Youth Camp Raided in Henan; Two Christian Leaders Detained

ICC Note:

Another Christian youth camp was raided on July 23rd - this one in Henan. The students, who were all under 18, were interrogated by police before being released back to their homes. Two instructors have been sentenced to administrative detention.

7/28/09 China (ANS) A Christian youth camp was raided in Nanyang city, Henan on Thursday, July 23.

According to ChinaAid (www.chinaaid.org), more than 20 students were participating in a summer youth camp at No. 23, Lizhuang, Pushan town, Wuolong district, Nanyang city, Henan, China, when they were raided by a number of Public Security Bureau (PSB) and Religious Affairs Bureau (RAB) officials.

“The raid took place at 12 noon, and all of the students were taken away for further interrogation,” said a ChinaAid spokesperson.

The students, who were all under 18 years old, were released and dispatched back to their homes in the afternoon. Two instructors, Ms. Cheng Ping, 40 years old, and Ms. Miao Miao, age 30, were sent to the Yongan Lu Detention Center of Nanyang city.

“They were reportedly sentenced to administrative detention,” added the ChinaAid spokesperson. “The lengths of their sentences are unknown because the church leaders who organized the camp were threatened by officials not to speak to the public about this case.”