ICC Note: On Sunday, policemen and officials of Henan province in China raided a church in a show of strength with a 1:1 ratio between officials and congregants. Many were taken into custody for several hours but voiced their discontent with shouts of “freedom of belief” and were subjugated to searches of personal belongings.

8/17/18 China (ChinaAid) More than 20 policemen and religious affairs bureau officials from China’s central Henan province broke into a church service last Sunday, harassing and taking away many of the Christians gathered there.

More than 20 Christians were attending the morning gathering in Zhumadian, Henan, when the agents intruded on the service.

“Some were undercover cops, and others wore a uniform,” one Christian said. “They snapped pictures while bursting in. Then, they cut off the service.”

Another one of the attendees told ChinaAid, “They attempted to grab Sister Sang’s iPad and cell phone without showing their IDs. Sister Sang said, ‘This is my personal stuff.’ They ignored her and continued to seize our stuff. Brother Qian witnessed this and took over the iPad and cell phone. Officers immediately targeted Brother Qian, and he was immediately under their control because he did not resist.”