ICC NOTE: It is troubling to hear another Christian lawyer, who continues to remain in detention for nefarious reasons has been forced to confess to a crime he did not commit. The confession of Zhang Kai televised is reminiscent of the actions North Korea takes with their foreign prisoners. Place them in front of the media, forcing them to lie to those watching merely to humiliate the prisoner and to de-legitimatize either their work or their faith. Organizing other legal professional to defend the churches in Zhejiang province who face persecution is considered disturbing social order. If defending a person’s right to worship freely is considered disturbing social order, we must pray and hope more people are as passionate in defending religious freedom as Zhang Kai has been. 

2/26/2016 China (CSW UK) – According to Chinese state media reports, rights lawyer Zhang Kai, who has been detained since 25 August 2015, has given a televised “confession” admitting to “disturbing social order”, “endangering state security” and behaving in an unprofessional manner. It is not clear whether he has been formally arrested.

Lawyer Zhang Kai was taken into custody by police on 25 August 2015. The charges levelled against him included “disturbing social order”, stealing and spying. During six months detention termed “residential surveillance at a designated location”, Zhang had no contact with his family or lawyer. On 28 January 2016, the authorities informed Zhang’s family that he had written a note dismissing his lawyer.

Zhang Kai is a prominent human rights lawyer and a Christian. Although based in Beijing, prior to his arrest he was living in Zhejiang Province, where he organised a team of over 30 legal professionals to defend churches facing the forced removal of their crosses or the demolition of their buildings.

Authorities have removed hundreds of crosses from both Catholic and Protestant, registered and unregistered churches in the province since early 2014, with some observers estimating the total number to be over 1,500. Zhang provided legal advice to churches and church leaders in Zhejiang. In August 2015, Zhang was due to meet with the US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, David Saperstein, during the Ambassador’s visit to China, but he was detained before this could occur.

(Full Article)