China Aid Association
(Midland, Texas (CAA)–Oct 4, 2005)—Mr. Ma Shulei, a full time house church evangelist, was arrested in Mianchi County, Sanmenxia City, Henan Province, along with his 58-year-old father, Mr. Ma Yinzhou, who is a house church pastor.
September 26, 2005, Mr. Ma Shulei returned home from Yunnan Province to visit his father. Someone immediately reported this information to the police. When the police arrived, Mr. Ma Shulei was not at home. Therefore, the police arrested his father Pastor Ma Yinzhou, and forced him to reveal his son’s whereabouts.
To save his father, Mr. Ma Shulei turned himself in October 2. However, his father was not released and both are now in police custody.
In 2002, Mr. Ma Shulei and his father were detained in Beijing for more than 40 days after a church leader’s meeting was raided by the police. Later they were put on probation and ordered to report to the police every five days. Instead of following the probation order, Mr. Ma Shulei went into Yunnan Province as a house church missionary. Mr. Ma Shulei graduated from a Chinese seminary in Myanmar in 2002.
“To hold the father in order to arrest the son is certainly a very harsh tactic to use against two innocent individuals.” said Bob Fu, “We urge the Chinese government to immediately release Pastor Ma and his son.”
Voice of America Report in Chinese on this story
Radio Free Asia Report in Chinese on this story
