|
Beijing: At approximately 9:15 a.m. on June 14,
2009, several dozen officials from the Municipal Bureaus
of Religion and State Security broke into a house church
in Zhengzhou City, Henan province, China, and arrested
several believers, according to reports.
Officials read a notice stating that the believers had
established a site for religious activities without
approval. They then forcibly escorted Pastor Dou Shaowen
and another believer to the Dashiqian Police Station.
Officials searched Pastor Dou's home and seized a
computer and other personal property.
Some of the remaining believers insisted on finishing
their worship service, even though authorities cut off
the electricity, took videos and photos of them and
demanded that they leave.
After the service, several Christians were brought to
the police station for interrogation and the church
building was sealed. Six Christians were given 15-day
detentions and were ordered to pay fines.
In anther incident, three house church leaders in
Taochuan village, Shaanxi province were also arrested on
June 14 and given 10-day sentences for engaging in
"illegal religious activities." The arrest of the
leaders, one man and two women, is the latest in a
series of actions to shut down the house church and
confiscate the building.
On June 2-4, members of the congregation were summoned
to the police station where they were interrogated. On
June 5, a public notice from the Luonan County Bureau of
Religion was posted on the church's gate which stated
that the church was abolished. However, the believers
continued to gather for worship at the church's gate
despite pressure and threats from authorities.
|
