoyed bipartisan support in this body. Now I fear these issues have fallen victim to bipartisan apathy.

"America must stand up for the ideals upon which our own experiment in self-governance was founded," Wolf continued.
"America must strike out against injustice, whatever form it takes. America must believe that even the mightiest walls of oppression can tumble and work toward that end. . . . will the administration accept this charge? Can this president find his voice? Will ‘ripples of hope’ once again infuse America’s foreign policy?"

Below is the complete text of Wolf’s remarks. It also is available online at wolf.house.gov. His December 2008 floor speech also is available online.

"On April 21, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof authored a piece that closed with the following words: ‘If President Obama is ever going to find his voice on Sudan, it had better be soon.’

"Two weeks after the article ran I wrote the president, and I submit a copy of the letter for the Record, putting forth a number of recommendations in the hopes of salvaging the administration’s languishing Sudan policy. My concerns echoed those voiced by six respected NGOs who the week prior had run an ad in The Washington Post and Politico calling for Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Rice to exercise ‘personal and sustained leadership on Sudan’ in the face of a ‘stalemated policy’ and waning U.S. credibility as a mediator.

"Sadly, Kristof’s assessment can be applied elsewhere around the world. It seems that President Obama and the administration as a whole have struggled to find its voice when it comes to the promotion and protection of basic human rights and religious freedom.

"These most cherished ideals, which are at the very heart of the American experiment, have time and again been sidelined in this administration’s foreign policy. This is a grievous mistake which has dire implications for the world’s dissidents and democrats who yearn for freedom and look to America to be their advocate.

"Looking back to Sudan, a nation I first visited in 1989, and most recently in 2004 when Senator Sam Brownback and I were the first congressional delegation to go to Darfur, I remain deeply concerned that the country is headed for a resumption of civil war if the U.S. fails to exert the necessary leadership.

"While there were certainly times that I was critical of the Bush Administration’s policies, it is indisputable that he and former Special Envoy John Danforth were instrumental in securing, after two and half years of negotiations, the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), which brought about an end to the brutal 20-year civil war in which more than 2 million perished, most of whom were civilians.

"A recent New York Times column by author Dave Eggers and Sudan activist John Prendergast titled, ‘In Sudan, War is Around the Corner,’ spoke to this reality. The pair wrote: ‘Shortly after George W. Bush entered the White House, he decided he would put the full diplomatic leverage of the United State to work in ending this war, one of the bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century. He succeeded.’

"Eggers and Prendergast rightly noted that when the South is given the opportunity to vote for independence in January, as guaranteed by the CPA, the conventional wisdom is that they will waste no time in severing ties with Khartoum. This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that President Bashir remains at the helm in Khartoum. Long an indicted war criminal, he was earlier this month also officially charged by the International Criminal Court with orchestrating genocide in Darfur. Bashir’s murderous aims in Darfur are not without precedent.

"With just six months to go, Khartoum persists in dragging its feet - undermining and stalling the process at every turn. Furthermore, the deeply flawed April elections do not bode well for the fate of a free, fair and timely referendum process. Failure to deliver on the long-awaited promise of a respectable referendum could have grave implications. While some of the administration’s rhetoric has improved of late, notably during Vice President Biden’s trip to Africa, we have yet to see the administration apply real consequences to Khartoum.

"In fact, most Sudan watchers would agree that we have seen little to no evidence, since the administration’s release of their Sudan policy, that they have any intention of utilizing sticks. Rather, they appear to be relying exclusively on carrots.

"A July 14 Associated Press article titled, ‘Promises, Promises: US Fails to Punish Sudan,’ described the administration’s track record on Sudan this way: ‘The words of the Obama administration were unequivocal: Sudan must do more to fight terror and improve human]]> http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=105&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1496 Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:00:00 PST http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=105&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1496 ChinaAid Contacts
Annee Kahler, Media Coordinator
Tel: (267) 210-8278, or Annee@ChinaAid.org
Jenny McCloy, Director of Advocacy, Washington DC
Tel: (202) 213-0506, or Jenny@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org

Available in Español |中文

ChinaAid
July 22, 2010

Since Uyghur Christian prisoner Alimjan Yimit (Alimujiang Yimiti) was moved in April to No. 3 Prison on the outskirts of Urumqi to begin serving a 15-year sentence, it was expected the normal rules regarding monthly supervised family visits would allow his mother and his wife Gulinuer and children to see him again. After being held for over two years in a detention center in Kashgar and denied all contact with family, the possibility of seeing Alimjan was their sole consolation in light of this extremely harsh and unjust sentence. Now, even that hope has been lost as the prison officials, or more likely higher-ups behind them, perpetuate the abuse. They demand a new letter be brought each visit, written and stamped by the local police verifying Alimjan's wife and mother's relationship to him. The local police, meanwhile, say it is unnecessary and refuse to cooperate.

