Update: House Church Raided in November has 3 Detained for 27 Days
ICC NOTE: A house church raided on November 18, 2015 which was 60 Christians detained in China’s western Xinjiang region led to three arrests. Later in December two other Christians were arrested elsewhere in the region for various reasons. Due to the risk taken by those who inform religious rights NGOs and the remoteness of the region, the report was not known until recently. Furthermore, time must be taken to corroborate the information in order to assess its accuracy. The arrest of 5 Christians in the region shows the Communist Party’s campaign to reduce the power of Christianity has expanded from its usual location in the southeast portion of the country.
1/5/2016 Xinjiang, China (China Aid) – Dozens of officials in China’s western Xinjiang region raided a Thanksgiving gathering at a house church on Nov. 18 and detained three church attendees for 27 days.
Ban, a Christian who attends this house church, informed a China Aid reporter on Dec. 25 that, police raided a gathering of 66 Christians and accused the church of being an unregistered religious institution and the Christians of engaging in illegal religious activities and gathering a crowd to disturb social order.
“… [the detainees] were all required to have of their ID cards and phone numbers registered,” Ban said. “All of their phones were confiscated. Two Taiwanese teachers were questioned on the spot and later allowed to leave. Three detained people were released on the evening of Dec. 14: Li Yan, the owner of the house [where the church] meets and Christians Huo Jinrong and Pan Xiangrong.”
According to church members, authorities also confiscated the church’s computers and projectors and have not returned them.
When a China Aid reporter contacted the local police station to inquire about the incident, the official insisted he was unfamiliar with the situation.
Also in Xinjiang, on Dec. 10, police arrested Fang Jianying, a Christian, after breaking into another church meeting in Kashgar Prefecture. The next day, they placed Fang under criminal detention.
Similarly, the authorities apprehended Chen Ai’E, another Christian, on Dec. 15 without stating any alleged charges and have yet to release her. Additionally, her family members have received no information regarding the duration of her detention.
China Aid exposes religious freedom abuses, such as those experienced by the Christians in Xinjiang, in order to promote religious freedom and rule of law in China.