12/06/2023 China (International Christian Concern) — Brother Chang Hao, pastor of a small rural church in Yunnan, has been ordered by the Zhenxiong County People’s Court to remain in jail and prepare for his case to go to trial.  

In a statement from Brother Chang Hao in November 2023, he detailed that he was being arrested and prosecuted for “publishing and forwarding false information on the Internet, inappropriate speeches, causing serious chaos in public order, and having a bad social impact.”  

Brother Chang Hao and his family believe these charges are because he led a non-authorized house church and distributed medical masks with Biblical verses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Bitter Winter, a religious freedom magazine, reported in April that Brother Chang Hao’s church was raided in April 2023, where police seized Bibles, Christian books, and the masks that had Bible verses on them.  

ICC is now looking at opportunities to support Brother Chang Hao’s situation, including letter writing and other options. 

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