06/26/2019 China (International Christian Concern) – Members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China who have been held since December were tortured while in custody. Police are using the information they gained from this torture as evidence that their pastor “colluded with foreigners to incite subversion of state power.” A seminary student of Early Rain Covenant and Wang Yi, who is the pastor of the church, are among those who are currently detained.
Nearly 100 members of the church were arrested on December 9th when the church was shut by authorities. Wang Yi and his wife were accused of “inciting subversion of state power”. On June 11th Wang Yi’s wife was released on bail. Wang Yi has previously stated that even if he is tortured he will never plead guilty.
The Chinese Communist Party is hostile toward Christians in their country, frequently shutting down and arresting members of house churches. The government sees religion as a threat to their power, and have been increasingly cracking down on religious freedom. USCIRF has deemed China to be a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act.
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