Rock Church Pastor Secretly Transferred to Re-education Through Labor Camp

China Aid Association
Photo: Rock Church believers pray for Pastor Dou outside the Jinshui Branch Detention Center of Zhengzhou City where Pastor Dou was first imprisoned. The banner says:  “blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness” (Matthew 5).

(HENAN – July 13, 2009) On June 29, about 3 p.m., Pastor Dou Shaowen was secretly transferred to Shifo Re-education Through Labor Center in Zhengzhou city, Henan province. Authorities still have not informed his family of his transfer. Pastor Dou is currently serving a one-year sentence of re-education through labor for “engaging in illegal activities” because of his leadership of Rock (Panshi) Church.
Pastor Dou was first arrested on June 14 when government officials raided and forcibly abolished and sealed Rock Church’s building, a house church in Zhengzhou city, Henan. Police arrested him, his wife Feng Lu and five other believers. Pastor Dou and Feng Lu received one-year re-education through labor sentences, while the five other believers were each sentenced to 15 days detention and a 500 yuan fine.
Pastor Dou was held in Jinshui Branch Detention Center of Zhengzhou City until June 25, when at about 6:30 p.m., he was transferred to Baimiao Re-education Through Labor Center located on Wenhua Road, Zhengzhou city. ChinaAid contacts reported, “He was given inhuman treatment in the re-education through labor center. When he wanted to talk to the police officers, he was forced to squat. He worked 18 hours a day from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. midnight. Over 70 people sleep in a room. Due to the hot weather and the poor sanitary condition … some prisoners have eczema, herpes and other skin diseases. They have to work 18 hours a day without enough to eat.” 
At about 3 p.m. on June 29, Pastor Dou was transferred to Shifo Re-education through Labor Center where conditions are reported to be worse.
Authorities have permitted Pastor Dou’s wife, Feng Lu, to serve her one-year sentence at home, in order to care for their 12-year-old daughter. When Feng Lu went to see her husband at the Baimiao Re-education Through Labor Center, she was told she was not allowed to visit him for a month, and was not informed he would be transferred to another labor camp. Feng Lu is required to report to the Public Security Bureau regularly, and could be sent to labor camp again if she is found “engaging in illegal religious activities” again.
Rock Church’s gathering site is still sealed at this time, and authorities have refused to release the computer and other materials that were confiscated in the raid on June 14. Rock Church recently released “Declaration on June 14 Incident by Rock Church of Zhengzhou” to the international community and a petition to the Chinese government. In the declaration, the Christians of Rock Church state, “We hope the government can give us justice, give back our innocence, cancel the penalties of one year of re-education through labor for Dou Shaowen and Feng Lu immediately, protect the normal religious life of the believers, severely punish those people who committed crimes when they are supposed to enforce the law and apologize to all the believers.”
Contact Zhengzhou city authorities and ask for the immediate release of Pastor Dou Shaowen and Feng Lu, and ask that Rock Church be allowed to meet freely:
Zhengzhou Mayor Tel +86-371-12345
Mayor’s E-mail:
[email protected]
Zhengzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau office to report phone +86-371-66228710
Zhengzhou City, People’s Procuratorate  +86-371-68985078
Zhengzhou Intermediate People’s Court reported Phone +86-371-68983950
Jin-shui County Government +86-371-3526200
Henan People’s Radio Station +86-371-65723998
Zhengzhou People’s Broadcasting Station +86-371-68982487
Henan TV +86-371-65723657
Zhengzhou television +86-371-68982886

Read “Declaration on June 14 Incident by Rock Church of Zhengzhou.”
Read Rock Church’s petition to the government “Seven Departments of Zhengzhou, Henan Province Enforce Law in a Violent and Rude Manner and Undermined Normal Order of Life.”
UPDATE 7-31-2009: Read a public statement from Rock (Panshi) House Church in Zhengzhou City:  “Attacks and Persecution from Government Departments.”


China Aid Contacts
Rachel Ritchie, English Media Director
Cell: (432) 553-1080 | Office: 1+ (888) 889-7757 | Other: (432) 689-6985
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.chinaaid.org

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Rock Church Pastor Secretly Transferred to Re-education Through Labor Camp

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