Police Threatened “Privately Believing in God Is Anti-Revolution”

Christian Qingqin Ai lived in Chengguan Town, Tanghe County, Henan Province. She was detained for eight days and fined for 8900 RMB (~$1100) because of her faith.

In the afternoon on December 30^th, 2002, Qingqin Ai was taken away from her office by several police from Tanghe County Public Security Department Security Protection Team. At the same time, five other police escorted her husband to their home and ransacked the house. The police turned the house upside down, and found several spiritual books, 21 hymn CDs and a CD player. Then the police took these things together with her husband back to the police department. They interrogated her husband for about seven hours. He was released at 2:00 in the next morning.

When Ai was taken to the police department, Policeman Tang Li cuffed her hands and searched her body, taking away a cell phone and 900 RMB. The Security Protection Team Director Bingshan Li threatened her, “Privately believing in God is anti-revolution. If you refuse to tell the source of the books and CDs, we will send you to jail.” The police also threatened that her son would be dismissed from the army. One policeman twisted her ear to make her to kneel down. But she did not confess. In the early next morning, she was sent to the county detention center.

On January 7^th, 2003, the police extorted 8900 RMB from Ai’s husband (with an unofficial receipt of 6900 RMB) and then released her.