The Chinese government has detained two leaders of a Christian congregation that has long been the target of the country’s communist regime. The latest crackdown on religious activity occurred during a June 14 worship service attended by members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan Province.
According to a June 15 release by the congregation, officers from several law enforcement agencies and representatives of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau joined forces with local officials in a raid on the congregation. A total of 33 church members were taken off-site, with dozens of others detained at the church’s worship location. Those who remained were asked to sign a written statement before being released, without being told what it contained. Most refused to sign the letter.
By the end of the day, all but two of the church members had been released. Elders Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing remain in government custody.
This incident is “the latest example of the Chinese government’s efforts to crack down on independent religious activity and enforce state control over belief and worship,” according to Sarah Brooks, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director. “Members of the Early Rain Covenant Church have faced years of harassment and intimidation – the 2019 imprisonment of its leader Wang Yi marking the start of a period of intensifying repression of Christian groups in China.”
Amnesty International is calling for Hong and Wuquing’s release, as well as for it to “end their crackdown on all religious groups in the country.”
Chinese authorities detained two other church elders earlier this year, charging them with “inciting subversion of state power.” The Early Rain congregation is one of several house churches that the government has targeted in recent years.
Additionally, Uyghur Muslims have also been a target of severe persecution, with more than a million having been detained in China’s Xinjiang region.
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Senior Editor at Good Faith Media.