According to overseas human rights network statistics, at least 42 Christian (including Catholic) pastors and coworkers are still detained in mainland China. Chinese Christians are often convicted of “illegal business operations” and “fraud” crimes. Experts believe that the actual number of Christians detained by the CCP should be higher.
Among the 42 detainees, nearly ten have been sentenced to over ten years in prison. Gong Shengliang, founder of the South China Church (SCC) and a native of Hubei Province, was sentenced to life imprisonment, tortured in prison to the brink of death, released last October but placed under soft detention, prohibited from going out and visitors, unable to return home till date. His affiliated South China Church has over 50,000 believers, refusing the CCP’s exclusive control over religious beliefs.
Regarding the detention of Christians by the CCP, the human rights network mentioned a variety of charges, ranging from initially suspected of “cult crimes,” “illegal business operations,” “occupation crimes,” “disturbing social order by gathering crowds,” “inciting subversion of state power,” “organizing illegal border crossings,” etc., to now commonly being convicted of charges like “illegal business operations” and “fraud.” This kind of catch-all charge forces many house churches to refrain from and be unable to gather collectively, facing severe persecution.
Radio Free Asia reported that on the 21st of this month, current affairs commentator Chen Pokong stated in an interview that the list compiled by the human rights network is likely just a selection of prominent figures, indicating that there are definitely more believers who have been arrested but remain unknown to the public.
In recent years, the space for religious freedom in China has been shrinking. Large-scale, influential churches like the Jin Dengtai Church in Linfen, Shanxi, have been destroyed and forcibly demolished under various pretexts; pastors like Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu and other coworkers and key believers have been arrested, and the Shengjia Family Church in Shunde, Guangdong has been impacted, with preacher Deng Yanxiang being arrested and sentenced.
Chen Pokong mentioned that Xi Jinping has intensified crackdowns on religion, promoting Maoist ideologies reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution, reaching extreme levels. His trusted aide Xia Baolong, while serving as Zhejiang Provincial Party Secretary, specifically targeted churches, demolishing crosses. After being commended by Xi, he was then dispatched to Hong Kong as the director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office to persecute Hong Kong residents and implement the Hong Kong version of the national security law.
Furthermore, Chen Pokong pointed out that the destruction of temples and monasteries in the greater Tibetan region by Xi is a replication of the religious suppression during the Cultural Revolution.
Chang Chalin, a professor at Tamkang University’s Department of Diplomacy in Taiwan, stated in an interview on the 21st that the statistics compiled by the human rights network are likely not comprehensive, and the authorities are unlikely to make them public. Out of the 42 individuals, 41 are Christians, with only one being a Catholic bishop. Christians from various denominations, such as pastors, elders, evangelists, and believers, have been arrested in China, some closer to the Local Church, Presbyterian Church, or spiritual churches.
Chang Chalin provided an example: “With charges like illegal business operations and fraud, the legal accusations are diverse. Xi demands that all public security personnel find legal provisions to handle the illegal activities of underground churches. As long as there is a secret report, underground church gatherings will be forcibly disrupted, and those leading will be arrested. This involves the freedom of collective worship and the deprivation of individual preaching freedom for pastors, evangelists, and those arrested.”
Using two UN standards, Chang Chalin assessed the persecution of Christians by the CCP, one being the arrest of individuals for their faith and spreading of faith, and the other being government crackdowns on churches through blockades, power and water cuts, raids, and closures.
Chen Pokong stated that the CCP was founded on atheism and is an enemy of God, leading religious organizations as an atheist is a form of blasphemy. He mentioned that “cult” is defined by the CCP, whereas outsiders see the CCP itself as a cult. The CCP is reluctant to use ideological convictions as much as possible but finds it challenging to justify, fearing offending religious organizations, hence in recent years, resorting to arrests on so-called pure criminal charges like social order problems, illegal operations, and fraud.