ICC Note: Police attacked a house church on Shanghai . Just more evidence that China does not respect the Christian population there.
House Church in Shanghai attacked, Eight Christians to Stand Trial
CAA was just informed that December 9th, 2006 a house church in Changqiao, Shanghai was attacked by the local police. A brother named Wang Mingwei was taken to the police station, along with some church belongings. CAA is investigating the event and trying to acquire more details.
CAA learned that the Xiaosha intermediate Peoples
December 8, 2006, family members of the eight Christians received indictments from the Xiaoshan Prosecutor, Hangzhou City .
CAA also learned that Brother Zan Aizong, the ex-chief of the Hangzhou reporter station of Chinese Ocean Newspaper, who was fired because he criticized the Xiaoshan event, has brought a lawsuit against the Internet Supervising Division of the Hangzhou PSB, which placed him in custody for 7 days on the charge of disturbing the public order by spreading rumors on the Internet. The Shangcheng District Peoples Court has accepted his lawsuit and will try it December 19, 2006. Brother Zan Aizong had just returned to Hangzhou following a short visit to US.
Brother Wang Weiliangs Petition to Xiaoshan Peoples Prosecutor
To: Peoples Prosecutor of XiaoShan District (Peoples Court)
Petitioner: Wang Weiliang,
Home address: Sanchalu Village , Dongqushan Township ; currently confined to Guard House Room 602
Charge: inciting the masses to violently resist law enforcement
Notes:
1. Both the court and prosecutor are addressed in this petition due to the uncertainty of how this case will develop and based upon the assumption that it will be delivered before my case is presented in court. I requested that it be submitted to the agency handling this case upon delivery.
2. I request that the prosecutor read this petition and use leniency when preparing his case. May the Heavenly Father remember you and the presiding judge in your fairness and hard work.
3. My petition letter includes the other Christians still under detention, who are implicated in the Dangshan incident and I ask that their cases be dealt with leniency.
4. My eyesight is failing, and life in the guard house has impacted me both physically and mentally. I can not see what I am writing therefore it is very difficult to read. However, what I have written comes from my heart. I request that the prosecutor and judge safeguard the justice process, protect a couple of Christian families, and maintain the good reputation of the Xiaoshan District; your efforts will be rewarded and remembered.
5. The majority of the Christians confined to the guard house are advanced in age. It is shocking for the inmates (most of them are young people) to see people more than 50 years of age confined to the guard house. It is difficult for us, the old people, to adjust to life in the guard house. Undoubtedly our friends and relatives outside the guard house are worried about us. So I beg the authorities handling this case to use sympathy, care and patience while examining the evidence in minute detail, to enable the Christians to be released as soon as possible. We will appreciate your kindness!
6. During the initial consecutive nights of interrogation, I found that the policemen know very little about my faith, the Bible, and church life. Even though I explained it repeatedly to them, they could not understand. Consequently they were suspicious, and doubtful of normal Christian activities in their notes. I would like for the authority in this case to take into consideration that the interrogations rendered me physically and mentally exhausted.
Attachment: Brother Wang Weiliangs Petition to Xiaoshan Peoples Prosecutor
