(7) Mother and Daughter in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, Arrested and Monitored by the Chinese Communist Government for Faith in Almighty God
Ms. Chen Yi (44-year-old), a Christian who lived in Tong’an District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province, was arrested by the Chinese Communist police in December 2012 for preaching the gospel. After her release on the same day, on a day of May 2013 at about 8:30 a.m., she was taken by two civil servants to a hotel room for indoctrination in an attempt to make her renounce her faith. Thereafter, from January 2014 to February 2, 2017, government officials had gone to Chen Yi’s house every year to spy on her whereabouts for at least eight times.
In July 2014, the CCP resumed arresting the believers in God who had been arrested in the past. Chen Yi was forced to take refuge in a hideout. The village party secretary Lee, several village cadres and town government officials had been looking for Chen at her home and coercing her husband to lure her back under the pretext of building a house at home. Every few days, they went to Chen Yi’s workplace to inquire about her whereabouts. As a result, she was dismissed by her work unit two months ahead of schedule as stipulated in her employment contract.
Over the past few years, the Chinese Communist government has been monitoring and harassing Chen Yi frequently, causing her to completely lose her personal freedom. Even her teenage daughter was not spared by the CCP. In the morning of August 17, 2016, when Chen Yi’s daughter Chen Ying (17-year-old) was doing homework in a rental house, she heard a burst of rapid knock on the door at about 10 a.m. When the door was opened, four plainclothes policemen entered. One of the policemen was filming Chen Ying with a video camera. After presenting his credentials, the captain asked, “Who is renting this house here? Do you live here alone? Does anyone come to meet you here for belief in God?” Then they searched around the room, found Chen’s mobile phone, charger, U disk (learning aid), a testimonial article, an MP5 player (the mobile phone and charger were later returned, but not the other items). The police made Chen point at the MP5 player and took pictures. They questioned her again, “Do you know what you believe in? You believe in Almighty God. That is prohibited by the state.” Chen retorted, “Doesn’t the law say freedom of belief?” The policeman said, “When you go to worship in the temple and the churches regulated by the government, it is permitted. Believing in Almighty God is prohibited.” Chen was taken to the police station afterward. At about 3 p.m., a policeman brought an arrested Christian member of The Church of Almighty God for Chen Ying to identify. He demanded, “Is she your leader?” She did not admit. Since Chen Ying was under 18, until past 11 p.m., they made her sign a “decision of administrative penalty” and released her.
On March 27, 2017, after 4 p.m., the dean of school told Chen Ying to withdraw from school voluntarily. The teaching director said, “Now the state attaches great importance to this matter. Believing in Almighty God is against the law and forbidden by the state.” At that time, Chen was only a month shy of graduating, but she was forced to withdraw from school.
On April 17, 2017, a town government employee brought three policemen from the local police station to Chen Yi’s house to inquire about matters related to believing in God. He also asked for Chen’s mobile phone number and demanded that she turned on the phone 24 hours each day.
Due to persecution by the Chinese Communist government, Chen Ying’s father who initially had not objected to the mother and daughter’s faith was extremely distraught. He worried that his younger daughter who was going to school would be implicated by her mother and sister’s belief in God. The arrest and monitor by the Chinese Communist government had cast a shadow over Chen Ying’s young mind. The mother and daughter felt anguished and depressed. Chen Yi’s husband was overwhelmed; he often took to alcohol for relief. Chen Yi’s originally tranquil home was led into turmoil under the menace of the CCP.
(8) Four Ordinary Christians in Zhoukou City, Henan Province, Arrested for Assembly, With One Forced to Flee After Being Tortured While Another Detained
Mr. Zhang Ming, 48-year-old, Xiangcheng resident; Ms. Tang Rong, 53-year-old; Ms. Huang Ying, 56-year-old; Ms. Zhao Beibei, 16-year-old; all three were Huaiyang residents. All of them are Christians from The Church of Almighty God.
