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Press Releases

Blind Human Rights Activist Released From Prison

Photo od Chen Guangcheng from Gongmin Weiquan Wang (www.gmwq.org) | posted by RFA.

ChinaAid
September 9, 2010
Media Release - Updated 9/10/2010

SHANDONG — Chen Guangcheng, the famous blind human rights activist, finished his sentence of 4 years and 3 months today, and was released at 6:30 this morning. While in prison, he was brutally tortured and denied proper care. He is currently in bad health and needs medical treatment.

Though he is out of prison, Chen Guangcheng’s freedom is not yet complete. His family has been monitored and even harassed by public officials durring his imprisonment. According to reliable sources, the authorities have threatened Chen and his wife that they will throw any family member in prison at any time, if they fail to cooperate. This morning, when he was released, Chen's wife Yuan Weijing, his daughter, and his elder brother were not allowed to pick him up from prison. Instead, they had to wait to greet him when he reached his home. Now he and his family are being closely monitored by more than 20 policemen surrounding his home. No one has been allowed out of the house today, even for shopping, though his wife was able to buy vegetables the day before.

Chen Guangcheng, a self-taught lawyer, exposed the atrocity of 130,000 mass forced abortions and forced sterilizations in Linyi County, Shandong in 2005. According to Reggie Littlejohn, ChinaAid’s One Child Policy expert and the founder of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers, “The use of forced abortion and coerced sterilization in Linyi County and elsewhere may be the result of pressure placed on officials to meet target or quotas set for their provinces to meet population goals.”

Because he spoke out against these draconian measures, Chen was imprisoned in August 2006. He was charged with "damaging public property and obstructing traffic."

Time Magazine named Chen Guangcheng as one of “2006’s Top 100 People Who Shape Our World,” in the category of “Heroes and Pioneers.” He was also nominated for the Nobel peace prize.

Chen has expressed his thanks to the international community for their help. See his initial comments after his release, in this morning's Interview with Chen Guangcheng by Zhang Min, reporter for Radio Free Asia.

ChinaAid rejoices that Chen Guangcheng has been released from prison. Now we call on local officials to grant Chen and his family the full rights of Chinese citizens by allowing them to move about freely from their home. To help Chen’s family and others like them with medical expenses and basic needs, we encourage concerned individuals to donate to ChinaAid today.

September 09, 2010

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Chengguan Church Faces Destruction; Members Appeal

Photocopy of the Notice of Demolition of Illegal Structure within Time Limit, issued to Chengguang Church in Anhui.

ChinaAid Contacts
Annee Kahler, Media Coordinator
Tel: (267) 210-8278, or Annee@ChinaAid.org
ChinaAid Office Support:
Tel: (202) 213-0506, or Info@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org

ChinaAid
September 9, 2010

ANHUI--On August 24, the Fanchang County Bureaus of Planning, Urban Management, Administration and Law Enforcement issued a “Notice of Demolition of an Illegal Structure Within a Time Limit” to Chengguan Church in Fanchang County. The employee who delivered the demolition notice intimidated the church members, saying menacingly, “Because it is a church building, we are all the more determined to tear it down. If it was a residential building, we might give it a break and might not do it in such a hurry; we could also negotiate on that matter!” The church members were deeply offended by the harsh words, which revealed the more sinister intention of the planned demolition.

The church congregation has expressed their bewilderment and disagreement with the decision. On August 27 and August 28, they sent letters to the County Bureau of Planning and the head of the county, imploring them to handle this issue in a more cautious and just manner.

Chengguan Church, formerly known as Railroad Church, was built in 1990. When it was first built, the house church site was situated on west side of the railroad square. As the church grew, the residents nearby began complaining that the church’s activities were disturbing their rest and their children’s studies. The church temporarily rented a small bungalow behind the wall of the County Water Works with the help of government agencies. However, the environment around the bungalow was not ideal; the narrow corridors and the aging wiring system posed many safety hazards on the site.

Following a fire in a nearby residence (Military Unit No. 331), the fire department urged residents to pay attention to fire safety. The church consulted with one other before buying the piece of land to build their own church. In 2006, they bought four bungalows on the west bank of Chengxi River, inside the border of Chengxi Village in Fanyang Town, Fanchang County. After several re-modelings, the current church was built. Currently, over 300 members attend the religious activities on a regular basis in this church building.

