ICC Note:  The Chinese government has been targeting Christian missionaries, sometimes taking them to court on exaggerated charges to justify their arrest or expulsion from the country.  Fortunately, most of these charges do not hold up under court scrutiny, but the government usually prevails in curtailing the Christian activities, no matter how beneficial they may have been to the local community. 

By Clarence Fernandez

07/11/2015 China (Channel News Asia)

China will begin the trial on July 28 of a Korean-American missionary arrested last year over a non-profit school he ran near the sensitive border with North Korea, his lawyer said, in a case that sparked outcry from international Christian groups.

A sprawling crackdown had forced hundreds of Christian missionaries out of China, most by having their visas refused, sources told Reuters last August.

Supporters of Peter Hahn, the missionary, had said he was being targeted because of his Christian faith and because of the small vocational school he ran.

Authorities have dropped three of the four charges against Hahn, 74, probably for lack of evidence, his lawyer, Zhang Peihong, told Reuters, leaving only the least serious charge of counterfeiting receipts.

“I wouldn’t call my attitude optimistic,” Zhang said by telephone. “After all Peter has only done good works, so he shouldn’t face any punishment. I do hope the court will act impartially.”

Hahn could receive a maximum of two years in prison, Zhang said, but he expected authorities would simply deport him back to the United States instead.

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