China Under Great Pressure - No Further Word On Fate of Pastor Gong

Voice of the Martyrs - February 6, 2002

Prisoners Tortured to Gain False Evidence (China)

Many have been praying and interceding on behalf of
Pastor Gong Shengliang who was arrested on false
charges and sentenced to death in China.  In our
Persecution & Prayer Alert on January 7, 2002 we
reported how he has been granted the right to appeal
and is waiting for that opportunity.

In an effort to help him receive a fair trial, six
imprisoned women have released letters outlining their
treatment, which lead to the charges against Pastor
Gong.  Their letters recount, in graphic detail, the
torture they faced from police to gain false
testimonies against Pastor Gong.  Testimony forced
from these and other women resulted in accusations of
rape and arson against Pastor Gong. 

According to a letter by 20-year-old Zhang Hongjuan
passed to the New York-based Committee for
Investigation on Persecution of Religion in China, her
hands and feet were shackled, and she was tortured
with electric clubs.  When she tried to protest, she
was told, "It's useless to call for help. The Party
has given us these fetters and electric clubs for the
very purpose of dealing with you."  Another woman,
Wang Lan, passed out several times as a result of the
beatings. 

The letter concludes that, "The police tortured us in
this ruthless manner for no other purpose but to get
'verbal and material' evidence to accuse and
incriminate our teacher [Gong Shengliang]." 

Pray that, as US President George Bush meets with
Premier Jiang Zemin next week, he will boldly raise
this issue.  Pray that the international community
will stand firm against such atrocities.  Pray for the
release of Pastor Gong and other Chinese Christians
held in prison because of their faith in Jesus Christ. 

Jubilee Campaign - February

This information was passed to us through Intercessors
Network.

The Chinese authorities have just passed some
draconian sentences upon some house church leaders and
members belonging to the South China Church. Pastor
Gong Sheng Liang and two others have been sentenced to
death. Two other members have been sentenced to death
with a two year reprieve. Others have been given
lengthy prison sentences. These are some of the
harshest sentences passed against Christians in many
years. The other two members under sentence of death
with no reprieve are Hu Yong, 25, male, and Xu Fuming,
26, male. Sentenced to death, with execution suspended
for two years, are Li Ying, 37, female, and Gong
Bangkun, 25, male. Sentenced to lengthy terms of
imprisonment are Sun Minghua, 37, female, sentenced to
life imprisonment; Xiao Yanli, 30, female, sentenced
to 18 years imprisonment; and Yi Chan-fu, 47, male,
sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. A further nine
members of the Church were tried alongside these eight
and another 46 members of the South China Church,
whose names are known, are in detention.

Testimonies of the women from the Church who were
arrested and tortured to give evidence against Gong
Sheng Liang have also been revealed. The letters give
gruesome details of the torture and mistreatment,
including sexual harassment, of some of the girls who
were arrested and interrogated in relation to Pastor
Gong. They describe how the girls were subjected to
beating, abuse, sexual threats and electric shock
treatment, often especially on their chests, and also
on their lower parts. They also show how the officers
pressurised them to give evidence against Pastor Gong.
The welfare of the three men who have been sentenced
to death is obviously critical as the sentences could
be executed at any time.

In a separate case, Lai Kwong Keung, the Hong Kong man
who was accused of bringing over 33,000 Bibles into
China, was sentenced to two years imprisonment for
"illegal operation" in Fuqing in Fujian Province. Yu
Zhudi and Lin Xifu, who were arrested with him were
reported to have been sentenced to three years and,
along with Lai, heavily fined.

Evidence of other, ongoing persecution has been
gathered by CSW. A CSW team has just visited China to
find out the current pressures facing the Christians,
to provide encouragement and to show solidarity with
the Body of Christ there.
CSW heard many testimonies of persecution and torture,
as well as many accounts of outstanding sacrifice and
bright shining testimonies of overcoming faith.

