ICC Note: The arrest of Pastor Zhang Shaojie in Henan Province and much of his congregation earlier this month has sparked an outcry from human rights activists who are calling upon nearly two dozens lawyers to take up the churches case. Initial attempts by a legal team to defend the pastor was met with resistance from authorities, so activists have decided to step up their effort to defend the pastor. Pastor Shaojie was arrested on Nov. 16 along with a few family members and 25 church members, despite the fact that Pastor Shaojie led a legal, government sanctioned “Three-Self” church. 
11/25/2013 China (UCANews) – Rights defenders in Beijing have assembled more than 20 lawyers to defend a detained church pastor and 25 church members, the US-based rights group ChinaAid said at the weekend.
The action was taken after the defence team encountered little cooperation from authorities in Henan province, it said.
On November 18 more than 100 supporters of the pastor, Zhang Shaojie, joined a protest calling for his release from prison, the London-based group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said.
Zhang, 48, is a Protestant pastor of the Nanle County Christian Church in Henan province, which is part of the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement.
Police forcibly detained him on November 16, CSW said, and following protests at the police station where he was held his sisters were detained and other church members were summoned to government offices.
Earlier this month, ChinaAid reported another protest in Henan, this time involving thousands of Christians, over a land dispute between a church in Anyang city and the local authority.
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