China Aid Association (CAA), one of the leading Chinese persecution watchdogs, has released its first annual persecution report on the oppression experienced by Christians in China in 2006.

According to the report, the Chinese government continued its general crackdown on unregistered house churches between January 2006 and December 2006, although the Chinese authorities have adapted their strategies to fit the shifting domestic and international situation.

Reported incidents of raids on house churches have decreased in 2006 in comparison to previous years. According to CAA sources, the Chinese government detained over 600 Christians in 2006 - less than 2005 when more than 2000 arrests were reported.

CAA said this drop reflects the Public Security Officials' new tactic of interrogating church members during a raid rather than officially arresting them. Most of the reported detentions in 2006 were church leaders.

By comparison, the local officials closed and demolished more house churches in 2006 than 2005. According to the CAA report, three house churches were demolished in Zhejiang province in 2006, including the large ongoing building of a house church in Xiaoshan.

CAA also reported an increasing tendency to target house church leaders with criminal accusations. Pastor Cai Zhuohua, a house church pastor in Beijing, was convicted in November 2005 of "illegal operation of a business" for printing and giving away Bibles without government authorisation.

Two other house church pastors, Liu Yuhua and Wang Zaiqing, were also reportedly detained and sentenced under the same accusation in 2006. Mr. Zhang Rongliang, a leader of the China for Christ house church network in Henan province, was sentenced to prison for seven years and six months under the charge of "illegally crossing the national border and fraudulently obtaining a passport" in June 2006.

The Chinese government continues to maintain strict control over the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM), which leads the registered Protestant Church in China. Evidence of this emerged in June 2006, when the local Religion Administrate Bureau evicted Pastor Hu Qinghua, a pastor of a TSPM church in Pinglu, Shanxi.

The Chinese government also continues to restrict relationships of unregistered Chinese Protestants with fellow believers abroad, in contravention of international human rights standards. As a block to closer relations, meetings between house church leaders and overseas Protestants visiting China to conduct theological or organisational trainings have been raided in Beijing, Henan province, Yunnan province, and Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

The province-by-province report shows that Zhejiang and Henan provinces, where the Protestant House Church movement is particularly strong, suffered the worst persecution against house churches in the past 12 months. According to CAA, 246 pastors and believers were arrested in nine raids from January 2006 to December 2006, three churches were destroyed, 10 church members were sentenced to imprisonment, and many of the arrested were abused while detained. After the raid on March 13, 2006 in Wen County, two arrested Christian ladies, ages 72 and 21 respectively, were forced to strip off their cloths during the interrogation, according to CAA. A disabled Pastor Li Gongshe suffered a broken rib when he was severely beaten.

"Given the population and the geographical size of China as well as the desire of Public Security Officials to keep such arrests hidden from the outside world it would be impossible to measure the exact number that have occurred" said Bob Fu, CAA president.

"Zhejiang and Henan province should be put on notice having the worst religious persecution record. It is morally imperative for any conscientious foreign investors in Henan and Zhejiang to address this serious issue."

CAA president Bob Fu has been invited to testify before an upcoming hearing by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom on the current religious freedom condition in China, to take place in Washington DC.

Click the following link to view the whole report http://chinaaid.org/pdf/2006_persecution_e.pdf

CAA is appealing to Christians to communicate their concern to the Zhejiang and Henan province authority:

Governor of Zhejiang province: Liu Zushan
Administration by Law Office: Tel: +86-371-87053013 and +86-371-87052572
Fax number: +86-371-65711621
Emails: webadmin@cpmembers.org.cn and gufeng@cpmembers.org.cn
Governor of Henan Governor: Li Chengyu
Tel: +86-371-65908675 and +86-371-65907565
Fax number: +86-371-65711621
Emails: webadmin@cpmembers.org.cn and gufeng@cpmembers.org.cn