ICC Note:
A Christian woman in China has been accused of “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement” after being detained by authorities late last year while doing ministry work. According to China Aid, Tu Yan was doing ministry work in Dali when she was arrested on October 22, 2016. Despite protest, Chinese authorities continue to maintain that Tu Yan is a cult leader and have kept her under arrest. Recently, Christianity in China has come under increasing assault by the Chinese government. How long will Tu Yan remain imprisoned for her faith? 
02/17/2017 China (Gospel Herald) – Authorities in China’s southern Yunnan province have detained a Christian woman for doing ministry work and accused her of “using an evil cult to undermine law enforcement” as persecution of believers in the country continues to rise.
Persecution watchdog China Aid reports that Tu Yan, a Christian originally from Hunan province, was doing ministry work in Dali, Yunan on Oct. 22, 2016, when officers from the public security bureau arrested her and four other Christians, including her boss. Though three of those detained were released on bail, Tu Yan’s case has instead been transferred to the procuratorate for further investigation.
In February, Ren Quanniu, Tu’s lawyer, told the organization that last month, he had visited the public security bureau with Tu’s father and sister, requesting she be released on bail. Though they were told the officers would respond at a later date, they have still received no answer, nearly a month later.
Despite Tu’s insistence that she is a Christian, the public security bureau claimed she was a member of the cult organization “Three Classes of Servants”.
In recent years, President Xi Jinping has tightened government control over religious activity in the country. In its most recent World Watch List documenting Christian persecution throughout the world, watchdog Open Doors placed China among the worst offenders against religious freedom in the world.
“As Christians are the largest social force in China not controlled by the Communist Party,” Open Doors noted in its 2017 report, “there are increasing efforts to bring them under state control.”
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