By Daniel Harris

12/15/2016 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Jin’s size belies her stature. Coming in under five feet, with heels on, at first glance one may not be aware of her true strength. When she speaks, she speaks softly, but she speaks determinedly, and her words carry weight. Jin has endured a lot over the last few years, most recently, the disappearance of her husband. When International Christian Concern (ICC) caught up with her, she was in Washington D.C., bouncing between meetings, petitioning US government officials to advocate for her husband’s release.

On November 21 in the Hunan Province of China, Jin’s husband, Jiang Tianyong, was attempting to meet the family of an imprisoned human rights activist. Jiang himself is a human rights activist and a Christian who advises others on human rights cases. After entering a train station, Jiang texted a friend that he was boarding a train to Beijing. Somehow, he never reached Beijing.

Jin believes that her husband is being detained and at risk of torture. Unfortunately, Jiang is no stranger to detainment. He has been detained, beaten, and harassed by authorities for years. In 2009, he was disbarred by the government, but continued to work as an adviser on legal cases including those of fellow Christians.

In 2013, his wife and daughter fled oppression to California. Under close watch by the government, Jiang passed several opportunities to escape China and stayed, separated from his family, to help others. After making this decision, Jiang was constantly on the move for fear of arrest and imprisonment. He rarely slept in the same place more than once.

On Friday, December 9, Jiang’s wife sat down with ICC and described her life since the disappearance of her husband and how she is fighting to see him again.

“I have slept a lot of sleepless nights, you know,” Jin told ICC. “So every night, all I can do is pray to the Lord to keep him, sustain him, to give him peace and protect him. [I] pray for him to be free and to stop being tortured.”

Life for their Jin and her family was difficult in China, she explained, “We were constantly being harassed, followed, intimidated, and even our apartment door was locked by someone else multiple times to keep us outside our home. They would often put glue on the door lock so that we could not open it. We were often being followed by the Chinese state security and many times [he] would disappear because he [had been] captured secretly.”

This treatment is common for human rights lawyers in China, Jin said. The secret police are always watching activists or placing them under house arrest. She was even followed when she went grocery shopping. When a prominent foreign official would visit, the whole family would be under house arrest or Jiang would be “taken away” for the entire time.

Jiang had the chance to leave all of this after his wife and daughter had moved to the US, but he chose to stay. Jin says, “He felt like he could do more to help those who are vulnerable and need legal defense. Although he is targeted, he can still provide legal service and advice as a citizen who knows the law and can help a lot of people. He misses me and his daughter a lot…he was given the opportunity to travel…but he was delayed three times…because he wanted to help more victims.”

Although this is not the first time for Jiang to disappear, Jin feels like it might be different this time and she is afraid. She shared with ICC as she held back tears, “I am really concerned about his health and him being tortured. Because in the past three years since we have left China, my husband has not had a normal living condition. He lives as if he is homeless. He has had to move almost daily. And there is no normalcy in his eating habits. He is always running and escaping from the police.”

Despite her fears, Jin knows that her husband is relying on his faith while he is detained. Jiang told her after his latest release that, as he prayed, he “felt the reality, existence, and power of the Lord protecting him” while he was in prison.

ICC staff met with Jiang in 2013 after a period of detention and noted after the meeting, “Watching his face light up with joy, one would never know that only a few short weeks before our meeting Jiang was detained by police for visiting one of China’s notorious “black prisons,” unofficial detention centers where victims can be incarcerated for months or even years without trial.”

But now, more than ever, Jiang needs prayer. Jin has asked for American Christians to join her in praying for her husband’s freedom. China is implementing a massive crackdown this year on Christians and human rights activists. Prisoners are regularly beaten, tortured, and forced to confess to false charges. To secure the release of her husband, Jin started a petition to submit to Chinese authorities with a goal of 10,000 signatures. The petition already has more than 1,000 signatures, however, Jin explained that many in the Chinese community are afraid to sign it due to oppression from the Chinese government.

ICC’s meeting was over quickly and Jin was off to more meetings. Jiang’s story is now all too common. Human rights lawyers and Christians are being detained at unprecedented levels. But Jin is fighting tirelessly, and ICC is sure that Jiang, who has spent his life fighting for others, is grateful to have someone fighting for him.

To sign Jin’s petition, please visit: https://goo.gl/forms/7YABi89IXdmr6qLV2