(Linfen, Shanxi Province – March 19, 2024) On March 9, 2024, Li Shanshan, Chen Ying, and Wen Huijuan, wives of Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang from Linfen Covenant House Church, who have been detained for over a year and a half due to their Christian faith, jointly wrote an appeal letter. It was titled “Representatives of the National People’s Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC): please Pay Attention to the Case of Religious Persecution Against Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang in Linfen, Shanxi Province,” and addressed to NPC, CPPCC Daily, CPPCC website, Supreme People’s Court, Supreme People’s Procuratorate, Chinese Government website, Shanxi Province People’s Procuratorate, Shanxi Province Public Security, Shanxi Daily, and Shanxi News Network.
They called for attention to the religious persecution cases against their husbands and urged all levels of judicial authorities to stop manufacturing such religious persecution cases that violate human rights and disregard facts. They urge the Linfen People’s Court to hold open and timely trials and send representatives to observe the trial. They also demanded supervision of local judicial authorities to ensure fairness and transparency in judicial proceedings. In the case of prolonged detention, they urged the Yaodu District People’s Court to change the coercive measures against the three Christians to bail out pending trial.
Linfen Covenant House Church is a house church. The church was persecuted by the government because they refused to join China’s state-sanctioned protestant church. Ministers of the church signed “A Joint Statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith” initiated by Early Rain Covenant Church’s pastor Wang Yi. Consequently, they were “invited to tea” by police multiple times and forced to move. The church’s school was also raided multiple times. On August 19, 2022, during an outdoor family event organized by the church, over a hundred police officers raided the venue. Subsequently, Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang were criminally detained on suspicion of “fraud,” a detention that has now lasted over one and a half years.
The three wives stated that they wrote this appeal letter to explain to the representatives of the NPC and the CPPCC about a wrongful case. They detailed the entire process of the case.
On August 19, 2022, Li Jie and Han Xiaodong were arrested by Linfen Public Security Bureau at the Shigao Mountain Scenic Area in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. On November 1, 2022, Wang Qiang was secretly arrested by Linfen Public Security Bureau from outside his workplace and has been detained in custody ever since. Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang were prosecuted with the charge of fraud on May 26, 2023, at the Yaodu District People’s Court for adhering to the Christian tradition of offering that has lasted for thousands of years. However, to this day, there has been no trial, and the judges have repeatedly avoided communication with the lawyers, resulting in prolonged detention and a failure to change the coercive measures.
The three wives stated, “Such unscrupulous arrests of Christians not only create meaningless false and unjust cases but also fail to demonstrate any righteousness or goodness. This is persecution against Christians carried out in the name of the rule of law. It undoubtedly violates the principle of governing the country according to law and seriously harms the religious sentiments of the people. We firmly believe that our husbands are innocent.”
At the end of the appeal letter, the three wives, as citizens, put forward three requests:
- Request all levels of judicial authorities to cease creating such cases of religious persecution that violate human rights and disregard facts.
- Urge the Linfen People’s Court to conduct open and timely trial, with representatives attending the trial. Supervise local judicial authorities to ensure fair and transparent justice.
- In light of the prolonged detention, demand that Yaodu District People’s Court change the coercive measures against the three Christians to release on bail pending trial.
The appeal letter was posted on Weibo by Chen Ying, the wife of Han Xiaodong, at 7:54 a.m. Beijing time. However, it was blocked within the next two to three hours. Around 11:45 a.m., police officer Mr. Zhang from Yaodu District Police Station arrived at her home with six other police officers, demanding that she delete the Weibo post. The police threatened that if she didn’t delete the post, they would come to her home every day. Chen Ying explained that the Weibo post had already been blocked, and she didn’t know what else to delete. At 1:45 p.m., Mr. Zhang called Chen Ying again, issuing further threats. Chen Ying sent out an urgent prayer letter, expressing her confusion about how to handle the situation and the fear of the unknown, as well as the fear her children were experiencing, and the serious impact on her life.
At 2:30 p.m., Chen Ying received another call from her parents-in-law, who informed her that they had also been contacted by the Liu Village Police Station in their registered jurisdiction, threatening them to pressure Chen Ying to delete the post. Worried, her parents-in-law also advised Chen Ying to delete the post. Consequently, Chen Ying sent out a second prayer letter. She said:
My parents-in-law are fearful, worried, and anxious. With their son being detained, they fear that I might also be detained because of his case. My father-in-law is 72 years old this year and suffers from a severe cerebral infarction. My mother-in-law is 68 years old and has a lumbar disc herniation and leg issues. I am already struggling to take care of three children on my own, and it’s difficult for them to rely on each other back home. Now, they face threats from the police, worrying about their daughter-in-law’s safety all the time, and are anxious about their grandchildren’s well-being with no one to care for them if something happens to me. Please pray for us.
