 |
| The rubble of Sunzhuang Church. (Photo: ChinaAid) |
(Zhengzhou, Henan—June 23, 2020) Authorities demolished a church in China’s Henan province on June 12.
In the morning, around 200 officials from various government departments arrived at the Sunzhuang Church with cranes and heavy-duty machinery. Personnel from the Zhengzhou High-Tech District Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau forced their way into the church and took control of the Christians gathered there. They did not show any legal documents.
Some of the church’s property, including chairs, were tossed outside. At least one Christian woman resisted, and she lost consciousness and had to be taken to the hospital after being pushed to the ground. Another Christian was hospitalized after officials beat her. One male church attendee was taken into custody.
The church was then demolished.
Sunzhuang Church joined China’s network of government-run churches in the early 1990s. In June 2013, the Sunzhuang Village Committee issued a demolition notice to Sunzhuang Church, stating Christians failed to completely follow the procedures for building a church. In response, the church presented authorities with a certificate showing they had obtained prior government approval. At that time, the government sent out a group of people to demolish the church and cut off its electricity and water supply. However, Christians protected the church, and the officials were unable to proceed.
ChinaAid exposes abuses in order to stand in solidarity with the persecuted and promote religious freedom, human rights, and rule of law. If you wish to partner with us in helping those persecuted by the Chinese government, please click the button below to make a charitable donation.
ChinaAid Media Team
Cell: +1 (432) 553-1080 | Office: +1 (432) 689-6985 | Other: +1 (888) 889-7757
Email: [email protected]
For more information, click here