ICC NOTE: Praise God Chinese pastor Gu Yuese has been released from detention! According to Christian Today he was released, but placed under residential surveillance stemming from his vocal opposition towards the government’s campaign to remove church crosses throughout the country. The news of the pastor’s release was first reported by China Aid as likely a precursor to the Chinese president’s visit to the United States. Pastor Yuese is not completely out of the woods because residential surveillance could likely be or become the notorious black jail. If he is placed under its restrictive rules, he will not be allowed to leave his home or speak with anyone.
4/5/2016 China (Christian Today) – A Chinese pastor who was detained after he opposed the removal of crosses from churches in Zhejiang province has been released.
Pastor Gu Yuese has now been placed under “residential surveillance”.
He was senior pastor of the state-sanctioned Chongyi Church, one of the biggest in China, in Zhejiang but was fired after his detention. He was also chair of the Zhejiang branch of the China Christian Council, which helps oversee registered churches.
He was first detained in January and then arrested in February on charges of embezzling funds.
According to China Aid, both Pastor Gu and Christian human rights lawyer Zhang Kai were released in advance of President Xi’s visit to the US for the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington DC.
Also in China, Christian human rights lawyer Ni Yulan has been prevented from travelling to the US to receive an International Women of Courage Award. Ni, who has previously been imprisoned and tortured, was refused a new passport, apparently because of her connection with lawyers detained in a “crackdown” on July 9, in which more than 300 lawyers, activists, family members and associates were interrogated, detained, imprisoned and disappeared.