After the first visit in April, reported on by China Aid, Alimjan was allowed only one other twenty minute interaction with them in May. Alim's lawyers have never been allowed to meet with him since being moved into prison. Each week Gulinuer mails a letter to her husband only two of which she knows he's been given. She has yet to receive a reply. One letter sent to Alimjian in prison was returned to a sender in the U.S. with the words "deceased" written across the envelope. ChinaAid has been unable to confirm the validity of the prison authorities' message—and Alim remains hidden from the world.

On July 15, two Chinese human rights attorneys testified before the EU Parliament in Brussels on Alim's case. Hear their remarks.

Christian attorneys Wu Chenglian (middle) and Li Subin (right) testified before the EU Human Rights Committee on Alimjan's behalf.

Thank you for upholding Alimjan's family in your prayers. Gulinuer is also very grateful for some of you who have taken the time to e-mail her your words of encouragement and sympathy and sign the online petition at www.FreeAlim.com. These acts serve as tangible evidence of your faithfulness to firmly stand with Alim and his family and the Uyghur church in China through this trial.

Prayer Requests:

1. May God continue to sustain Alim in prison. Nobody has seen or heard anything about him of late.
2. May God give relief to the frustration and powerlessness his family feels and change the hearts of the officials to allow them to visit Alim in prison.
3. May this injustice be somehow set right and Alim be released.
4. May God be glorified through this difficulty and the Uyghur believers be strengthened and multiplied no matter what the outcome.

Visit www.FreeAlim.com to Sign the Petition and encourage Alim and his family today!

© Copyright ChinaAid 2010.
Please contact Annee Kahler, Annee@ChinaAid.org to request permission to reproduce any photos or information presented in this article.

On July 4, Zhang Kai was prevented from flying to the United States for a legal training conference; a week later, Attorney Zhang was barred from entering a court in Linfen, where he was attempting to file an appeal for the Linfen Church case on July 12. The incident marked one of the first times a defending lawyer was barred from his clients’ court. Zhang Kai was encouraged to meet with the U.S. Ambassador following these events (See more details).

“I was invited by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and I went and met with Ambassador Jon Huntsman this morning,” Attorney Zhang reported on Friday, July 16. “Since I had met him once before, the meeting went very well, and we had a pleasant conversation.”

Attorney Zhang said the Ambassador was attentive, and shared his regrets for the incident. “He was deeply concerned about why I was blocked by Chinese government at Beijing airport on July 4, when I was passing through customs for a trip to the U.S. for professional legal-training.”

Zhang Kai related the second incident, and his inability to file the appeal in his client’s case, an event Ambassador Huntsman remarked was a “regretful yet confusing incident.”

“He said he will try his best to help,” said Zhang. “Afterward, he also asked about the situation of my job as a human rights lawyer. I briefly introduced the general situation of house churches in China, giving details with specific serious persecution.”

Zhang Kai shared the cases of Shanxi Linfen Church, Xinjiang Uyghur Christian church leader Alimujiang, and Beijing Shouwang church's tough situation of buying a building for church use with the Ambassador.

http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=144&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1509 Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:00:00 PST http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=144&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1509 Read the article by Maggie Hou, posted July 18, 2010.

Woman Activist Tortured, Kidnapped, among a series of grave persecution of human rights defenders in China

By Maggie Wenzhuo Hou

July 18, 2010

BEIJING--China's brutal physical torture and attack has escalated hugely recently. Earlier, human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng went through 50 days torture that his genital was pierced and his body tortured to the extent that could not be recognized any more. Zhao Xin was attacked that he nearly lost his leg. Also, human rights lawyers, Li Heping, Teng Biao were both kidnapped and physically beaten severely. Lawyer Yang Maodong (ie, Guo Feixiong) went through torture targeting his sexual organs.