On March 28, 2017, past 9 a.m., the four people were gathering at a meeting place in a village in Huaiyang County. Three policemen from the local police station suddenly arrived in a white van. They stormed into the house and ransacked the place (without showing any credentials), seizing over twenty books on belief in God, one MP5 player and four 32G memory cards. Zhang Ming tried to escape but he was captured by the police and forcibly handcuffed. The four people were pushed into the police car and taken to the local police station. After 11 a.m., they were transferred to the National Security Brigade of Huaiyang County Public Security Bureau.
At the National Security Brigade, the police made Zhang sit on a torture-rack. At 11:30 a.m., the police searched the four Christians and interrogated them separately. A letter, a 32G- and a 16G-memory card were seized from Zhang Ming.
At 2 p.m., the captain and a policeman interrogated Zhang Ming. The captain trumped up some charges to frame Zhang, forcing him to admit. When Zhang staunchly refused, the captain was enraged. He walked up and stepped on Zhang’s toes, grinding them with his heel. Other policemen on site took turns to slap Zhang and whip his face continually with a belt for a few dozen times. When they finished, the captain maliciously said, “If you don’t admit it, I will make you drink the ‘lao hai’ (slang for heroin), inject you with heroin, make your body feel like being bitten by bugs all over. When we want you to admit something, you have to admit it. Otherwise we will kill you and send your body to the crematorium. No one will be the wiser when you are turned into ashes! The central government ordered us to treat you who believe in Almighty God cavalierly. We can beat you to death with no one to answer for it!” He then put the leg of a wooden chair over Zhang’s toes with a policeman standing on the chair, rocking it back and forth. Tens of minutes later, the wooden chair was replaced with an iron one. The policemen took turns to stand on the iron chair and continued to crush Zhang’s toes for tens of minutes while slapping his face repeatedly. Zhang felt that his head was spinning and his eyes seeing stars. He was in so much pain that he screamed, “Just go ahead and kill me!” The policeman said venomously, “That’s wishful thinking! When you are here, you wish you were dead than alive!”
The police continued to interrogate Zhang Ming and forced him to admit to unfounded charges. Zhang refused. The captain said fiercely, “When I say something is yours, you must admit that it is yours. I will keep on beating you until you admit it.” Then he brought in all kinds of torture instruments: pliers, awls (with barbs), electric batons, and belts. Again, the captain beat Zhang’s face dozens of times with a belt. Zhang’s mouth and face were bleeding. They removed Zhang’s shirt and viciously struck his back with the belt buckle (an iron ring) dozens of times. He threatened, “If you don’t admit it, I will clamp your tongue with the pliers and keep jabbing it with the barbed awl until you do!” Later, the captain tried to clamp Zhang’s tongue with the pliers. Zhang Ming dodged. The captain wrapped the belt around Zhang’s neck, held his head still on the torture-rack, and gripped his mouth and face with the pliers. With the electric baton, he jolted Zhang’s shoulders, arms and legs dozens of times. Zhang Ming howled in pain. But the police did not stop. They continued to shock him, perversely relishing Zhang Ming’s ordeal. Zhang’s entire body was jolted numb without consciousness, covered with scars and bruises (the electric burnt left by the baton did not heal for more than 20 days). It was until 11 p.m. when the police stopped the interrogation and let Zhang Ming sleep on the torture-rack overnight.
About 8 a.m. the next day, the captain and two other policemen found some negative materials from the CCP in the computer to indoctrinate him. Zhang argued in pain, “Doesn’t the state provide for freedom of belief?” The policeman arrogantly said, “The freedom of belief is true as long as it is within the scope prescribed by the state. Do you know what this place of ours is? You see our plaque that reads ‘State Security Brigade’? Our job is protecting the state, and the state pays us wages to beat you!” At about 10 a.m., when the policeman could not find Zhang Ming’s name on the Internet, he stepped on Zhang’s toes again (Zhang was unable to walk with his toe injury which only slightly recovered in more than ten days) and struck Zhang’s face with the sole of a sports shoe. Zhang’s teeth were beaten loose and blood was flowing out of his mouth. The policemen scolded as they were striking Zhang, “You need to lick the blood on the floor!” (Zhang’s face was cracked and a layer of skin came off his gum). At about 11 a.m., Zhang asked to use the toilet. The police said, “Don’t expect to use the toilet before you answer my questions. Just urinate and defecate on the floor and lick it up afterward!”
