China: Gov’t Keeps Pressure on Families as Lawyers Meet With Detained Christians

ICC Note: In November of last year authorities in Henan, China, launched one of the most extensive crack downs on a official, government registered church in recent years. Nearly two dozen members of the Nanle County Christian Church were arrested, including church elders and pastors, while police blocked any attempt to hold future services. Lawyers who traveled to the area to represent the detained church members were attacked by hired thugs, as were international film crews that attempted to cover the arrests. Almost four months later, several of the church members remain in prison and are facing various trumped up charges. As their lawyers do their best to represent them in a highly corrupt and bureaucratic legal system, families of Christians from the church report ongoing intimidation at the hands of local authorities. 
3/7/2014 China (ChinaAid) – The lawyers for two Nanle County Christians were allowed to meet with their clients this week in China’s central Henan province.
Lawyers Chang Boyang and Xu Zhongzhou met with Zhang Cuijuan, one of the detained Pastor Zhang Shaojie’s sisters, and Fan Ruiling, respectively.
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Believers in Nanle County reported persecution from the local police during the past week.
“They are taking people into custody. When Zhang Shengwei, a believer, went out to shop today [Wednesday, March 5], the people from the town’s government rode away on his electric bike and took him in their vehicle,” a local citizen said.
Other believers felt threatened as well. “Four or five people have gone [looking for my mother and me at the church.] We asked one man why they didn’t allow us to see my father, Wu Guishan. When I saw this attitude of theirs, I felt they wanted to take me and my mother away from the church. When we saw this, we left the church. In the afternoon, I heard from other people that our town’s government had gone to look for us again,” Wu’s daughter said.
Most recently, believers related to the three Christians who have disappeared into police custody have attempted to file a nonfeasance lawsuit against the Nanle County Public Security Bureau.
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