Several other recent torture and physical attack happened in Beijing, including against female lawyer and human rights activist Ni Yulan (who was tortured to the extent become permanently disabled), artist Wu Yuren and social worker Liu Dejun. Ai Weiwei was also beaten on the head that he had to go through head surgery to save his life. These activities were all carried out by the Chinese police in Beijing or elsewhere, particularly, the Beijing State Security (Guo-Bao and Guo-An) were the agencies that carried out all these activities. Still, the blatant torture, assault and humiliation of a woman human rights activist Liu Shasha shocked people who did not expect much kindness from Beijing police in the first place.

Liu Shasha (also, Liu Lin-na) is a dedicated human rights activist. She worked on promoting public awareness of Charter 08. She actively helped on many human rights defenders' cases, recently, on the case of Zhao Lianhai. [Zhao Lianhai is a father of victim of tainted milk and later arrested for advocating fair compensation for children injured or died because of tainted milk. ] Most recently, Liu Shasha got involved in the public outcry of detention of artist Wu Yuren, who was arrested and physically beaten for defending the artists' housing rights.

Liu's active social advocacy for these victims & rights advocates, particularly most recently concerning Wu Yuren apparently made Beijing police angry and wanted to punish her.

Liu reported on her Twitter (account): “At 8:50 pm on July 16, I was tricked (into going) to Renmin University. There, I was arrested by police of Beijing Haidian district and Tongbai. I was carried to a suburban area, 2nd floor, with black hood over my head. They used rope on my arms. In order not to show any trace, they first used a towel and then a lace to tie me up.

First, Tongbai police ordered me to stand up. When I did not answer his questions, he started to beat me up. Then there were more Beijing police came in - kicking me and beating me with fist. Then they used chair to hit me - the surface of the chair - hit hard but not to leave any trace on my body.

After they hit me down on the ground, a police step on my back and my head, twisted my arm so hard that I screamed. Suddenly, one person used a towel strangled my neck- then I felt sudden darkness and lost consciousness. Then they used cold water, a basin of cold water dropped on me. Several men pushed me, another basin of cold water. Last year's hunger strike left me with a trauma -the cold water chilled my whole body and I felt suffocated. While I was struggling, another piece of cloth was changed to cover my mouth, this time, very hot spicy oil! That hot spicy oil went through my mouth, nose, lung, and I lost control, I said, "report".

Then the police said, "if you do not answer, we will make you naked and put your picture on public website!"

After much torturing, eventually, the police decided to let her go after much threatening and intimidation. Liu was kicked out in a remote town hundreds of kilometers away from Beijing.

But when Liu got back, she was determined to tell the truth -knowing that she is just one of the millions who were tortured, but she wanted to speak out what is happening in China everyday.

Liu Shasha identified one Beijing police man who tortured her, his name is: Fu Zhenhua.

Further, Ni Yulan, who experienced similar torture also exposed another police. Xiao Wei. (Xiao Wei's telephone is: +86 13801133659.) Xiao Wei ordered police and thugs who rubbed female human rights lawyer Ni Yulan's home, violently beat her, poured urine over her body. Xiao Wei's home is at : 1-21-303, Xinjiekou Xili-er-qu, Xichengqu, Beijing.

You can find more details by contacting:

Telephone: Liu Shasha (liu Lin-na) +86 15010721713 25

(Liu Shasha just bought a telephone number and told it to people on twitter. Half an hour later, people who phoned the number were told, "it is not in service")

Email: Fan Yafeng: yafengfan@gmail.com ,

Teng Biao: tengbiao89@gmail.com (friends of Liu Shasha)

Please also feel free to contact:

Human Rights Committee of China Democracy Party

Email:Maggie Hou: tbccdp@gmail.com, General Secretary: mishuchu99@gmail.com

Telephone: Maggie Wenzhuo Hou: +16137894460 (Canada)

Juntao Wang: +19172503221 (New York)