At around 6 p.m., the captain asked, “Who was the one that preached the gospel to you? How many people do you lead? Where does the church keep its money? Just these twenty-something books and cards of yours are enough to send you to prison for three to seven years.” The captain followed by coercing and tempting Zhang, “I won’t sentence you now. I will release you tomorrow to find your top leaders. After you return, say you have escaped while going to the toilet. I will give you three months to infiltrate The Church of Almighty God to be an undercover agent. If you cannot fulfill the task in three months, we will publicize your affairs in your own village so you can neither face the community outside nor survive. We will also spread the word among the believers of God that you have betrayed your church so they will expel you. As long as you work with us, we will make you an official and give you a lot of money. If you run away, we will catch your son when we can’t catch you. With all the security cameras out there, you can’t run away even if we give you a long head-start. Even if you go abroad, we still can bring you back!”
When interrogating Tang Rong, a policeman grabbed her by her hair and fiercely said, “For how many years have you believed in God? What is the name of that man we arrested? Is he your leader? Whose MP5 players and cards are these? Who downloaded these stuff for you? …” There was no response. The policeman angrily picked up a file, beat Tang’s face with it repeatedly and fiercely stomped on her thigh several times while cursing, “I will kill you if you don’t tell me!” Tang was stunned and traumatized by the beating. Her head was spinning and her eyes were swollen into a slit. Tang was detained for fifteen days. She was made to pay 140 RMB as living expense. The police also threatened her, “if you believe in God again when you are out, we will arrest you!”
When interrogating Huang Ying, a police officer asked her, “Where are you from?” Then he picked up books and used it to rain blows on her eyes and forehead, causing her to be dazzled. He also pressed on Huang Ying’s forehead and punched her hard in the eyes, beating her head numb and senseless. The policeman ferociously asked, “When did you start believing in God, and for how long? Who preached the gospel to you? How did you know each other?” He followed by blurting out the names of several Christians for her to identify. Huang did not oblige. The interrogation did not yield any results. Since Huang Ying was ill, the police reluctantly sent her back at 1 a.m. next day and demanded 140 RMB from her family as a fee for measuring her blood pressure.
On March 29, at 3 p.m., Zhao Beibei was picked up by her family. Before she left, the police threatened her, “If you believe in God again, we will send you straight to prison when we catch you.” Zhao was asked to call the police once a month.
On April 1, at 2 p.m., two policemen of the State Security Brigade sent Zhang Ming home and assigned him a mobile phone. Afterward, the police called Zhang every few days and asked if anyone in the church had contacted him. They urged him to perform well and infiltrate The Church of Almighty God.
After Zhang Ming was released from custody, the whole family dared not speak aloud. His daughter was so scared that she couldn’t eat for a few days. She did not dare to congregate or read God’s word. Later, his son and daughter were afraid to stay at home. They were forced to work away from home. Zhang and his wife were often highly tense. They were so scared that they couldn’t fall asleep at night. They often had nightmares that the Public Security Bureau’s people were coming to arrest them. In order to evade the CCP’s arrest, persecution and harassment, Zhang and his wife were forced to flee their home. Their family was thus split by the CCP and they were forced to live in displacement.
(9) An 80-year-old Man in Chongqing City, Having His House Ransacked, Fell Unconscious While Subjected to Forced Conversion by the Chinese Communist Government
Mr. Guo Hua, 80-year-old, resident of Jiangjin District, Chongqing City, is a Christian from The Church of Almighty God.