One pastor who was interviewed said: 'Persecution is
still severe; many are arrested and fined and beaten,
many churches are closed. Persecution is worse...
There have been more arrests, especially in north
China.'

He asked for prayer for: Revival New converts
More strength to stand the persecution.

CSW heard repeatedly of the need for good teaching
materials and the problems faced by the believers when
they do not have sufficient Bibles, teaching materials
and training. The official seminaries are controlled
and house churches have to find ways to train their
believers. However this is fraught with risk and
underground training centres are often raided and
closed down by the authorities, with leaders and
participants punished for their involvement.

The lack of teaching materials has tragically led to
the proliferation of heresies. As one leader put it:
'There is more false teaching than true teaching about
Christianity in China' 'In Henan [province], they say
15% of the population converted, but then 10% have
turned to cults' 'Heresy is now quite rampant,
especially in the countryside. We really need to train
people.' 'We need good Biblical teaching, good
material to train people with.'

Another serious issue facing the churches in China is
the restrictions on training children in religion.
Chinese policy forbids the education of those under 18
in religion. In addition to wanting to educate their
children in their faith (as protected under
international law) believers are concerned about the
atheist doctrine and evolution taught in schools.
Believers are therefore anxious to have materials that
they can use to train their children. However,
unauthorised publishing of materials is not allowed in
China, causing serious problems for the churches.

Please pray for:

1) For God's protection - spiritual and physical -
upon Christians in China at this time, especially
Pastor Gong and the other pastors recently sentenced.

2) For justice to be done and for the pastors and
other Christians arrested to be released.

3) For God to minister to those who have undergone
torture during the current crackdown.

4) For provision of more Bibles and mature Christian
teaching for Christians in China, and for the flock to
be protected from heresies.

Missions Network News - February 13, 2002

   Topping the news, a new report out of China accuses
the government of torturing and killing Christians.
Whispers of a secret

December meeting resulting in the crackdown have now
grown into a full-blown shout for help from the
church.   Open Doors'[1]  Terry Madison.  "For the
first time, we have official government documentation
that proves that the Communist authorities at the
highest level are doing all they can to oppress the
church, and to take advantage of every opportunity
they have to suppress it."  Madison believes there are
dark times ahead for the evangelistic church.  "By
labeling them a cult, they can therefore unleash all
the forces of government upon them, and arrest them
under a criminal code.  Pray for the people of China,
not only the Christians, but that we can pray in that
manner of faith that the Lord of the Harvest will
touch the hearts of these persecutors."  The report
was

released by the Committee for Investigation on
Persecution of Religion in China.

 

Christianity Today - February 15, 2002
'New' China: Same Old Tricks

Top communists, despite their denials, endorse arrest
and torture of Chinese Christians by the thousands.

By Tony Carnes | posted 02/15/2002

Christianity Today, March 11, 2002 edition
 
A Chinese Christian refugee in New York, working with
Christians in China, has compiled an extensive new
archive documenting brutal religious persecution that
has caused more than 100 deaths and thousands of
injuries.

Activist Li Shi-xiong, head of the New York City-based
Committee for Investigation on Persecution of Religion
in China, believes these documents establish that
communist rulers at the highest levels take an active
role in persecuting house-church Christians. In the
past, top leaders in China have blamed repression on
overzealous local officials. 

The New York committee timed its unveiling of the
archive to influence President Bush during his
February trip to China.
 

[Note: Bush leaves today for Japan, South Korea and
China.] 

The archive is a 10-foot-high stack of 22,000
testimonies about persecution of Chinese Christians.
It includes court transcripts, internal government
documents, and photographs. Experts call it the
largest collection ever assembled on the persecuted
church in China. 

"The secret documents alone are extremely rare and
incredibly important," says Carol Hamrin, a star China
analyst who recently retired from the State
Department. The mammoth collection, which Li calls a
"truth bomb," includes 5,000 detailed testimonies of
Chinese Christians describing their arrests,
interrogations, and jailings. Many accounts include
photographs of the persecuted believers, including
injuries they suffered while in custody.  Some case
files include official arrest and court records. The
largest number of testimonies comes from central Henan
Province, where persecution has dramatically escalated
since 1999. Li's group has also collected partial
reports on 17,000 others, mostly Christians,
persecuted for their religious beliefs.

