Persecuted Chinese Pastor Turns to the Law for Help

Pu Wanming and his wife, pastors of a TSPM church in Hefei apply for an administrative review
ICC Note: Pastor Pu Wanming used to pastor an official, government sanctioned “three-self” church until being fired by the government’s “bureau of religion.” Pastor Wanming went on to found a house church and has subsequently faced continual harassment at the hands of the bureau of religion, including the raiding of his home, confiscation of personal property, and even the police detention of his father on trumped up charges. Pastor Wanming has now recruited the help of a Christian human-rights attorney to appeal his case and seek redress for grievances. This is a bold move that may result in even greater persecution.   
2/25/2013 China (CA) –China Aid Association reported in October 2012 the incident of persecution suffered by Pu Wanming and his wife, pastors of Chaoyang TSPM church in Shushan District, Hefei, Anhui Province （http://www.chinaaid.net/2012/10/blog-post_30.html). So far, things have not improved, so these victims are asking a Christian human rights lawyer to submit an application for administrative reconsideration in accordance with law to defend their own legitimate rights.
Brother Pu Wanming and his wife Zheng Fang graduated from Nanjing Union Theological Seminary and Wuhan Zhongnan Theological Seminary. Together, they went to work at Chaoyang Church (a TSPM church) in Shushan District of Hefei. In November 2010, Pu Wanming applied for the pastor’s ordination but did not pass. In the meantime, he was fired from Shushan District by the Bureau of Religion and was barred from delivering a sermon in the churches within Shushan District. He was deprived of his qualification as a clergyman and his salary was stopped. On the excuse that Chaoyang Church was mismanaged, the director of the Bureau of Religion came to Chaoyang Church in September 2011 and announced the termination of the management-labor relationship between his wife Zheng Fang and Chaoyang Church. He also stopped Zheng Fang’s salary and issued a government document in the name of Bureau of Religion of Shushan District (please see the photo on the left). He posted public notices for this. Therefore, Pu Wanming started to serve in house churches since October 2011. As a result of his relationship with house churches, the government authorities retaliated by escalating their persecution and even using violence against Pu Wanming.
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On the morning of September 6, 2012, Zhou Feng, director of Nanqi Police Station of Shushan District of Hefei brought with him a group of people to the home of the applicant. Without showing any legal identification papers or documents, they smashed through the door of the applicant’s home and hauled away the furniture in the applicant’s home. They also injured the father of the applicant. At one o’clock on the afternoon of the same day, the applicant came back home only to find his home had been robbed and that the door was sealed. He immediately called 110 for police. Officer Yao of Nanqi Police Station came very late and he only said one sentence to the applicant before he left: “I can’t handle this matter.” The applicant continued to call the police but no one came and Nanqi Police Station didn’t have any response by 7 o’clock.
Given the above facts, the applicant thinks:
The above concrete administrative act of the respondent has no legal basis and it did not do so through a legal procedure, which is a serious violation of the legitimate rights of the applicant.
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