On March 23, 2017, at past 11 a.m., six people including policemen and the head of the village committee suddenly came to Guo Hua’s rental house and ransacked about without presenting any credentials. Then the police took Guo into the police car and escorted him home and seized a total of 4 MP5 players, a tablet computer and many copies of books on belief in God, faith-related and evangelical materials. Later, they forcibly confiscated Guo’s mobile phone and took him to a hotel for secret interrogation and indoctrination.
The next day, during interrogation at the police station, Guo Hua experienced a relapse of stomach conditions and lack of blood supply to the brain. The police ignored Guo’s conditions and forcibly escorted him to the interrogation room at the police station for questioning. The policeman told Guo to disclose everything about his belief in God. Due to their dissatisfaction with Guo’s answer, they threatened, “Do you know what place this is? This is the Public Security Bureau. Don’t think you can play dumb because you are old. I tell you, it is the communists’ world nowadays. Whoever disobeys the Communist Party won’t end up well.” Then they transferred Guo to a hotel (their indoctrination base). The police forced Guo to watch defamatory videos of The Church of Almighty God as part of the indoctrination program. They forced Guo to fill out a form to deny and betray God. Guo refused. Under the coercion and threats of the police, Guo experienced a sudden black-out before his eyes, his hand that was holding the pen began to tremble all over. He barely managed to write down his home address before he suddenly collapsed on the bench and fell unconscious.
Fearful of liability, the police called up Guo’s children to send Guo to the hospital. After examination, Guo’s sudden fainting was due to cerebral vascular obstruction caused by fear. At this point, the police had no alternative but to stop the indoctrination that had lasted for five days and released Guo temporarily. Afterward, the elder Guo Hua said with indignation, “The Chinese Communist government’s persecution of those who believe in God is too evil. Even an 80-year-old elder like me was not let off!”
(10) A Christian in Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province, Subjected to Arbitrary Arrest, Naked Interrogation and Torture, Having His House Ransacked
Mr. Wang Chuan, 47-year-old, a resident of Pizhou City, is a Christian from The Church of Almighty God.
On January 3, 2017, at 11 a.m., six policemen came to Wang Chuan’s home in a white sedan. After entering the house, a policeman ordered Wang not to move while the others started to search all over, even the stairs were overturned. An MP3 player and a TF card were seized. The police pursued the source of Wang’s MP3 player, then forcibly handcuffed him and brought him to a hotel in the city for interrogation. About 1 p.m., Wang was escorted to a hotel room where there were a torture-rack, electric batons and other instruments of torture. Wang was petrified after looking at them. Subsequently, the police stripped Wang naked to conduct nude-interrogation. The two policemen from the State Security Branch interrogated Wang on “what his duties were at the church and how many children he has” He threatened, “If you don’t honestly confess, I will lock you up for 3-5 years.” When the police learned that Wang’s eldest daughter was attending a university in Nanjing. They made a call to Nanjing and demanded that Wang’s children not be allowed to attend universities. He followed by asking “For how many years have you believed in God?” and “Who preached the gospel to you?” Wang did not answer. The policeman angrily ordered Wang back facing the torture-rack. The policeman reversely handcuffed Wang’s hands on the two loops of the torture-rack and pulled his legs forward by over 1 meter. His body was suspending in mid-air. The policeman bellowed, “I will make you unable to walk for half-a-month.” Wang was tortured two times like this until he collapsed on the ground, his arms hurting like they were broken.
The next day, the police escorted Wang Chuan to the Public Security Bureau, and then transferred him to the local detention center on January 5. During his detention, the police brought photos of other Christians to Wang for identification. He refused. Later, Wang’s family spent money on pulling some strings. On January 9 at 12 p.m., the police released Wang.
