Chinese security forces have launched a roundup of church activists who opposed a Communist party campaign to remove crosses.
“At least nine people I know have been taken away by the police and that figure is still rising,” a church leader in the eastern province of Zhejiang ”“ the operation’s focus ”“ told the Guardian on Thursday afternoon.
“We think it is a campaign targeting church leaders across the province. It can only be a co-ordinated action initiated by the provincial government.”
Among those understood to have been detained is Zhang Kai, a prominent Beijing human rights lawyer who had been offering legal support to a number of churches in the region.
Friction between the Communist party and the church has been building in in Zhejiang since late 2013 when authorities initiated a demolition campaign that they said targeted illegal buildings.
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[Guardian] China arrests Christians who opposed removals of crosses
Chinese security forces have launched a roundup of church activists who opposed a Communist party campaign to remove crosses.
“At least nine people I know have been taken away by the police and that figure is still rising,” a church leader in the eastern province of Zhejiang ”“ the operation’s focus ”“ told the Guardian on Thursday afternoon.
“We think it is a campaign targeting church leaders across the province. It can only be a co-ordinated action initiated by the provincial government.”
Among those understood to have been detained is Zhang Kai, a prominent Beijing human rights lawyer who had been offering legal support to a number of churches in the region.
Friction between the Communist party and the church has been building in in Zhejiang since late 2013 when authorities initiated a demolition campaign that they said targeted illegal buildings.
Read it all