Testimony of brother Ren Zhongtian—-These years I am in a state of fear like an extremely frightened bird-
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The witness of Ren Zhongtian
My name is Ren Zhongtian , I live in Feng Ming town, yun Yang county, Chongqing city, Sichuan province. My wife, Zou Longshu and I have been severely persecuted for all these years.

I was converted in 1995. Since then I started walking on the narrow way of Lord with faith and serve the Lord with enthusiasm. I opened my house for services. But more than 20 policemen surrounded my house in the evening of April 4th ,1996 unexpectedly. The police rush into the room with pistols, policeman’s batons, and camera. They beat my wife and the sister who were preaching cruelly. My wife was beaten to faint by a policeman named Peng Yiwu. Then all the believers were forced to the central room. The police searched the house, all the chests and cupboards were searched, but they found nothing valuable. So they robbed 80 kilo of rice , 16 pieces of quilt , 26 pieces of wooden board, a radio, 50 bowls , 50 pairs of chopsticks, 2 electric torches, 2 hunting guns, and 2 kitchen choppers. After taking pictures for all the believers, the police forced the believers to carry the materials they had searched out for them, and handcuffed some and tied the rests with ropes, then escort them to Feng Ming local police station.

Threat, intimidation, and verbally abuse were happened to all believers the next morning. But the real tragedy started at 9 o’clock in the evening. The sound of beating, horrible crying of believers, as well as the angry shouting of the police could be heard in a distance. A woman believer who were suffering from navel disease was beaten in her navel by a police ( Li Minggang ), she fainted right away on the courtyard at one punch, and did not come back after 1 hour. In order to cover their crime, the police said they would send her to the hospital. But the patient was dropped down on the way to hospital. At last, some believers were set free after paid the fines.

On the third day, the fierce trials were falling on the rest believers. Our little sister, who was only 16 to17 years old, was beaten cruelly, and insulted with shameless dirty languages, which was absolute unendurable to a young girl. She was like a small sheep surrounded by the wolf group.

I was taken to the inner room of Xiong Zhiyun ( policeman ). He beat me cruelly first, then put the handcuff on my right hand, and knocked the handcuff with a hammer. My hands were cut and started bleeding. Xiong Zhiyun wanted to maim my right hand so that Would not be able to forge iron in my Blacksmith’s shop. After that, he made me squat on the heels, he himself slapped me in the face and kicked my leg at the same time. The torment made me half dying. He forced me to speak out the names of the church leaders. my skinning body was full of bruises. Afterwards I was put into a dark room.

The police set me free after I paid 700 Yuan. My family suffered spiritually and financially in this first trial, like an old man being bitten by the poisonous snake.
The second trial happened in July 2000, when the little sister came to my family, and was reported by my neighbor. The person responsible for the safety of our village named Pu Luquan burst into my house at mid night, and compelled me to surrender a girl in our village and a boy missing in the another part of the county. Good heavens! Where did I know these people? He threatened that if I did not surrender these two people, he would grabs me into prison. but I really did not know these two people.

Lack of the evidence, he just extort me 250 yuan. but after that he kept a close watch to my wife and I day and night for a long time. We lived a trembling life during this period of days.

Unexpected trials came one after another. In the morning of 2nd September 2000, I received a phone call from Yun Yang asking me for their worshipping service. Because I was persecuted seriously those years and had little fellowship with brothers and sisters, and also very thirsty for God’s word, I agreed without hesitate.

I went to the harbor the next day; two strangers met me there. I became suspicious because I did not know them. But I still followed them onto the boat to Guling. Two young boys fetched us in Guling , whom also strange to me. So I ask them how far the accepting family was. One of the boys said: ” do not ask nonsense, just follow us.”

Since it was already too late, and there was no returning boat to Yun Yang, having no other choice, I had to follow them. When we were approaching a house, Isuddenly heard the voice of threatening, accompanied with someone’s howling. I had a feeling that something would occur, so I run away immediately.

After a little while, I heard someone also running behind me. I turned my head back and saw the people who led me to the place. But I did not paid too much attention, just run. I was exhausted when I got home. My wife asked where I had been, I could say nothing, like a dumb person who had eaten a bitten gourd.

But I had never expected that one of the four people was caught by the police. He could not stand the incessantly torturing and gave out my name to the police.

in the evening of 9th April 2000, the police of Feng Ming local police station led by Tan Hanyi burst into my house, they arrested me and searched my house, took 2 Bibles, a picture, a calendar, and a spiritual book away.

I was detented in the Feng Ming local police station that evening. The next day, they sent me to the Yun Yang public security bureau for interrogation. Because I really did not know those people, the policeman responsible for my case thought that I was stupidly obstinate, refuse to confess. So they used all the torment in the human world to force me.

In the evening, I was locked up in the local police station. They handcuffed me to the steel pipe in the cell, where I could neither stand nor to sit, so did not close my eyes the whole night.

On the third day morning, I was sent again to the public security bureau. The policeman there handcuffed me in the place of wolfhound while they were playing. They even said I was not qualified for this place because I had polluted the living place of wolfhounds. I could not neither sit nor stand, only could knee
l down there for 2 hour. I prayed with tears: “Lord! Don’t you think we believers should be treaded on and be humiliated like this? ”

The policeman ( Li Changqing ) led me return to the criminal police team in the public security bureau after he played enough. He continued forcing me for the name and address of the people I met in Guling. But I really did not know, how could I give him?