(11) A Christian in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, Arrested and Tortured for Confession Due to Faith in God
On March 22, 2017, at around 8 p.m., Ms. Wang Chen, 48-year-old, a Christian who lived in Xuzhou City was reported by an informant for believing in God. Three policemen, headed by the deputy director, broke into Wang’s house and escorted her to the police station. The deputy director asked, “Do you believe in Almighty God? Why do you believe?” After Wang Chen answered, the police coaxed her, “You look so smart; how did you do such a foolish thing? Who were you gathering with? Who are the leaders of the church? Where did these books come from? (After Wang was arrested, the police returned to her house and seized dozens of books on belief in God and an MP5 player which was later returned.) You tell me everything and I will send you home by 12 o’clock tonight.” When Wang contended with them, the police threatened her again, “Your son is performing well in the government. If you do not tell honestly, it will affect your son’s future. Everyone there likes him. If you believe in God, the government will ruin his future. The government will even intervene in the future of your children and grandchildren. They will not be able to serve in the military or civil service in the future. Think about it!” Wang retorted: “Why are you not arresting those who embezzle and bribe, who commit rape and prostitution? Why are you arresting us who believe in God instead?” The police bellowed, “The way you behave, don’t expect to go home today.” Then they put Wang in handcuffs and locked her up in an iron cage.
On the morning of March 24, the police escorted Wang Chen to the Public Security Bureau where they pressed her with questions such as “Who are your leaders?” and “What are the sources of these books in faith?” Since she did not reply, the policeman slapped her twice on the face furiously, making her feel dizzy. The policeman viciously treaded on and twisted her toes with their feet in hard leather shoes. Wang burst into cold sweat from the pain, and her toenails almost came off (the pain in her toes persists to date). At 8 p.m., the police brutally pushed Wang on a charged torture-rack. The electric shock jolted her instantly. Her breathing quickened and she passed out. Sweat streamed down her face. The shock caused her to urinate in her pants. When Wang came to half an hour later, the police continued the interrogation without giving her a chance to catch her breath. They shocked her repeatedly. Wang was limp and gasping for breath from the electric shock. She felt like dying. The interrogation lasted until 4 a.m. or so. Concerned that they might have a dead body on their watch, the police opened the torture-rack. Wang Chen fell unconscious on the floor. On the morning of March 25, the captain of the State Security Brigade said, “It is against the law to believe in Almighty God. The government doesn’t permit it.” Wang was then taken to a detention center and detained for 7 days on charge of “believing in a cult.” She was released on the morning of March 31 after paying the living expense of 140 RMB.
In the four months following her release, the police visited Wang Chen 6 times at her home. The captain of the National Security Brigade lured her, “If you turn in the believers of Almighty God, I won’t mistreat you.” Wang Chen resolutely refused. Due to the police’s pressing and persecution, Wang Chen was still unable to attend meetings normally at the publication of this report.
(12) A Christian in Yichun City, Jiangxi Province, Subjected to 6 Arrests and 4 Detainments
Ms. Gu Ziyang (59-year-old, Yichun resident) had actively pursued after believing in the Lord Jesus. She became a preacher at a gathering venue.
First arrest: for Ms. Gu’s belief in the Lord Jesus
One morning in April 1997, due to an informant’s report of her belief in God, Ms. Gu was brought to the police station while transplanting seedlings in the rice field. Upon arriving at the police station, she was questioned by four policemen about her religion. When Madam Gu told the police that she believed in Jesus, Christianity, the police condemned her, “No, you believe in a cult!” Then, they followed by uttering some arbitrary comments that turned black-and-white on its head. When Madam Gu angrily refuted, the police threatened, “You are being dishonest. Today I will send you to prison for several years. See how you will handle it.” Later, the police modified their remarks and asked Madam Gu to pay a fine of 50 RMB, required her to pay it in 10 days, and let her go home. Ten days later, when the police came to her home to collect the fine, they tried to put her in jail, but failed.
The second persecution: After accepting Almighty God’s work in the last days, Madam Gu was arrested and detained for 40 days
On September 14, 2009, at about 8 p.m., Madam Gu was having dinner at home. Suddenly, four policemen broke in, seizing many books of God’s word, a CD player, and more than 20 discs. The police took her to the police station in handcuffs by police car.
