China: Pastor and Wife Bulldozed Alive
By Joseph DeCaro, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The wife of a church leader in China’s Henan province was buried alive with her husband under the rubble of their demolished church where she suffocated and died on April 14.
According to International Christian Concern, a demolition team was set to demolish the Beitou Church in Zhumadian, Henan Province. But when Pastor Li Jiangong and his wife, Ding Cuimei, stood before the dozers to stop the demolition, both were buried beneath the ground by the machines.
Ding Cuimei suffocated under the weight of bulldozed earth while her husband managed to dig his way to out. Those responsible have reportedly been detained by local authorities.
Henan Province is one example of an ongoing pattern within the Chinese government’s “Three rectifications, one demolition,” campaign. More than 2,000 church crosses have been forcibly removed by the Chinese Communist government.
“The death of Ding Cuimei has added to the storyline of how the Chinese government does not hold life to be precious,” said ICC’s president, Jeff King. “Rather than stopping, they decided to literally bulldoze human beings as they stood their ground to protect a house of worship. While it does not hold the same historical weight as Tiananmen Square, it serves as a reminder of Chinese citizens standing in front of mammoth machines to stop what is clearly an injustice….”