(Zigong, Sichuan province) Three house church Christians in Guangzhou were arrested and held under criminal detention for “fraud.” When their lawyers tried to visit them, they were stopped three times by guards at the detention center.
Three detained Christians
Zigong Municipal Bureau of Public Security detained three house church Christians because they organized and attended virtual prayer meetings and gave offerings online. On June 12, Christian lawyer Wen Yu disclosed online that he represented the defendants. He went to Zigong City Detention Center with Lawyer Yuan, a Christian lawyer from another city. They requested to meet with their clients per the law, but they were rejected. The next evening, both lawyers were allowed to meet with the three detained Christians.
Attempting to visit the Christians
On the morning of June 12, Lawyer Wen Yu and Lawyer Yuan from Chengdu came to Zigong City Detention Center and met with their defendants. Yuan reported that Zigong City Detention Center was an excellent facility, one of the most beautiful detention centers he had ever seen. The staff was friendly, and the director was kind. However, they refused to let lawyers meet with the “fraud” suspects without merit, which was perplexing.
Denied visitation
After both lawyers completed the paperwork, a police officer in charge of the case explained that the meeting must be approved. The officer on shift spoke with the director of the detention center, Wu Guoping. After rejecting the meeting, the director communicated with lawyers about the case. According to Wu, the fraud case was under direct supervision from the Zigong Bureau of Public Security. He suggested that the lawyers should speak to the Legal Affairs Department.
Filing complaints
After this, the two lawyers went to the procuratorate office of Zigong City Zhu City Detention Center. They tried to report this incident to Procurator Chen, but he was insolent and ended the meeting without reason. The defense attorneys had to file their complaints to other departments.
Second attempt
Later that afternoon, they both arrived at Zigong City Detention Center again and made a second request. This time, the detention center said they could meet with the defendants. However, all three Christians were arraigned, so they could not meet for now. The two attorneys wondered if this was a coincidence.
Third attempt
On June 13, the lawyers returned for a third time. The receptionist said that the police were supposed to arraign their clients today, but he was not sure when or for how long. Once the defendants returned, the detention center said the defendants would notify the defense attorneys once they returned. Lawyer Yuan questioned the receptionist, asking him if it could be “first come and first served.” The authorities have not arrived yet, so the lawyers should be allowed to meet. However, they were asked to leave once again.
Allowed to meet
Fortunately, the two lawyers got a phone call a few minutes after heading out. They were notified to meet with their clients later that evening. However, Wen Yu and Yuan did not disclose details about the meeting or any other information about the case.
~Yu Bing, ChinaAid Special Reporter
