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| Many churches are often closed and forced to move out by the authorities. These women peer through the doors of their church, which bears the official seal. (Photo: ChinaAid) |
ChinaAid
(Changsha, Hunan—Dec. 7, 2018) Caving to pressure from the authorities, a landlord in Hunan province forced a church to relocate on Nov. 30, telling them the place would be rented to another tenant.
When they initially negotiated the terms of the severance, both the landlord and Xinghuo Church agreed that the key would be returned on Jan. 1. However, that night, the landlord decided to require them to move out before Dec. 1, and he stated a willingness to refund one month’s rental fee. He also revealed authorities had put pressure on him to discontinue the lease.
“During the negotiation, the landlord said he would break the lease if we disagreed,” one of the church members said. “The brothers and sisters [in Christ] had a discussion, feeling that we should stand in the landlord’s shoes and understand his situation, and decided to move out soon upon his request.”
The church moved out last Sunday following their regular morning church service.
ChinaAid exposes abuses, such as those suffered by the landlord and the members of Xinghuo Church, in order to stand in solidarity with the persecuted and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law.
ChinaAid Media Team
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