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NEWS ALERT: China Sentences 10 Christian Leaders To Prison, Labor Camps

Saturday, December 5, 2009 (1:46 pm)

By Worthy News Asia Service with Worthy News' Stefan J. Bos

Yang Caizhen (L) was one of five sentenced to two-years 'Re-education through Labor' for organizing a massive prayer rally, CAA says. Via CAA

Yang Caizhen (L) was one of five sentenced to two-years 'Re-education through Labor' for organizing a massive prayer rally, CAA says. Via CAA

BEIJING, CHINA (Worthy News)– China has sentenced 10 Christian leaders to long prison terms and forced labor camps as part of a wider government crackdown on unauthorized worship services, Worthy News learned Saturday, December 5.

Chinese Christians and rights activists confirmed that the leaders are from the large Linfen House Church, whose 50.000 members meet in buildings and private homes of individual believers in Shanxi province.

Five Linfen leaders, a man named as Li Shuangping and women Yang Hongzhen, Yang Caizhen, Gao Qin (also known as Gao Fuqin) and Zhao Guoai, received sentences of two years "re-education through labor camps" on November 30, said advocacy group China Aid Association (CAA), which has close links with house churches.

They were sentenced for "gathering people to disturb the public order" when organizing a prayer rally with some 1,000 believers on September 14, after their church was attacked by hunderds of police, according to Christians.

CAA said the detentions came after Pastors Yang Rongli, Wang Xiaoguang, Yang Xuan, Cui Jiaxing, and Zhang Huamei were sentenced up to seven years in prison on November 25 for "illegally occupying farming land" and "disturbing transportation order by gathering masses."

"Sister Yang Rongli received a seven years [imprisonment] sentence on both charges. For the first charge Pastor Wang received three years, brother Yang Xuan three and a half years and Cui Jiaxing four and a half years [imprisonment]…Sister Zhang Huamei was found guilty of the second charge and sentenced to four years in prison," CAA explained.

APPEAL PLANNED

All ten Christian leaders reportedly plan to appeal and protest what CAA called "these brutal and illegal actions."

"To arbitrarily send five innocent citizens to labor camps is in direct violation against the international human rights covenants and norms the Chinese government has signed and even ratified," said Bob Fu, a former house church pastor who now leads CAA .

"This case shows the Chinese government is determined to be on the wrong side of history by clenching its power with suppressing the basic freedom of religion and conscience for Chinese citizens. We call upon the international community to hold these rights abusers accountable," he added.

China has defended its human rights record, saying Christians are free to worship with the official churches. However observers say many of the country's estimated 130 million Christians prefer to worship outside control of the Communist government.

Related News Stories:

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  4. China Sentences Christian To Labor Camp
  5. China Sentences Religious Leaders To Death; 7 1/2 Years Prison For Pastor
  6. China Court Sentences Christians To Long Prison Sentences
  7. China Sentences Evangelical Leader To Two Years Forced Labor

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  • FresnoJoe

    Praying!

    "Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?
    The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
    For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
    The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
    His ways are always grievous; thy judgments are far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffeth at them.
    He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.
    His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
    He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
    He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
    He croucheth, and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
    He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it." Psalms 10:1-11

    Save Now LORD!

    "Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.
    Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.
    Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.
    Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
    The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land.
    LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
    To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress." Psalms 10:12-18

    Save China Now!

    "And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" Jonah 4:11

    Thank You For Answered Prayer

    I Love You LORD

  • 4chris10s

    This raises the question: should we be asking to be persecuted? – because a large prayer rally of 1000 is just daring the government to do something drastic. What then has really been accomplished except to convince the government that it is justified in preventing civil unrest. Aren't there better ways to worship God? Is religious freedom just a social issue?

  • esther

    Hi, We need to pray for our dear brothers and sisters in christ who r suffering for the sake of Christ in prison as the Lord guides you for strength. I cant imagine wat they r going thru. When one part of the body suffures we all suffer. Here in kenya they have begun putting those same restrictions.The body of christ is on the attack ………We r in the last days. Jesus is coming soon

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