After getting off the car, the police reversely cuffed Madam Gu’s hands to the window in the office. A policeman took out an offering receipt she had when she believed in the Lord Jesus and forced her to identify the signature on the receipt. Madam Gu said she did not know the person. The police threatened to make her suffer if she did not tell. When the policeman saw that the interrogation was getting nowhere, he viciously slapped her several times on the face, causing her to be dazzled. Madam Gu said, “Even if you beat me to death, I still don’t know anything.” The policeman walked away angrily. After that, another policeman let her off the window and reversely cuffed her hands to a chair while shackling her right foot to a 50 kilograms steel wheel, making her lose her balance and unable to move her foot. The police repeatedly pressed her for the whereabouts of the money to no avail. Two hours later, another policeman removed the handcuffs and shackle, helped her to a chair and persuaded her to end the suffering by telling them what they wanted. Madam Gu said nothing. At about 1 a.m. next day, several policemen took turns to interrogate her continuously, shifting every two hours. Then they reversely cuffed her hands to the window to let her freeze in the cold wind. A young policeman came to investigate the status of her belief in God. She did not give a definite answer. The policeman responded by ferociously crushing her toes. Madam Gu cried out in pain. She was tortured until 3 a.m. when another group took over the interrogation. The interrogation still did not produce any results. A policeman maliciously stuffed a burning cigarette butt into Madam Gu’s nostril. Seeing her uncomfortable expression as the glowing end of the cigarette was approaching her nose, the policeman laughed out loudly, “Call your God to pull the cigarette butt out!” Madam Gu had to snort several times to expel the cigarette butt. After that, she was handcuffed to the window until 4 p.m. the next day. The police sent Madam Gu to a detention center in imprisonment for 40 days.
The third persecution: While preaching the gospel, Madam Gu was arrested and detained for 15 days
On November 2, 2012, at 8 p.m., Ms. Gu and two Christians (stories reported separately) were reported by village cadres and arrested when they were preaching the gospel in a village. At the police station, a policeman with an electric police baton guarded them, forbidding them to speak and move around. A few hours later, several policemen went to search Madam Gu’s home. Seeing that no one was home, they jumped through the window and broke into the house like a band of bandits and searched everywhere. They turned her house upside down, seizing many books on belief in God, three MP3 players, and a CD-ROM disc. It was past 1 a.m. in the morning when the policemen returned to the police station. After 3 a.m., the police conducted an interrogation on Madam Gu’s personal information and the status of her belief. At about 5 p.m. the next day, the police charged Madam Gu and the two others with the offense of “disrupting public order” and sent them to the detention jail for fifteen days in custody.
The fourth persecution: Madam Gu was arrested at a gathering
On August 3, 2016, at past 4 p.m., Madam Gu’s gathering with the couple Ms. Qiao Shan (60s-year-old) and Mr. Guo Gang (60s-year-old) was reported by an informant. The police seized more than 20 books on belief in God on site. Madam Gu and Guo Gang were dragged into a police car and taken to the police station. Then the police escorted Madam Gu home for a search where they seized many books on belief in God, an MP5 player and a set of materials of belief in God. Then they brought Madam Gu back to the police station for interrogation. During the period, they deprived her of food. At past 11 p.m., feeling cold and hungry in the air-conditioned room, she started to vomit incessantly. After 12 p.m., the police reluctantly released her.
The fifth persecution: Madam Gu was detained for 10 days for no apparent reason
On August 4, 2016, at past 8 a.m., Madam Gu went to get something at Qiao Shan’s home. Barely had she entered the house did a police car stop at the door. When the interrogator saw Madam Gu, he angrily demanded, “Why are you here?” Gu said, “I came for a bike.” The police stopped her from leaving. Then three policemen pulled Gu and Qiao into the police car and took them back to the police station where the police directly sent them to the detention jail without trial for a 10-day detention under the charge of “unlawful belief in God.”
