(Xi’an, China) The staff of Xi’an Church of Abundance, including Fu Juan and pastors Lian Changnian and Lian Xuliang, were officially arrested on March 22 for “fraud.” Meanwhile, police torture another innocent Christian for a false confession.
The initial arrest
On August 17, 2022, Xi’an Shilipu Police Station arrested the three staff members on the pretext of “fraud” and held them under residential surveillance at a designated location (RSDL). Their families did not receive any updates about them until six months later. Police tortured all three Church of Abundance members to obtain false evidence.
Police torture Brother Wang
The police station summoned an elderly Christian Brother Wang on March 1. He was tortured while being detained for 24 hours. They cuffed his hands and feet to a chair and covered his head with a curtain. Police tried to compel Brother Wang to betray his pastors and give up his faith.
Police torture Brother Jia
Furthermore, Xi’an Church of Abundance disclosed that police took another Christian named Jia from another church for interrogation. Due to Jia’s connection to the Xi’an Church of Abundance, authorities fastened him to a tiger chair. One police officer named Zhang intimidated and insulted him, trying to induce a confession.
How they tortured Jia
Officer Zhang asked two officers to watch Brother Jia. They left Jia in the tiger chair, cold and starving until the next morning. Interrogation resumed the next morning. An officer named Wu exposed Jia to smoke, forcing him to keep his eyes open. The handcuffs behind his back tightened, leaving his body numb and swollen. Jia was forced into this position for approximately 20 minutes, and even other police officers felt that it was too severe. Wu and Zhang then made Jia squat for three hours.
Despite all the cruelty, Brother Jia never gave an answer that satisfied the authorities.
~Yu Bing, ChinaAid Contributing Reporter
