ChinaAid
October 7, 2010
Henan — The three women arrested on September 20, 2010 (Liu Fulan, Hua Cuiying, and Li Yuxia) are now free, after 15 days of detention. Li Yuxia and her friends had gone to witness the trial of her husband, Gao Jianli (from Yucheng, Henan), and another Christian, Liu Yunhua, at the the Xuchang Municipal Intermediate People’s Court of Henan. On their way home, they were arrested by the Yucheng Public Security Bureau. They were held for 15 days of administrative detention, and are just now released. (See previous press release – Two Brief Updates: 20 Christians Arrested; Three Still Detained)
Elsewhere in Henan, in the city of Nanyang, the two foreign pastors and local church members arrested with them have also been released. They were arrested in a raid on Mid-Autumn Festival Day at a house church meeting in Wancheng District, Nanyang City, Henan province. Everyone there except for one elderly woman were arrested. The two pastors present at the meeting, one from the United States and one from Russia, were detained along with their translator. During the arrests, one member of the church, Ma Hanzhong, was beaten. (See previous press release –House Churches Raided, Two Foreign Pastors Missing)
ChinaAid is thankful for the concerned individuals who called the Russian and U.S. embassies last week regarding the whereabouts of the two pastors. We rejoice at the freedom of the prisoners, but their release does not negate the original gross violation of their human rights. We urge the international community to continue speaking up for the oppressed, and we call on China’s government to uphold the religious freedom of all its citizens.
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org