Website: http://www.cdpsite.org/

--

ChinaAid
July 16, 2010
Media Summary - 7/16/2010

VIDEO UPDATE - July 19, 2010

BRUSSELS – Following the recent EU-China Human Rights Dialogue hosted in Madrid on June 29, the European Parliament Human Rights Committee held a hearing on July 15 to further discuss human rights in China. Rights lawyers Li Subin and Wu Chenglian were invited by the EU Parliament Human Rights Committee to testify on the issues of religious freedom and rule of law. The hearing marked the first time two rights defenders from mainland China have testified before the EU Parliament in person. Watch an 8-minute video clip of their speeches:

In their testimonies, Ms. Wu specifically addressed concerns of religious freedom, while Mr. Li Subin testified on rule of law conditions in China. Both devout Christians, Wu Chenglian works for the Beijing Holy Mountain Institute as a defense lawyer, and Li Subin recently became the Director of the Applications Committee for the Chinese Human Rights Lawyers Defense Association—formed in May to help lawyers protect their licenses to practice law and the rights of citizen petitioners.

Mr. Li remarked that in the past 3 years, there have been some improvements to rule of law in China. “But,” he added, “in some areas of rule of law, there has been no progress.” He illustrated how the Chinese government represses both licensed human rights lawyers who handle sensitive rights cases and “petitioners,” non-legally trained citizens who take it upon themselves to petition the government for their causes directly in Beijing. “In these two areas of rule of law, there has been regress.”

Li Subin specifically cited the re-disappearance of human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, and the torture of female lawyer, Ni Yulan, who was imprisoned twice and beaten until paralyzed and homeless. He further noted the arbitrary revocation of Liu Wei’s and Tang Jitian’s lawyer licenses in April, highlighting the need for lawyers to be able to defend their own rights to practice law in the courts.

Wu Chenglian surveyed the changing landscape of religious persecution. “In the past 30 years, the general situation of religious freedom has progressed. But while persecution against house churches and other non-government sanctioned religious groups has changed form, it has never stopped.” The Chinese Government avoids using the name of ‘religious freedom’ to persecute and punish, resorting to other methods instead.

ChinaAid Contacts
Annee Kahler, Media Coordinator
Tel: (267) 210-8278, or Annee@ChinaAid.org
Jenny McCloy, Director of Advocacy, Washington DC
Tel: (202) 213-0506, or Jenny@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org

ChinaAid
July 13, 2010

SHANXI--Chinese human rights attorney Zhang Kai (Kevin) was barred from entering a Linfen Court on Monday, July 12, following a recent government action restricting his ability to travel.

On Monday morning, Zhang Kai traveled to Linfen, Shanxi, to file an administrative lawsuit for the on behalf of the sentenced pastors in the Linfen Church case. (See more details on the Linfen Case). This was his fourth attempt to ask the court to allow the administrative suit to be filed, since the first three attempts were rejected by the court. As he approached the doors to the courtroom, the first guard allowed him to enter the intermediate court. After glancing at the name on his attorney’s certificate (ID), the police officer guarding the inner room abruptly changed his tone, and asked, “Are you Zhang Kai the attorney?”

When Zhang Kai gave an affirmative answer, the police officer immediately blocked him from entering. “You are not allowed to go in.”

Zhang Kai asked why they were treating him differently than other people entering the courthouse, and the police officer informed him that they had received an “order from their superiors,” saying that the attorney Zhang Kai was forbidden to enter the courtroom. The officer vaguely referred to the reason as being a matter of national security.

This latest restriction on lawyer Zhang Kai’s movement and rights as an attorney follows on the heels of a recent event at a Beijing airport on July 4, where Zhang Kai was barred by customs officials from traveling to the U.S. for a legal training conference.

On July 4, Zhang Kai arrived at the airport with legal colleagues, Dai Jinbo (Floyd) and Yang Peng (Daniel), as they prepared to leave for a week-long legal training seminar in Chicago, IL. As the men filed through customs and prepared to board the plane, officials stopped Zhang Kai at the gate.

Yang Peng recounted the unus]]> http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=144&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1492 Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 PST http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=144&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1492 Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post published this July 1, 2010 profile of Professor Jerome A. Cohen celebrating his birthday and honoring his past and continuing efforts as a scholar and advocate for the rule of law.

(Read article posted by U.S.-Asia Law Institute HERE)

Back in the 1960s, when the United States was still hostile to “Red China”, Cohen was one of a few China experts at Harvard who advised then-US president Richard Nixon to move towards reconciliation with Beijing, by sending an envoy to hold clandestine meetings with Chinese officials. The now-famous secret trip by Nixon’s foreign policy adviser Henry Kissenger in 1971 paved the way for the normalisation of Sino-US relations.