At noon they handcuffed me on the steel pipe of toilet in the afternoon when they off work for lunch, this time they tightened the handcuff. After they came back, they thought that I was hardheaded, beat me cruelly, handcuffed my two hands on my back (they call this “carry the sword”). They tortured me till 5 o’clock. I was thirsty and starve, could no longer endure the torment, and fainted.

when I regain consciousness, the handcuff was taken off. A police officer smiled to me and said: “As long as your tell us the name and the address of those people, you can go home tomorrow, and still I will give you a treat. Actually it is useless to protect them. You see, they have pushed the crime completely on you! let me show you their confession note if you do not believe.”

I said: “I really do not know their name and the address.”

The policeman pulled his face long, instructed other policemen to continue torturing me. I really could not endure, so I admitted that I went to the place, but did not enter into the house, and did not beat others. The police still did not believe, but they closed the case rashly and locked me up in a penitentiary.

For 42 days in the penitentiary, I used the soap box as the bowl to eat, toothbrush as chopsticks. It was really the inhuman life. Seeing me not like a criminal, the leader of penitentiary commanded me forging iron for the penitentiary.

In the court opened after 9 month, the judge asked the prosecutor: “did you see that Ren Zhongtian beat you?” The prosecutor said: “no.” the accomplice‘s testimony also proved that I was not involved in the conspiracy.

So the judge sentenced me 3-year detention but postpone executing for 4 years, 7000 Yuan to compensate for the prosecutor’s financial loss, and 1000 yuan for the court costs. I paid 8000 altogether.

I have lost 8000 altogether in this lawsuit. My perfect family collapsed for no reason.
I know the law is just, but people who carried the law are unjust. In this case, what I was accused is absolutely not the fact, but I was not able to argue with them, but to swallow all the sufferings.

I became pennilessly, make a living as a blacksmith to keep body and soul together after being set free.

But the 4th trial befell again on my family on 1st August afternoons 2002, when a police car stopped in front of my Blacksmith’s shop. Two police officers grabbed me into the police car. They said that my crime of “harming other people intentionally” had been fixed, now they were investigating my crime of believing in Christianity.

I was first delivered to the local government to (an administrative unit, bigger than village) collect evidence of the crime of believing Christianity. Then they sent me to Feng Ming local police station. The police handcuffed my hand to the bumper of the police car for a whole night.

The second day, they caught my wife Zou Longshu to Feng Ming local police station. Since they were afraid that we had secret communication about the case, they handcuffed me to made me stand at the window for another whole night. At last, my nephew bailed me out by 2000 Yuan. But he had not enough money to bail my wife. So she was delivered to Yun Yang penitentiary and locked up there for 28 days.

Since I had a personal experience of the agony in the penitentiary, I did not want my wife to suffer. So I sold all my belongings and also borrowed some money from the relatives to bail my wife back.

when I got to my house and opened the door, I could not refrain the tears. I could hardly stand. Bed was covered with dung of pigs, clothing and quilt paved on the ground, the vegetable mug was broken, and all were in a mess. Nobody took care of the chickens and castles. How can we live?

I became more and more disappointed at this world. God made the heaven and earth, but his sons and daughters could not find a place to live.

Before I had any time to take a breath, the 5th suffering came.

On 31st October 2002, the police car Stopped in front of my iron shop again. Feng Ming local police station and public security bureau grabbed me to the police car, and sent me to Feng Qiao Yun Yang public security bureau for interrogation. Chen Cengming, a policeman forced me to surrender the head of the believers. I had never heard about what was a “head of believers”? Even if there was one, I was wandering outside home all these years, trying to escape from the persecution, how could I know him?

But the issue could not be closed without “the head of believers”. Chen Cengming of Yun Yang public security bureau ordered that I receive interrogation in the Yun Yang public security bureau the next Monday, that is, November 5th 2002. I even lost my hope to survived under such a terror, even the Sun seemed dark.

All our savings was scraped away by the public security bureau, I did not work in the past 2 years, and thus I could not pay back the debt of several thousand yuan. Now they would grab me into prison again. I had no choice but fled away from my hometown. I lived in the mountain, one meal a day in the following days. The suffering was beyond description.

During the days I wandering outside, I saw idols were worshipped everywhere, every household burned incense to please the false gods. but as sons and daughters of God, we Christians did not have a foothold at all. Thinking that other families live together happily, while my family scattered about, the field was desolate, my iron shop had closed for 2 years, the tools had become rusty, the customers also looked down on me, I returned home with my eyes filled with the tears.

When the dark days will be end and the black clouds will be dissipated? The Holy Spirit moves me to take up the pen to write out all the injustice I received to all the Christians under the sun who believe in the same Lord as me.

from 1995, my family was fined 12750 yuan altogether by the local public security bureau, in addition to the cost in prison, and the expenses for imprisonment, as well as the loss because of my unable to work, all the losses adds up to 30000 to 40000 yuan. Even the money my son earned by manual work was handed over to the public security bureau. My neighbors have all built the new two-storey houses, but we still live in the thatch house. But what is more bitter is the wrecking of spirit. These years I am in a state of fear like an extremely frightened bird.

I have home but can not return because of the persecution from local public security bureau. In order to pay back the debt, my son has to do manual work all year long. I often prayed, “Lord! Actually what is your good intention at your sons and daughters?”

Though my property is robbed, but I am still joyful because of the God whom I believe, and it is him that creates heaven and earth. I will believe in this Lord forever, and walk on his narrow way despite of all the sufferings.

Chinese Christians will never have freedom to practice their belief, which is proved by my personal experiences. A Chinese or foreigner who genuinely goes according to the biblical truth will never gets the approval and support from the government. On the contrary, he will be put on the hat as heresy or counter revolutionary. Those who are genuinely abid by the law are oppressed to such an extent that they can not lift up their heads, even the sky is complete dark to them. They have to live terrified lives everyday.
What I have written is absolutely true. I am only regret that my han
d is too awkward to write out completely. Every sentence that I have written is true.