|
Protestant church
worshipers held by Chinese police
AFP, BEIJING
Police in Beijing rounded up dozens of followers of an underground Protestant
church yesterday, a rights group said, as a widening crackdown on dissent
appeared to spread to religious figures.
Police late on Saturday also detained Jin Tianming (金天明), a senior pastor of
Beijing’s Shouwang church, an unregistered Protestant congregation, and other
church leaders, before releasing them early yesterday, the US-based China Aid
group said.
Jin’s detention came after the church called for an outdoor worship meeting
following a similar gathering last Sunday that resulted in police rounding up
nearly 170 church followers, most of whom were later released.
The action against the church comes amid a growing crackdown on dissent across
China in which artists, lawyers, writers, activists and intellectuals have been
detained for allegedly calling for “Jasmine” rallies similar to those that have
rocked the Arab world.
The Shouwang church, one of Beijing’s largest “underground” churches, was forced
outdoors after the government blocked the rental of its previous place of
worship and prevented it from buying a new meeting place, China Aid said.
The church has adamantly denied it has any links to the Jasmine rally calls.
Beijing police refused to comment on the detention of Jin and other senior
church leaders.
Church members were not immediately available to comment, but Twitter Internet
postings by followers said their designated meeting place was under a police
lockdown and that worshipers were unable to gather in large numbers.
Many worshipers were taken into police custody near the meeting place, postings
said. China Aid said at least 30 church followers were detained.
“Many members of Shouwang church were restricted to their homes [yesterday]
morning and unable to attend Shouwang church’s second outdoor worship service,”
the group said. “We urge the Chinese government to restrain from using violence
to further escalate the conflict with peaceful Shouwang worshipers who ask for
nothing but religious freedom alone.”
China has detained at least 54 dissidents, activists and others in on ongoing
crackdown on dissent, highlighted by the recent detention of famed artist Ai
Weiwei (艾未未), Chinese Human Rights Defenders said on Friday.
The latest to be taken into custody include Ni Yulan (倪玉蘭), an outspoken
wheelchair-bound activist for housing rights, and her husband, Dong Jiqin (董繼勤),
the Hong Kong-based group said in a statement.
|
