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| Officials raid a house church in Guiyang, Guizhou. (Photo: China Aid) |
China Aid
Reported by Qiao Nong. Translated by Carolyn Song. Edited in English by Ava Collins.
(Changji, Xinjiang—April 4, 2016) A house church gathering in Changji, a city in China’s far western Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, was raided on March 9 by authorities, who criminally detained two church members, the latest in a long string of house church raids throughout the region.
Nearly 40 people attended the meeting, a Bible training session, including pastors and visitors from other provinces. According to a church member who spoke with China Aid’s reporter on March 29, dozens of police and officers from the local religious affairs bureau raided the meeting, claiming that the proceedings were illegal religious activities and taking the attendees’ ID cards. Authorities took some of the attendees to the police station for interrogation, which lasted several hours, and did not release them until later that night.
Two of the attendees were criminally detained: a deacon named Wang Lu and an unnamed woman who helped transport people to the meeting. Public security officials did not give any notice or explanation regarding the detentions.
China Aid reports on religious freedom abuses, such as the detentions and house church raids in Xinjiang, in order to expose these events and promote human rights and rule of law in China.
China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
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