Jiangsu house church gathering raided by local authorities, 12 detained

Gatherings, such as this one in  Shaoyang, Henan, are often raided by  local governments, who claim the  meeting is illegal. (Photo: China Aid)

 China Aid
By Rachel Ritchie


(Suqian, Jiangsu–June 5, 2015) Twelve Christians in China’s coastal Jiangsu province were placed under administrative detention, with sentences ranging from five to 12 days, in mid-March for cult charges.

Public security officers in Siyang County, in the city of Suqian, Jiangsu, raided a Sunday worship service in the home of Christian Zhu Zhanmei on March 15. Ten house church members were detained and suspected of “organizing cult activities to disturb social order” and of being members of the Born Again Movement, which is identified as a “cult” by the Chinese government.

On March 16, the public security bureau summoned a Christian couple for interrogation. Tang Naijun and Xu Cuihua were sentenced to 10 days of administrative detention on March 31.

Eight of the original 10 detainees received a five-day sentence and a 1,000 Yuan (US $160) fee for meals: Zhu Zhanmei, Zhuang Chunlan, Zhuang Chunping, Zhuang Ronghua, Fu Chenghua, Wang Huilian, Wang Denglan, and Cao Yumei.

Zhu Qiaoyun and Tang Aiqiao were sentenced to 10 days in administrative detention and the same fee.