Li is also documenting the cases of 117 religious
people who have died while in official custody, 700
who have been put in labor camps, and 550 who are
wanted by the police but are in hiding. He is also
investigating 300 police officers accused of being
especially abusive. 

Freedom House's Nina Shea has written that Li's
archive is a "tremendous work." Shea, a member of the
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom,
marvels at Li's "dedication to the cause of religious
freedom and his amazing work in the documentation of
so many thousands of cases of the persecution of
China's Christians." Freedom House, an advocacy
organization founded in 1941 by Eleanor Roosevelt,
plans to make extensive use of the archive. 

China scholar Brent Fulton, head of China Source in
Los Angeles, is aware of the archive but has not
examined its contents. He says the documents indicate
the "degree of seriousness" with which China
approaches unregistered religious groups. "They see
the unregistered groups as a national security
threat."  

Li and the New York committee believe that going
public with the archive will build international
political pressure on China's leaders to end their
repression of religion. Fulton foresees the government
searching for those who leaked the documents. He also
expects more crackdowns. But, he says, "The long-term
response to the release of these papers will be good."

A Sensitive Time

The revelation of the archive comes at a sensitive
time for China. Political leaders say that the nation
of 1.3 billion people faces wrenching changes related
to its entrance into the World Trade Organization
(WTO) last December. WTO membership will lower trade
barriers, enabling China to compete for trade on a
more level playing field. Certain parts of China's
economy, such as high tech, are expected to do well.
Others, such as the inefficient and subsidized
industrial and agricultural sectors, may be
pummeled. Millions of unskilled laborers could be
thrown out of work.

Seeking to maintain its grip on society, the Chinese
government since 1999 has been waging a campaign
against "cults," such as the Falun Gong movement.
(Falun Gong adherents use physical exercise as a
spiritual discipline.) China's officials are trying
now to eliminate what they consider undesirable
movements, because WTO membership will bring
additional international pressure on China to improve
its poor record on human rights. "[China's] officials
spell out that the anti-cult campaign is a preparation
for the further opening of society because of China
joining the World Trade Organization," Hamrin says.
But, Fulton adds, "There are in
fact a lot of cult groups that are doing bad things."

Says Eric Burklin, president of Colorado-based China
Partner, "China wants to have a positive image with
the rest of the world. The government can't really
discern the cults from the non-cults because [China's
top leaders] are atheistic."

The archive makes it clear that repression of religion
is official state policy at the highest levels - not
merely a local and sporadic phenomenon, as China
usually claims. In the documents, officials say the
cults are "soaking into" and weakening the foundations
of state authority. Officials link rising religious
influence to the increased influence of Western
cultural values of democracy and equality.

In public, Chinese leaders are vague on what actually
constitutes a cult. "Cults are not religions," Premier
Zhu Rong Ji said in a December meeting on religion.
Critics say this approach allows authorities to crack
down on any groups they do not like - including many
house churches. These churches typically do not
register with the government-sponsored Three-Self
Patriotic Movement.

While there is no consensus on the number of
Christians in China, Operation World estimates the
presence of 45 million people in house churches and
another 40 million members and adherents in the
official church. There are about 12 million Catholics
in China, in both state and unofficial groups. Hamrin,
who favors improving trade relations with China, says
that this latest government repression will worsen
matters. "This massive campaign against millions of
their people will exacerbate social tensions."

Aggressive Actions

In a recent public pronouncement, China's government
declared that religion has never fared better. Ye
Xiaowen, the head of the Religious Affairs Bureau,
toured the United States last year. Ye claimed that
the government had initiated a "golden time" for
religion. China's president, Jiang Zemin, recently
told a U.S. congressional delegation in Beijing, "I am
looking forward to seeing a church on one side of
every village and a mosque on the other side."