But Cohen has in recent years emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the mainland’s human rights abuses and a champion of the plight of mainland lawyers and dissidents persecuted by the state.

The venerable law academic at New York University’s School of Law does not limit himself to talking about improving China’s legal process from a safe distance. He takes a personal interest in the individuals who have suffered injustice and is always crusading on their behalf.
In a recent trip to Shanghai, he visited Zheng Enchong , a rights lawyer, even though police tried to stop him. Zheng had been jailed after exposing a property scandal involving high-level officials and is still under house arrest.

He also tried to help Chen Guangcheng, a blind anti-abortion activist also known as the “barefoot lawyer”, by urging Beijing to demonstrate its commitment to the rule of law and release him. The activist had been constantly harassed and was jailed in 2006 on trumped-up charges of organising a crowd to interrupt traffic and damaging public property.

At a conference in Beijing in 2007, Cohen shocked his hosts by holding up a T-shirt on which was printed, “Free the blind man Chen Guangcheng”, and spoke about him because he wanted “Chinese legal experts to learn more about developments in their own country”.
Cohen also campaigns passionately for political prisoners.

Instead of preaching Western ideology, he urges the authorities to adopt the Confucian values of benevolence and forgiveness in handling dissidents such as imprisoned activist Hu Jia and lawyer Gao Zhisheng – who had been jailed and is believed to be detained still.

Cohen laments that even though the mainland has made legislative and institutional progress in the past few decades, abuses still occur daily.

People who are perceived as a threat to the government are subject to arbitrary detention, house arrest and other forms of harassment, even when there is no legal justification. “L]]> http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=105&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1486 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:00:00 PST http://www.chinaaid.org/qry/page.taf?id=105&_function=detail&sbtblct_uid1=1486 ChinaAid Contacts
Annee Kahler, Media Coordinator
Tel: (267) 210-8278, or Annee@ChinaAid.org
Jenny McCloy, Director of Advocacy, Washington DC
Tel: (202) 213-0506, or Jenny@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org

ChinaAid
June 30, 2010

BEIJING--From Shanghai to Beijing, rights defense lawyers have witnessed the harassment of petitioners, Chinese citizens who bring community concerns of the people to their designated higher authorities in government. Crackdown methods including detention, interrogation, restricted travel, physical abuse, and in extreme cases Re-Education through Labor, continue to be used by the government to deter petitioners from lodging their formal complaints and repress potential social instability.

In response, a group of Chinese human rights lawyers have joined together to form the Chinese Petitioner Rights Defense Association, a group of legal defenders who are committed to protecting the rights of petitioners, and promoting rule of law throughout China. They released the following statement on June 29, 2010:

Public notice from Petitioners’ Rights Attorneys ()

To protect the rights and freedom of petitioners, to realize the love and righteousness in China, and to promote the rule of law in China, we hereby establish Petitioners’ Rights Attorneys (Chinese Petitioners' Rights Defense Association). We expect the enthusiastic support and active participation from our mentors and friends in the legal community. The following is the list of names of members of Petitioners’ Rights Attorneys (Arranged in the alphabetical order of the first initial of their last names in Pinyin):

Name Telephone No Email addresses
Bai Dongping 13611155064
Fan Yafeng 13651319865 fanyafeng@shengshan.org
Hu Shigen 13681546847 hushigen3000@gmail.com
Jiang Tianyong 13001010856 Jiangtianyong@globe-law.com
Li Hai 15911115604 Lihai89@gmail.com
Li Subin 15811200660 Lisubin21891@163.com
Tang Jitian 13161302848 jitiantang@yahoo.com.cn
Wu Chenglian 15801684621 wuchenglian@gongfa.com
Yang Huiwen 13681108292 Yanghw2009@gmail.com
Zhao Changqing 13581616696 yougooood@gmail.com

ChinaAid thanks these brave legal defenders for their work, and publicly supports the Chinese Petitioners' Rights Defense Association. We look forward to working with them in the future to promote rule of law and a stronger, more harmonious civil society in China.

© Copyright ChinaAid 2010.
Please contact Annee Kahler, Annee@ChinaAid.org to request permission to reproduce any photos or information presented in this article.

