500 RMB for Reporting Christians

Together with the local village officials, police in Xiushui County, Jiangxi Province, issued 500 RMB award for reporting Christians. This led to three Christian families in Lengshuijing Village, Gushi Town, raided, eight believers arrested, and a 16-year old boy beaten up and arrested.

At the night on February 17^th, 2003, three police cars from Gushi Town Police Precinct went to Qiuxuan Peng’s home. Chief Dong, five policemen together with the village chief Guobin Fan and village party secretary Wenguo Leng broke into Peng’s house and arrested Peng, his wife Aimei Gui, and Chaxiang Leng and Liesheng Peng who were gathering there. The police tied them up and then one guarded them with a gun in hand while the others ransacked the house. The police confiscated all spiritual books. Peng’s 16-year old son, Guohua Peng, was slapped on the face by the police just after coming back home. Then the police also tied up this boy. Christians Xinghua Hu and Tangming Peng stopped by the house and were also arrested. Later, the police went to believer Dianpeng Leng’s home. They beat up Leng’s wife and then took away Leng and all his spiritual books. The police also arrested Evangelist Xueqiao Ye (from Chongyang County, Hubei Province) at believer Shenglin Leng’s home. The police took all the nine to the precinct.

The police then interrogated and beat the Christians up to force them to tell the other believers. One policeman grabbed Xinghua Hu’s hair and smashed his head against the wall. Another policeman slapped Tangming Peng on his face for a while and then struck his back with a chair… The next morning, the 16-year old boy was released and the rest wee sent to the county public security department. Chaxiang Leng, female, was released in the afternoon. The rest seven were put into the county Liangtang Detention Center. The State Protection Team Director told the prisoners to beat Qiuxuan Peng.

Xinghua Hu, Tangming Peng and Liesheng Peng, all male, were detained for ten days; Dianpeng Leng, male, detained for 15 days, Aimei Gui, female, was released after being starved for five days. In order to get her husband out, Aimei sent gifts to the county public security department director and associate director through some connections, and paid 400 RMB fine. Then Qiuxuan Peng was released after 25-day detention. Upon his leaving, he was forced to write to renounce his faith. Evangelist Xueqiao Ye was still under custody. Nobody knows how he would be treated.

These Christians were reported by a village resident Liejun Leng. He was awarded 500 RMB from the police. Since then, he became more active in collecting information about believers.