Photo via charismamag.com

Chinese Christians ask international community for support

In an open letter to the communist Chinese government, the leaders of Chinese underground churches declare, “If you want to hold the Olympics [in China] you especially need love and justice.” Christians in China hope that the publicity surrounding the Olympic event will motivate their government to stop religious repression. They are asking the international community to pray for the freedom of all Chinese Christians Watchmen on the Walls reports.

The open letter also contains accounts of repressions of Chinese Christians reported by the chairman of the Union of Chinese underground churches, Chang Minsuan. Over the last 22 years Chang Minsuan has himself been arrested 12 times. The letter was released by “Voice of America” radio.

Following the publication of the letter, 21 leaders of underground churches were arrested by the Chinese government and sentenced to terms of between 1.5 and 3 years of “corrective labor.”

In their annual report, a number of human rights groups stated that the incidence of repression of Christian underground house churches in China in 2007 was 68.6% greater than in the year 2006.

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[02/24/2008]

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