Copyright ChinaAid 2010.
Please contact Annee Kahler, Annee@ChinaAid.org to request permission to reproduce any photos or information presented in this article.

ChinaAid
June 25, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mr. Mark Chuanhang Shan, a scholar on house churches in China, joined a panel of experts in analyzing the religious policies in China, at the roundtable forum hosted by Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) on June 18. The two-hour afternoon discussion, also featuring James Tong, a professor of political science of Chinese descent from UCLA and two Western scholars from NGOs, touched on political and social trends influencing Chinese policies toward faith practitioners in country.

The CECC panel raised the following questions: “What factors have influenced the Chinese government's policies toward spiritual movements and determined its various types of treatment toward members of the spiritual movements? The Chinese government allows some space for some spiritual movements to operate in while banning other movements, such as Falun Gong. Why does the Chinese government regard some spiritual movements as threats?”

In his speech, Mr. Shan emphasized that to understand the religious policies of the Chinese government, one must not overlook the influence from the traditional Chinese political culture. Since Zhou Dynasty, the concept of Mandate of Heaven has deeply influenced the religious policies of various dynasties in the history of China. This particular spiritual-political concept has passed down in the political-ideology of China’s history and influenced some political movements in modern China such as the Taiping Rebellion in the 19^th century and the revolution for founding the Republic of China led by Sun Yat-sen in the early 20^th century.

This tradition of political culture has led to a forbidden zone in the policies of the Chinese government: i.e. the government can’t tolerate dissent from any religion or spiritual movement. The government only allows those that obey the government and support the government’s political agendas. In today’s China, this type of political correctness is judged by the avowal of patriotism by the religious or spiritual groups. For example, the Protestant house churches and the underground Catholic churches are suppressed and persecuted by the government while Protestants and Catholics in the TSPM movement enjoy relatively more freedom. Likewise, some sects in various Qigong movements enjoy relatively more freedom while Falun Gong is severely cracked down because of their protest in front of the Xinhua Gate in Beijing (The Headquarter of Chinese Communist Party) on April 25, 1999 which touched the sensitive nerves in the politics. Among the slogans of Falun Gong movement, one is “Heaven shall wipe out the Chinese Communist Party.” In fact, this is another interpretative application of the Mandate of Heaven.

Mr. Shan articulated this reaction the politicized nature of certain sects of Falun Gong as why Gao Zhisheng, the Christian attorney who led in defending the religious rights and human rights of some Falun Gong adherents, has suffered the most brutal persecution among many Christian rights defense attorneys.

CECC posited other questions regarding the broader, far-reaching implications of China's current religious policies--asking the scholars to address what the Chinese government's treatment of spiritual movements mean for the future of religious freedom in China.

Mr. Shan referenced the theory of Yang Fenggang, a famous Chinese sociologist and professor at Purdue University who proposed a “Triple-color Market Model” in describing the status of religion in contemporary China. The current religious policies in China have led to three markets --- “a red market which is considered by the government as legal religions, a black market of banned religions, and a gray market where the religions have an ambiguous status between legal and illegal.

Because the Christian house churches’ interest in politics is ambiguous, they belong to the gray market. In addition to that, the house churches emphasize the teachings of “staying away from politics” and “praying for the state and the rulers.” As the disciples of Jesus Christ, house churches adhere to the teachings of “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” and even “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” With these teachings, they try to avoid challenging the authority of the government directly. Therefore, house churches in China will grow constantly and will gain more freedom of belief through legal means.

Finally, Mr. Shan pointed out that the development of Christianity in China (house churches and the government sanctioned TSPM churches) will deeply influence and promote the freedom of religion in China. In the final questions and answers, he predicted, based on the formation of civil societies and democratic societies and the experience of their development in the West, that the Christian house church movement, as a non-institutionalized religious cultural community, will surely promote the development and maturity of a citizen society in China and a citizen society is the cradle of a democratic society.

Mr. Mark Chuanhang Shan, with a background of house church in China, currently is enrolled in the doctoral program in philosophy, theology and ethics at Boston University.

Click here to read Mark Shan and the other panelists’ remarks on CECC website: http://cecc.gov/pages/roundtables/2010/20100618/index.php

Click here to download Shan Chuanhang's written remarks - English |