The sixth persecution: Madam Gu was arrested at home for no apparent reason and detained for 10 days
On July 21, 2017, at about 4 p.m., five policemen once again broke into Madam Gu’s home. Upon entering, the police raided the premises and searched everywhere, seizing an MP5 player and a TF card. Afterward, the police questioned Gu what she was doing just now. She replied that she was watching the video about Sichuan earthquake. The police said they had evidence that Gu still believed in God at home. So they dragged her into the police car. An over-70-year-old neighbor denounced the police, “What are you arresting her for? She is just raising chickens and ducks at home every day without breaking the law.” Despite people’s criticisms, the police forcibly brought Madam Gu to the police station. In the interrogation room, the police again questioned about her personal information and the source of the seized player and card. More than an hour into the interrogation, the police coerced her to sign a statement of confession, and forced her to take the player in her hands and took a picture of her. In the evening, the police sent her to the detention center and detained her for 10 days. During this period, a female police officer spoke with Madam Gu in attempt to find out how many people believed in God, where the church was, and other things such as where people were gathering. Madam Gu said nothing about it. Upon her release from prison, a policeman forcibly grabbed her hand to sign her name on a blasphemous document.
Because of the CCP’s incessant persecution and arrests, Madam Gu was deprived of her right to believe in God, perform her duty and assemble normally. In order to evade the police’s tracking and stalking, she could only believe in God at home. Even at home, her belief in God is restricted in many ways, making her feel extremely anguished and depressed.
(13) A Christian in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, Subjected to 3 Arrests and Detainments, Kept Under Long-term Residential Surveillance for Faith in God
The First Arrest
On September 30, 2014, at about 10 a.m., while Mr. Liu Jie, 45-year-old, a Christian from The Church of Almighty God in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, was working in his unit, he was taken to the local police station by four plain-clothed agents from the local State Security Brigade.
The police took Liu Jie to an office and said, “Someone has reported that you believe in Almighty God! Let us go to your house and see if there are any books on belief in God. If so, you will have a lot to explain!” Then the police forced Liu Jie to hand over the front door keys, left a policeman behind to guard Liu Jie, and sent the rest straight to Liu Jie’s house by car for a search.
Upon arriving at Liu Jie’s home, two policemen asked Liu’s wife Wang Xin (45-year-old, a Christian) for her name, age, work unit, whether she believed in Almighty God, and made her sign the statement. During the search, when they saw three Christians in Liu’s home, the police called for backup immediately and continued the search. From a Christian’s bag they seized an ID card, handwritten religious hymns, and personal notes. The police interrogated the four separately in situ. During the incident, a policeman even interrogated Liu’s daughter who had just returned from school, “When did the people in your family come here? Where did they come from and what did they do?” The daughter said she did not know. At about 1 p.m., the police took Wang Xin and the other three to the police station. Afterward, two policemen returned to search Liu Jie’s house without finding anything.
When Wang Xin and the other three were taken to the police station, one took a chance and escaped. Because the police did not find any evidence of belief in God in Liu’s home and the interrogation was fruitless, at 4 p.m. the police reluctantly released the four people.
Before they left, the police specifically told Liu Jie, “Don’t talk about this event outside!”
Second Arrest
On October 10, 2014, at about 9 a.m., Liu Jie, who was at work in his unit, was called to the leader’s office. Upon entering, he saw the two policemen from the State Security Brigade who arrested him last time. The leader said to Liu Jie, “You go with them to the police station.” Liu Jie was forcibly escorted by them to the police station.
There the police made Liu Jie compare handwriting and released him afterward.
Third Arrest and Detention
On October 18, 2014, at around 10:30 a.m., five police officers (plain clothes, two women and three men) of the local State Security Brigade came to Liu Jie’s home in two private cars. On the grounds of speaking with Liu Jie about something, they took him to the local police station. Before leaving, the police intimidated his wife, “We are coming for you next time!” (On Oct. 21, 2014, his wife was forced to flee from home to escape the arrest of the Chinese Communist government. She has remained homeless to-date).
At the police station, Liu Jie was interrogated by three police officers. A police officer asked, “How did you start believing in Almighty God? Who preached the gospel to you? Where do you meet? Where are your books? Talk now!” Liu Jie said nothing. Another policeman intimidated Liu Jie, “People in your conditions should be sent to jail. If you don’t speak, we will let you take the iron chair! Damn, pull out your belt!”