ChinaAid is committed to following Chengguan Church’s case and assisting the church as needed. We pray the church remains strong as they defend their basic rights and appeal the demolition. We pray that the church finds an alternate meeting site where they can worship without further harassment.

September 09, 2010

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Churches in Henan Heavily Regulated

Policemen arrived to destroy a prayer center last week, in one of many recent cases of house church oppression in Henan.

ChinaAid Contacts
Annee Kahler, Media Coordinator
Tel: (267) 210-8278, or Annee@ChinaAid.org
ChinaAid Office Support:
Tel: (202) 213-0506, or Info@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org

ChinaAid
September 7, 2010

HENAN — Religious persecution in China very often takes indirect forms. Though local governments have publicly banned churches in the past, more recently the government has resorted to other methods of religious restrictions, such as citing breaches of “building codes” in order to evict faith groups from their houses of worship and destroy church buildings. Following the recent attack on the Taishan Christian Church in Zheijiang, ChinaAid obtained a copy of an internal government document from the Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government in Henan, explaining conditions which disqualify places of worship from being used for religious activities.

Supplementary Notice on the Examination Plan of Creating “Harmonious Temples and Churches”

The document is primarily used to regulate Three Self Churches, but it can also be used against house churches. It is a tool for government authorities who want to purge any gathering (such as house churches) by labeling them “inharmonious” or disruptive to society.

This document comes out of one of the worst areas of persecution in China. The following are a few examples from this year:

September - Last week, a church complex in Henan was destroyed.

August - Two Henan Christians were sentenced to one year of re-education through labor. Other members of their house church have been harassed.

April to present - Henan is home to Pastor Bike, a house church pastor who has been persecuted off and on since 2009.

March - Authorities in Henan disrupted a peaceful church legal training meeting, interrogating house church pastors and human rights lawyer Wu Chenglian.

February - A woman in Henan was injured from PSB violence, and 60 Christians were arrested.

Because local authorities determine what constitutes a “harmonious” society, it is easy for them to label any house church inharmonious, or disruptive of the social order. In some of the cases above, government officials in Henan accused house churches of “cult” activities without any proof.

These unwarranted actions and other restrictive controls on the churches, such as regulating which speakers are permitted to attend to church meetings, and what they can speak about, directly violate the principles of religious freedom. Until the religious freedoms of the faithful in Henan and throughout China can be guaranteed, Chinese officials will continue to jeopardize the social harmony they seek to promote.

ChinaAid calls on the Chinese government to take measures to ensure religious freedom in Henan, insisting that local authorities ease their oppressive regulations against places of worship. We urge the international community to stand with us as we continue to fight for the persecuted faithful.

September 07, 2010

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Prayer Center Destroyed by Force, Church Leaders Threatened for Mission Conference

Elderly people sit outside amidst rubble and salvaged belongings.

ZHEJIANG — On August 30, 2010, several elderly Christians were disturbed during their morning prayers when authorities trooped into their mountainside prayer center. They were forcibly removed, and then watched helplessly as the building was demolished.

Persecution - Zheijiang Church Destruction - destruction crew

Workmen arrive with tools to demolish the prayer center

The police force, several hundred strong, removed about twenty elderly Christians from the building. No one seemed injured. Workmen proceeded to destroy the church’s prayer room, school room, and training center rooms.

Persecution - Zheijiang Church Destruction - rubble

The multi-purpose church complex after destruction

Known as “Prayer Mountain,” the complex was owned by the Taishan Christian House Church (located in Qinggang District, Yuhuan county, Taizhou City, Zhejiang province). This incident comes on the heels of more recent persecution against house churches.

According to ChinaAid’s reliable sources, at least three house churches were shut down August 5th and 6th, 2010. The churches were located in Wuhan, Hubei, in Sanmenxia, Henan, and in Changsha, Hunan. They belonged to China Gospel Fellowship (CGF), one of the major house church networks in China, with an estimated 5-7 million members.

The churches were forced to close down by the Chinese government because church leaders were invited to attend the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in October 2010 at Cape Town, South Africa.( www.Lausanne.org ) Sources informed ChinaAid that the Chinese Public Security Bureau has obtained the list of 200 Chinese invitees and threatened some of them not to attend, but CGF leaders refused to back down.

