(Zhaotong City, Yunnan province) House church preacher Chang Hao has not returned home since his arrest in April. Government officials have not issued a written notice to his family or allowed visitation. After four unsuccessful visits, Chang Hao’s lawyer has no access to his client or his case files.
Confiscated
After the arrest of preacher Chang Hao from Yunnan, local police confiscated two mobile phones and a laptop. They also took nearly a hundred copies of the Bible and all of his Christian books.
Mishandled case
Chang Hao’s daughter, Chang Zhiling, posted on a prayer bulletin on July 25th. She expressed that the authorities have handled her father’s case illegally.
Since Chang Hao’s arrest on April 14th, the family has not received any written documentation notifying them. This amounts to taking hostage of the house church preacher. After hiring a lawyer, the family finally discovered that Chang Hao was detained on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”
“Picking Quarrels”
The government selectively uses this charge through the judiciary department to target specific individuals. Provocative and troublesome at first glance, the charge leads countless innocent people to unjust imprisonment.
Refusing visits
The detention center has prevented Chang’s lawyer from meeting with his client. Staff cited orders from higher-ups claiming the “special nature” of the case, thereby refusing visitation. The representing lawyer contacted Chief Lu Hong and Supervisor Su (last name), both in charge of the detention center. Despite the lawyer’s best efforts, Chief Lu Hong replied that he just cannot meet with Chang Hao.
According to Chinese law, denying a lawyer the right to meet with their defendant is a clear violation of domestic laws such as the “Criminal Procedure Law” and the “Regulations on Detention Centers.”
Corruption of Chinese law
In China, the will of the leadership often takes precedence over the law. Unlawful actions by the local governments not only corrode the foundation of the law and seriously violate human rights.
No Access to the Case
In the bulletin, the family noted that local judicial authorities will not allow access to the case files. Chang Hao’s case is currently in the stage of prosecutorial review. Due to lack of evidence, it has been “sent back for further investigation.” On July 25th, the lawyer went to the case management center for relevant documents. However, because of the nature of the investigation, they rejected his request. The lawyer disagreed with this explanation and demanded to see the case files according to the law, but the staff would not let him.
Active preacher
Chang Hao served the congregation of a house church in Zhaotong, Yunnan. He devoted his time and energy to social justice in China and cared for persecuted churches. Before his arrest, police summoned Chang Hao multiple times.
A nuisance to the CCP
As a minister of a house church, Chang Hao’s concern for other persecuted churches was considered a crime. The government intends to further isolate and leave those persecuted house churches without any support by imprisoning individuals like Chang Hao.
His health
His family remains extremely concerned, given that Chang Hao has a physical disability and suffers from diabetes.
“We really feel so powerless,” they expressed.
~Gao Zhensai, Special Correspondent of ChinaAid
