Crackdown on Sichuan Church Continues, Members Closely Monitored by Police

A week after the 1209 crackdown on Autumn Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan, local authorities continue to impede church members from gathering or having service in their now banned church.

Although most leaders of the church have been criminally detained and charged, with some still missing, the church is determined to continue their small group gathering and church service. Yesterday, many went to their church building only to be stopped by the police stationed there. Undeterred, they held the service in a park nearby, yet police soon dispersed the crowd.

Other group who gathered at the field of University of Electronic Science and Technology of China for prayers was also harassed by the police. Elder Su Bingsen’s wife and her five children were briefly detained in the same police post where Elder Su was detained, but the wife and children were released in the early morning today.

Latest prayer request from the church issued today gives update to the latest crackdown – the lawyers of those who are detained have been denied the right to meet their clients or requested to not take the case; the WeChat groups members use to contact each other were blocked, cell phones tapped; some members are put under surveillance and prevented from visiting other members’ homes.

International Christian Concern, persecution.org