“In August we have seen an increase in persecution that is alarming and unjustifiable,” says Pastor Bob Fu. “We condemn the destruction of the Prayer Mountain church complex, and urge local authorities to cease their threats against the China Gospel Fellowship to prevent them from exercising their religious freedoms.”

ChinaAid condemns the unjust actions of the local authorities destroying the Taishan Christian House Church’s building. We ask for prayers of encouragement for the church members. ChinaAid also stands with China Gospel Fellowship’s bold leaders. We urge the international community to speak against this continued oppression of religious freedom.

Read the RFA report by Qiao Long, 8/31/2010 - Hundreds of Police Officers Dispatched in Zhejiang to Tear Down the Prayer Rooms of Taishan Christian Church.

Read the RFA report by Fang Yuan, 9/1/10 - Some People are Banned from Attending the Evangelization Conference, Many Among the People Receiving Theological Training in Xinjiang are Detained.

September 01, 2010

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EWTN Airs "The Suffering Church," Bob Fu Offers Devotional on the China Church

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Jubilee Campaign issued a promotion of the new series on the Global Catholic Network EWTN, called "The Suffering Church." The program will be anchored by Lord David Alton, and will air September 2010. See original Announcement, August 10, 2010:

JUBILEE CAMPAIGN, USA

Greetings!

The production of "The Suffering Church" series on EWTN was an incredible undertaking for Jubilee Campaign. Our staff worked day and night to coordinate with over 18 participants in bringing together this coherent program on the persecuted church. We hope and pray the series will enlighten you and inspire you to take action and to educate others.

The series will air in September on Sundays at 11:00 PM and Tuesdays at 5:30 AM. More information can be found at EWTN's program website. For channel information, please go to www.ewtn.com/channelfinder.

We also ask for your prayers for the persecuted as you watch the series. We have asked some of the panelists to submit devotions for their country of interest and will be sharing those with you for the next few weeks. Today's devotion is on China from Bob Fu, President of the China Aid Association. We hope it will guide you in your prayers for those persecuted in China.

in HIS grace,

Ann Buwalda
Executive Director
******************************************************

Devotional for China Church
Bob Fu, President, China Aid Association

Just as Jesus Christ commissioned lowly fishermen to lead the first Christian churches and commissioned highly educated Paul (formerly Saul) to share His truth with the multitudes so many years ago, God continues to use all kinds of people to do extraordinary things for His Kingdom. The Christian church in China which operates independent of government controls is under repression and persecution by the government, yet behind the closed doors of these "house churches" are teachers, businessmen, farmers, and intellectuals who worshiping God who has freed them for Himself. A growing team of Chinese human rights lawyers are standing firm in their Christian brothers' defense, even amidst heavy persecution by the Chinese government. When caught teaching the good news of Jesus Christ or defending those who do, the pastors and lawyers may be required to leave their jobs behind like the early disciples, to be arrested like Paul, or even to be tortured or killed like many faithful martyrs throughout the history of the Church. Yet the number of believers in China continues to grow to His glory; it is our duty and privilege to stand with and for them in the Body of Christ.

Verses:

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. -Hebrews 13:3

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. -2 Corinthians 5:20

Prayer:

Please pray for strength under persecution for the house churches and human rights lawyers in China, please pray that the Chinese government will recognize and abide by their laws that protect freedom of religion, and please pray for renewed boldness and passion in the Western church for their suffering brothers.

August 31, 2010

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Gao Zhisheng Confirmed Tortured; Attorneys Speak Out

17-year-old Ge Ge, daughter of Gao Zhisheng, accepts award on behalf of her missing father.

At the annual American Bar Association conference, held in San Francisco on August 6, 17-year-old Ge Ge smiled as she walked to the podium to accept the International Human Rights Lawyer of the Year Award on behalf of her missing father, Gao Zhisheng.

"I am so very proud of my father," she said. "This is the first time that this award [has been] granted to a Chinese person. If my father knew that I accepted this award for him, he would be very happy."

The President of ABA expressed warm regards toward Gao Zhisheng, praising him for his breadth and depth of work for human rights in the Chinese legal system. Ge Ge then shared her admiration for her father and his devotion to his work. "Deep in my heart, my father is the type of person I admire very much. He can get over any difficulties, and he is not afraid of anything.. I feel that my father is an outstanding father."

