(Shunde, Guangdong Province – March 28, 2024) On March 15, 2024, the 79-year-old mother of Elder Zhu Longfei, Deacon Zhu Longjiang, and Zhu Qiaoling from the Shengjia Church in Shunde passed away due to illness. However, the three siblings were arrested in May and August 2023 respectively due to their Christian faith, and were prosecuted by the Shunde District People’s Procuratorate in November 2023 under the charge of “illegal business operations.” Currently, all three siblings are in custody, unable to bid farewell to their mother in the hospital before her passing, nor can they attend her funeral.
After their imprisonment, only Elder Zhu Longfei’s wife, Liang Dandan, was able to care for the old and frail couple. Liang Dandan herself has a heart disease and is in poor health. With the passing of her mother-in-law, Liang Dandan has broken down in tears several times. Her mother-in-law’s body is temporarily placed in the Sanshui Funeral Home. She fervently hopes that God will move the authorities to allow the three siblings to come out of custody to bid farewell to their mother.
On May 24, 2023, Shengjia Church was raided by multiple departments including the public security, religious affairs bureau, department of education, and department of industry and commerce. Pastor Deng Yanxiang, Deacon Zhu Longjiang, Deacon Wang Weicai, and Zhu Qiaoling were arrested by the Shunde Public Security Bureau on suspicion of illegal business operations. Two meeting venues were also raided by over one hundred people, and a large number of books, tables, chairs, and other items were confiscated on the same day. On August 9 of the same year, Elder Zhu Longfei was summoned and subsequently arrested by Shunde Public Security Bureau on the same charge of illegal business operations. Consequently, five church workers from Shengjia Church were arrested, among whom Zhu Qiaoling, Zhu Longjiang, and Zhu Longfei are siblings. During their detention, their family members often wept in distress. In October, their mother was hospitalized in critical condition. Despite multiple attempts by their lawyers to apply for bail out pending trial, these requests were repeatedly denied.
On November 30, 2023, Elder Zhu Longfei, along with Pastor Deng Yanxiang, Deacon Zhu Longjiang, Deacon Wang Weicai, and Zhu Qiaoling, who were previously detained, were prosecuted together for the illegal business operations case by the Shunde District People’s Procuratorate and transferred to the Shunde District People’s Court. The printing of the devotional material used internally within the church (“Daily Bible Interpretation”) was labeled as “illegal business operations” and characterized as “printing and distributing illegal publications that seriously harm social order and disrupt market order, with particularly serious circumstances.”
After the arrest of the five church co-workers, their family members and several members of the church have publicly appealed for them. They stated that all five are good and upright Christians who have not committed any crimes. Instead, they are positive contributors to their families, the church, and society. They have requested the prompt release of the five co-workers and the restoration of their innocence.
In a Thanksgiving letter publicly released by Shengjia Church on November 27, 2023, it stated: “We firmly believe that our five faithful brothers and sisters, who love the Lord, love people, and abide by the law, have not engaged in any illegal business activities. This is an exploitation and oppression by law enforcement officials under the pretext of illegal business operations. Despite enduring storms, Shengjia Church still stands strong!”
