(Guiyang, Guizhou Province – June 17, 2024) On June 8, 2024, Yang Aiqing of Guiyang Renai Reformed Church posted on her WeChat Moments and revealed that her husband Elder Zhang Chunlei was found to have liver cirrhosis while in detention, and his health condition is worrying. She also stated that before his imprisonment, Elder Zhang Chunlei had no previous record of liver-related illnesses.
Elder Zhang Chunlei was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis at the end of 2023. At that time, he was hospitalized for more than a month due to cholecystitis, receiving intravenous drips for more than 20 days. Liver cirrhosis was already detected then, but his lawyer and family members were unaware. In early May this year, his lawyer visited him at the Guiyang City Detention Center. At that time, Elder Zhang Chunlei appeared slightly thin and his hair was all white. However, the lawyer was not aware that Elder Zhang Chunlei had already been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis. Elder Zhang Chunlei currently has high blood pressure. It is reported that liver cirrhosis is a disease that can easily lead to complications and even endanger life expectancy. Family members and his lawyer have urgently informed the judge of the situation and are awaiting a response.
News of liver problems among imprisoned prisoners of conscience in China’s prisons continues to emerge. It happened to Liu Xiaobo in the past, and now it happens to Zhang Chunlei. They were not found to have any liver disease before imprisonment, but after a few years in prison, they were diagnosed with severe diseases such as liver cancer and liver cirrhosis. It may be related to the long-term feeding of moldy and spoiled rice to prisoners in prisons.
Guiyang Renai Reformed Church led by Elder Zhang Chunlei adheres to the position of the house church and refuses to join the Three-Self Church. Since the implementation of the new “Regulations on Religious Affairs” in early 2018, the church, along with a few other house churches, has refused the unconstitutional requirements of the “Regulations on Religious Affairs” because many of its provisions pose a serious threat to the Christian faith. To maintain the position of separation of church and state in house churches, in 2018, Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church initiated a joint statement by house church pastors titled “Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith,” which was signed by 458 pastors. Elder Zhang Chunlei was one of the first pastors to sign. More than half of the pastors who participated in the signing were summoned and warned by the national security agents and many house churches were subsequently raided, suppressed, or banned. On May 12, 2019, Guiyang Renai Church was banned by the local government. On March 16, 2021, Renai Reformed Church was raided, and many Christians were arrested and had their homes searched. That evening, Elder Zhang Chunlei went to the police station to inquire about the situation and was immediately detained, then subjected to administrative detention and criminal detention. After the expiration of his criminal detention, he was formally arrested on suspicion of “fraud.” On January 27, 2022, Elder Zhang Chunlei was prosecuted on suspicion of: “inciting subversion of state power” and “fraud.” On November 29, 2022, the case was heard in a closed trial at Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court. According to brothers and sisters, at the trial on November 29, 2022, none of the “witnesses” or “victims” were given the opportunity to appear in court.
On January 27, 2022, the case was heard again in a closed trial, and there is still no verdict to date, which constitutes a serious case of prolonged detention. His lawyer has repeatedly applied to review the case files, but the judges at the Guiyang Intermediate Court said they would notify the lawyer when the verdict is announced. Elder Zhang Chunlei’s wife, Yang Aiqing, has also repeatedly gone to the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court, hoping to meet or call the presiding judge in Elder Zhang Chunlei’s case, but they have refused for various reasons.
It was not until recently that the Guiyang Intermediate People’s Court finally notified Elder Zhang Chunlei’s lawyer to review the case files on June 4, 2024. The court provided the case files and trial transcripts presented at the previous trial but stated that there was no audio recording of the previous trial. The lawyer was able to review the files for an entire day without any interruption.
Yang Aiqing revealed that Elder Zhang Chunlei encourages believers in Guiyang to rejoice and not to be ashamed of his imprisonment, knowing that it is a great honor for a church elder to be imprisoned for the Lord.
Yang Aiqing asks Christians to pray for Elder Zhang Chunlei’s health and his case, so that he can be released early for medical treatment and that the case will not be further mishandled.