Though proud of her father's accomplishments, Ge Ge admitted, "I have been really worrying about my dad's situation." Ge Ge and her family continue to dread the reality that Gao continues to be held hostage by the Chinese government and may never return home. Read the Interview with Ge Ge and coverage of Gao Zhisheng's ABA award.

Urge your friends and family to Sign the Petition and Donate today to help Free Gao Zhisheng!

ChinaAid refuses to back down in the call for freedom for Gao Zhisheng, and all other human rights defenders like him. Reliable sources in China recently confirmed that Gao Zhisheng was severely tortured last year in Xinjiang, following his family's escape to the U.S. After briefly resurfacing this March, Gao Zhisheng was able to talk to his family and visit his brother and father-in-law, before being kidnapped again by the authorities from Beijing. No one has seen or heard from him since April 20, 2010. Read the RFA Interview with Gao's Brother and Sister.

"Gao's continued forced disappearance is a blatant disregard of the basic human rights of the Chinese people," says Pastor Bob Fu, who visited Gao's family in June. "If there is no regard for even a well-respected, human rights attorney's dignity, what stops the Chinese Government from exploiting the dignity of its citizens? We will not stop until Gao's rights are restored, as a law-abiding citizen of China. We will not rest until Gao Zhisheng is allowed to be reunited unconditionally with his family in the US."

ChinaAid needs your help to free Gao Zhisheng. Your donations help us raise awareness for Gao's case and fight to preserve the basic human rights of the citizens and their legal defenders in China.

Urge your friends and family to Sign the Petition and Donate today to help Free Gao Zhisheng!

Visit FreeGao.com to learn more.

August 24, 2010

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Liangren Pastor Wang Dao Calls for Urgent Prayer Amidst Adversity

Liangren members continue to meet in Pastor Wang Dao's home, despite threats from the Guangzhou PSB.

ChinaAid Contacts
Annee Kahler, Media Coordinator
Tel: (267) 210-8278, or Annee@ChinaAid.org
ChinaAid Office Support:
Tel: (202) 213-0506, or Info@ChinaAid.org
Website: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org

ChinaAid
August 17, 2010

GUANGZHOU--On August 13, 2010, after a brief detention by people from the Ministry of State Security, Pastor Wang Dao of Liangren Church in Guangzhou contacted ChinaAid President Bob Fu, requesting his assistance in issuing an urgent call for prayer. After translating the document, ChinaAid released the letter to Chinese media earlier today.

Read the full Letter from Pastor Wang Dao, requesting intercessory prayer:

Dear Pastor Fu,

Peace in Christ! Thank you for taking great risks in fighting for the rights of the persecuted Christians in China, including your care and help for Liangren Church of Guangzhou. The rights defense attorneys who work side by side with you are like angels. Wherever there is a need for them, there is their presence! Please accept our heartfelt gratitude for you! May God keep a record of the hard work you have done!

Sometimes, we are too naïve and innocent in believing that we can gather in peace for a while, but the facts have told us that we should not harbor any delusions (about our situation) for Satan. Let me send you information of what we have gone through in the past two days. Following is the intercession message of our church. Please continue to pray for us in our fight! Immanuel!

Your humble brother in Christ,
Wang Dao
August 13, 2010

“Liangren House Church of Guangzhou has again been suppressed and driven away by the Guangzhou authorities!”

On August 11, under great pressure from the Public Security office in Guangzhou, Zhuying Garden Hotel was forced to unilaterally terminate the rental agreement with Liangren Church. It was a one-year lease contract the Zhuying Garden Hotel had signed with us, of its own initiative, on July 16. However, the agreement was terminated after only one month of existence!

In the past two years starting from May 12, 2008, our church has had to move several dozens of times. Because we could not rent a place, we had to worship outdoors in the open on two Sundays. Because our pastor strongly refuses to stop the house gatherings, he was placed on a 36-day criminal detention on May 8, 2010. On June 13th, as the result of prayers by churches around the world and broad international concern, his sentence was changed to bail-pending-trial.

In the past two days, Pastor Wang has been unreasonably harassed on many occasions in his home in Chengzhong Village, by the Domestic Security Protection Squad, the Luopu Police Station, and other government agencies.

