ChinaAid
(Dali, Yunnan—April 21, 2017) A local public security bureau in China’s southern Yunnan province re-submitted the case of Christian hotel operator for prosecution after being ordered to investigate it more thoroughly, a defense attorney informed ChinaAid on April 13.
Tu Yan, a Christian from Hunan province who operates a hotel in Dali, Yunnan, was criminally detained last year for “using a cult to disrupt law enforcement,” despite her insistence that she had never participated in a cult. On Jan. 12, the Dali Municipal Public Security Bureau submitted supposed “evidence” to the local procuratorate for prosecution, which included 12 volumes and 2,400 pages accusing her of belonging to the Three Grades of Servants, a Christian sect the Chinese government labels cultic, to which Tu has no affiliation.
After reviewing the case, the procuratorate ruled that the public security bureau had gathered insufficient evidence and returned the case to them for further investigation. Tu’s lawyer, Ren Quanniu, said on April 13 that the public security bureau completed its second investigation and submitted supplementary evidence for the procuratorate’s consideration last month and that he would review the new information.
Tu’s sister, Tu Kui, said that, when she and her father talked to the Dali police about the case, the officials refused to answer their questions and would only tell them that the investigation was ongoing or that Tu Yan was accused of participating in a cult. Tu Kui and her father were not allowed to visit Tu Yan, and Tu Kui said she feels powerless to help her sister.
When officials originally took Tu Yan into police custody, they seized four other members of their church. Out of the five, only Tu Yan and another Christian named Su Min were criminally detained. Su hired lawyers from Beijing, but no other information has been released about her case.
ChinaAid reports abuses such as those suffered by Tu Yan, Su Min, and their fellow church members in order to stand in solidarity with persecuted Christians and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.
ChinaAid Media Team
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
For more information, click here