Shouwang House Church Raided by Beijing Government Officials. Major Beijing House Church Leader Detained.
Shouwang House Church Raided by Beijing Government Officials. Major Beijing House Church Leader Detained.
ICC Note:
In line with a disturbing trend leading up to the Olympics in Beijing, Chinese police and officials raided the Shouwang House Church in Beijing and ordered the church to stop what they called an “illegal gathering.” Prior to this raid, on May 9, Pastor Dong Yutao, who is a major house church leader in one of the largest house churches in Beijing, was arrested on his way to collect a shipment of Bibles.
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5/12/08 China (ChinaAid) Beijing- CAA’s Beijing investigators have learned that after a May 2 incident when police in Sichuan raided and harassed the Autumn Rain Church of Chengdu during a retreat meeting, (for more details click here) the police and officials from religion administration agencies suddenly raided Shouwang House Church in Beijing in the name of stopping an “illegal gathering” and ordered the church to stop meeting.
CAA has also learned that two weeks ago, police and officials from religion administration agencies in Beijing tried to abolish by force a united prayer meeting organized by members of a house church in Beijing. On May 9, a major house church leader, Pastor Dong Yutao, was arrested and placed under criminal detention by Beijing PSB officials for allegedly “receiving illegally printed Bibles and Religious Literature”.
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Pastor Dong is one of 4 leaders of the Beijing City Revival Church, one of the largest house churches in Beijing. He was arrested while on his way to obtain a shipment of Bibles. Attorney Zhang Xingshui, of Beijing Jing Ding Law Firm will represent pastor Dong in court.
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Seven police officials from Haidian District Branch of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and 20 to 30 employees from Haidian District Office for Administration of Ethnic Religious Affairs of Beijing were involved in the house church raid.