Beijing house church pastor Liu Fenggang harassed by rogue police during “June 4th”

China Aid Association
(Beijing—June 9, 2012) Liu Fenggang, the former pastor of Beijing house church ShengAi Fellowship, was recently persecuted by the police because of his involvement in aiding Kachin Christian refugees on the China-Myanmar border.

In late March of 2012, pastor Liu Fenggang drove a car to the border area of China’s Yunnan Province and Myanmar to visit tens of thousands of Christian refugees who were escaping the civil war of Myanmar, and to contact and collaborate with international humanitarian aid organizations to combine efforts in helping Kachin Christian refugees. He also drove a car around to purchase food, medicine and basic needs.

Before pastor Liu Fenggang left Beijing, the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) just came to a conclusion in Beijing. As a routine of many years, during politically sensitive times, the political police from the National Security Protection Squad of Beijing Haidian District Public Security Bureau and the police from Xisanqi Police Station would always go to pastor Liu’s home and restrict his liberties by force.

This year (the year of 2012), with the conclusion of NPC and CPPCC in late March, the secret police limiting pastor liu’s liberties were removed. Concerned that the secret police would continue to limit his freedom of moving about, pastor Liu left Beijing without informing the police station and policemen and drove a car to an area of Yunnan on the China-Myanmar border to visit Christian refugees.

The sweltering hot weather on the China-Myanmar border caused physical discomfort to pastor Liu Fenggang when he served at the refugee camps. Having a long history of diabetes, hypertension, miocardial infarction and some other illnesses, he was concerned about having unexpected heart attacks. So on the International Children’s Day of June 1, he took a flight to go back to Beijing accompanied by Christina journalist Zhang Shengqi.  

The day after his return to his home in Beijing, a large group of police, plainclothes police and security personnel showed up at his door, continued to limit his freedom to move about, and put him under house arrest. Moreover, pastor Liu constantly suffered the verbal abuse of national security protection guards and policemen form the local police station.

At 8:30 pm on June 5, 2012, NieJianguo, the Police Chief of Xisanqi Police Station of Beijing Haidian District Public Security Bureau broke into pastor Liu’s home with two policemen from the community, Huang Guoming and Maguidong, as well as two other men and a woman, all wearing plain clothes. Without producing any ID papers, they questioned pastor Liu why he did not tell the police when he left home. Pastor Liu was going to answer their questions calmly, but the Police Chief NieJianguo launched into a string of profanities, “You are a big ***! Damn you for believing Christianity! *** you!” Pastor Liu told him to stop using profanities at people, yet he would not quit, saying, “You are a human being, you are ***…”. Pastor Liu said, “Police must implement the law according to the law. What law did I break?” He replied, “So many people live in Xisanqi area, why are we monitoring you alone? You know it clearly. You stinky ***!”

One more time, pastor Liu told the Police Chief Nie not to use profanities, yet he wouldn’t stop. At this time, another person in plainclothes pointed to the Police Chief and said to pastor Liu, “I dare you to beat him up. I dare you to beat him up.”
Pastor Liu said, “Give me a beating if you need a way to vent your anger.” The Police Chief Nie replied, “We will (beat you up) sooner or later. Just wait and see.” In the end, he ordered policeman Ma Guidong to ban pastor Liu from stepping out of his home.

Shortly after Nie, the Police Chief of Xisanqi Police Station, left, at 9:46 pm, a man who identified himself as a policeman called from the phone number of 13522702768. When (pastor Liu) picked up the phone, the man on the other side of the phone expressed profanities with a strong accent of northeast China, “If you fucking run away again, I’ll dislocate your fucking legs when I’m back from the northeast. “

It was not until June 7 did the secret police limiting pastor Liu’s freedom start to withdraw one by one. 

China Aid denounces Beijing police for violating pastor Liu Fenggang’s legal rights and interests and urges them to immediately correct the law-breaking behaviors of law of law-enforcement personnel.

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