Then the police produced a piece of material with the signature of the church leader and the real name of Liu Jie. They lured Liu Jie, “You know about these people, right? Which church do you belong to? Do you belong to the Church of XX (location name)?” When the interrogation produced no results, the police charged him with the offense of “believing in a cult and disrupting public order” and detained him for 10 days at a detention center on October 18, 2014.
At the detention center, the police once again threatened Liu Jie, “If you believe in God again, we’ll send you to jail the next time, and then you will lose your job!”
On October 28, 2014, Liu Jie was released from detention.
After his release, the local police station instructed the leader of Liu Jie’s unit to ask Liu to submit a situation report every day about where he goes and does every day and so on. Since then, Liu Jie has lost his freedom (only one year later did he secretly participated in congregation). To better monitor Liu Jie, the police installed a monitor on the doorway facing the staff’s living building where Liu Jie lives for twenty four-hour monitoring.
In the afternoon of March 17, 2017, two female police officers (plainclothes) from the police station inspected Liu Jie’s home with an excuse.
On March 28, 2017, at 4 p.m., four policemen once again went to Liu Jie’s home, asked about his belief in God and took his pictures.
On June 16, 2017, Liu Jie was summoned to the police office of his unit by the police from the police station. The police questioned him about his wife’s whereabouts without results. Since the police had repeatedly gone to his unit to look for Liu Jie, his colleagues began to reject and isolate him in fear of being implicated, making him feel awkward in the unit.
(Note: In the above cases, except the cases of those persecuted to death, pseudonyms are used to avoid retaliation.)
1 “Interpretation of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Several Issues concerning the Application of Law in the Handling of Criminal Cases involving Sabotaging the Enforcement of Laws by Organizing and Utilizing Cult Organizations”
https://web.archive.org/web/20171010011343/http://www.spp.gov.cn/zdgz/201701/t20170126_179794.shtml
2 The newly revised “Regulations on Religious Affairs”
https://web.archive.org/web/20171023084143/http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2017-09/07/content_5223282.htm
3 Zhou Qiang’s speech at the national meeting of the presidents of the higher people’s courts on January 14, 2017:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170223083302/http://m.news.cctv.com/2017/01/14/ARTIWqum00Madjv43F96Mcqh170114.shtml
4 The “2017 Main Work Points of the Leading Group of the Henan Provincial Party Committee for Preventing and Dealing with the Problem of Evil Cults”
https://drive.google.com/file/d/12AZJu0PgNq8jheNJM6uQaBOneLlaY5CC/view
5 PRISONER DATABASE:
http://hrwf.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/0330-CAG-List-of-Prisoners_ordered-by-prison-terms.pdf
6 Introvigne, Massimo. 2017. “‘Cruel Killing, Brutal Killing, Kill the Beast’: Investigating the 2014 McDonald’s ‘Cult Murder’ in Zhaoyuan.” The Journal of CESNUR, Issue 1, September-October, available at
http://cesnur.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tjoc_1_1_6_introvigne_ter.pdf
7 Lu Yingchun –Zhang Fan Group:
https://wrldrels.org/2017/10/16/lu-yingchun-zhang-fan-group/
8 Persecuting the Church of Almighty God as 「Xie jiao」 in China:
https://freedomofbelief.net/articles/persecuting-the-church-of-almighty-god-as-xie-jiao-in-china
9 SRS: http://www.dimarzio.info/en/articles/religious-minorities/496-the-church-of-%20almighty-god.html
10 "중국 맥도날드 살인 사건을 아시나요"…어느 종교 단체의 눈물:
http://www.newsprime.co.kr/news/article.html?no=381479
11 NBN: http://www.nbnnews.co.kr/m/view.php?idx=105951
From:2017 Annual Report on the Chinese Communist Government’s Persecution of The Church of Almighty God
No comments:
Post a Comment