 

During the second week of December, top communist
leaders gathered in Beijing to discuss religion
policy. Jiang led off with a speech declaring, "The
influence of religion on political and social lives in
today's world should never be underestimated."

In lower-profile gatherings, however, the talk tilts
toward intensive surveillance of religion, according
to Li's archival materials. In a

speech, a local public security official in charge of
religion quoted Hu Jintao, likely to be the next
leader of China, on the proper approach to a "cult":
"Watch and follow its direction and deal with it by
law at the proper time." As the orders filter down,
local leaders often act aggressively. A provincial
security chief says, "Talk less and smash the cult
quietly."

Li's archive documents how the anti-cult campaign was
quickly broadened to include many well-known
Protestant groups. In just one example, on August 18,
2001, authorities raided three offices of the South
China Church. They arrested 14 people, using fists and
electric clubs to obtain accusations against the
pastor.

"The central government is defining whole groups as
targets of extreme measures," says Hamrin, who
produced the U.S. State Department's first annual
reports on religious freedom and persecution in China.
For example, more than 300 Chinese associated with the
Falun Gong movement have died while in China's
custody.

Increasingly, groups are targeted not just for
breaking civil laws on registration and holding
unauthorized meetings, but for their beliefs and
religious doctrine. The government, the archive shows,
especially dislikes preaching about "the end of the
world" or teaching that "the Lord can heal a person of
disease."

According to the archive, the Ministry of Public
Security spells out five characteristics of a cult,
ranging from the clearly defined "deifying its top
leader" to the grab bag of "stirring up and deceiving
others." (See below)

The documents show that officials are especially wary
of unregistered church groups that attempt to link
with other unregistered groups. In such cases, the
archive shows, officials are returning to the fierce
battles from the era of Mao Zedong, China's first
communist ruler, from 50 years ago. This has led to
tremendous abuses. In April 2000, officials put Peter
Xu's Born Again Movement on their cult list. Officials
set quotas for arrests, putting pressure on local
police to obtain confessions. Police

often beat, slap, and use electric shocks to obtain
those confessions.

Leaders of the large South China Church organization
also have been hit hard by recent arrests. A document
from a police official in the provincial religion
office hints that poorly trained police in Hebei
Province are resorting to abusive interrogation
methods instead of quiet information-gathering. The
archive reveals several recent cases of local police
trying to bribe the families of people they had killed
under interrogation. Leaders of the South China Church
report, "On July 20, 2001, we heard the news that Yu
Zongju was tortured to death. The police did not
inform her family until her body started to smell.
They asked her family to meet them in a restaurant.
They paid them $8,000 and warned them to keep quiet."

Christian Networks "Mutate"

Last year, the Bush administration sponsored a
resolution for the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights that condemned Beijing's human rights record.
Amnesty International reported in 2001 that China's
use of torture was widespread and systematic.

China analysts such as Hamrin say that the Chinese
government, wishing to improve its image
internationally, probably will respond favorably to
pressure to improve human rights.

"China has really developed and they have tasted too
much freedom to go back," says Eric Burklin of China
Partner. "There would be major bloodshed if they tried
to go back to Maoist times."

But Li's archive shows that China's emerging strategy
for dealing with the house-church movement is
comprehensive and difficult for outsiders to counter.
Officials gain access through informants, harass
leaders, block communication, and strip churches of
financial assets, including church buildings and
homes.

The government notes in the documents that
house-church Christians already have a means to resist
these new efforts at repression. House-church leaders
reportedly are creating networks that constantly
mutate. Leaders communicate with wireless phones and
hard-to-trace Web sites. In response, the government
has begun building a national computer network known
as the "Golden Shield" in order to conduct Internet
surveillance and information-gathering.
 
Meanwhile, the impact of Li's archives promises to be
seismic. "It's a bombshell," Shea says.