On August 12, five people from the Domestic Security Protection Squad, led by Officer Yang from Luopu Police Station, came to his house and threatened him: If he refused to go to a TSPM (Three-Self) church for his religious activities, they would drive us out of the house we currently rent in Chengzhong Village.

After that, people from House Rental Administration of the Village Party Committee came to his house to book his personal information; they also demanded that his landlord install fire extinguishers, (placing a greater financial strain on the landlord).

At about 10 AM on August 13th, Yang and the Domestic Security Protection Squad came to Pastor Wang’s home to summon the pastor and his wife. His wife happened to not be at home, so she did not go with the authorities. Pastor Wang was not released until noon. In the police station, Pastor Wang was seriously warned that he is not allowed to engage in religious activities.

Due to the harsh reality of our circumstances, we again find ourselves in a dilemma where we are unable to find a place where we can gather! However, we still firmly believe in God’s precious promise: “Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as it was in the beginning.” (2 Samuel 7:10)

Please continue to pray for us and please also forward this message to our fellow Christians you know.

~ Liangren House Church of Guangzhou
August 13, 2010

Download the full PDF

ChinaAid urges the international community to continue praying fervently for the persecuted Liangren Church. Thanks to your support, Pastor Wang was able to be released on bail, but please continue to pray as he faces the prospect of a trial. We urge the Guangzhou authorities to cease the pressure on the landlords and church members, and they seek to lawyfully assemble for worship in their own space.

Recent article:

August 13, 2010 - Pastor Wang Dao Interrogated and Released; Liangren Church Forced to Move Again.

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

August 17, 2010

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Pastor Wang Dao Interrogated and Released; Liangren Church Forced to Move again

Liangren Church has been forced to meet outdoors repeatedly, after being evicted under pressure from Guangzhou authorities.

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
August 13, 2010
Media Summary

GUANGDONG--Following two years of repeated evictions and harassment, Liangren House Church faced more uncertainty this week, when the church was evicted from the Zhuying Hotel on August 11th, and head Pastor Wang Dao was harassed, detained, and interrogated. ChinaAid received the following message from a Liangren Church member on Thursday, August 12:

“Liangren House Church is again being driven away and suppressed by the government authorities of Guangzhou! On August 11, Zhuying Hotel, under great pressures from the police and other government agencies, unilaterally terminated the one-year lease contract it signed with Pastor Wang Dao on July 16. (We have had to move several dozens of times in the past two years!)”

“On the morning of August 12th, Pastor Wang Dao was unreasonably harassed by five police officers from the Municipal Domestic Security Protection Squad and Nanpu Police Station at his residence in Chengzhong Village, which he had just rented. From May 8 to June 13, Pastor Wang Dao was placed on criminal detention for insisting on gathering in his house for worship. Now, the sentence has been changed to bail pending trial! Please pray for our in-door gatherings! We also request our brothers and sisters to forward this letter of intercession!”

People - Wang Dao with wife and daughter

Pastor Wang Dao has been repeatedly arrested and detained for leading worship gatherings in his home--the most recent being his arrest on May 9 of this year, when he was threatened with exile and was denied meeting with his lawyers. He was released on June 13 on bail to await trial at home. With no news on this past arbitrary detention for allegedly "hindering credit card registration," authorities gave no explanation for his harassment on Thursday.

This morning, at about 10:30 AM August 13th, (Beijing Time), Pastor Wang Dao was taken from his home by Guangzhou public security officers to the Luopu PSB Station, while his wife Sun was away from the house. At 10:45 AM, Sun received a call from the police, requesting she come to the PSB station too.

In response, ChinaAid released a press release in Mandarin to the media immediately, to help spread awareness of the incident. While on her way to the PSB station only minutes later, Sun received a call on her cell phone from the PSB, informing her she did not need to come to the station after all. At 11:20 AM, Pastor Wang Dao was released to his home.

ChinaAid thanks the international community for their support, and believes that raising awareness of these cases of persecution and harassment are vital to changing the outcome for these persecuted faithfuls. We urge the Guangzhou authorities to cease their persecution of Liangren Church and Pastor Wang Dao, and to respect the rights of the citizens to freedom of belief and worship, by allowing them to meet regularly in their own church space. By continuing to promote rule of law and expose the truth, we can make a difference in the lives of the persecuted in China and around the world.

Read more on the case of Liangren Church: