Two Pastors of unofficial church sentenced on cult charges in China
Pastor Dale Morgan
Two Pastors of unofficial church sentenced on cult charges in China*
07/09/2007 16:01 Source: AP ©
Two Chinese ministers of Protestant church were sentenced to one year in
labor camp for using an "evil cult" to obstruct the law.
The two men were detained on June 15 along with four other church
leaders during a worship service in eastern Shandong province, just
south of Beijing, the China Aid Association reported.
They were charged with "using an evil cult to obstruct the law," the
Midland, Texas-based group said.
No details were given of the charges, although China typically uses the
vague anti-cult legislation to punish those worshipping outside the
tightly controlled official Communist Party-recognized church.
The group said Zhang Geming and Sun Qingwen were sentenced on June 29 to
"re-education through labor," an extrajudicial punishment under which
authorities can sentence minor criminals or regime opponents to up to
three years of labor without the need for a trial.
The Aid Association said the two were evangelical ministers from the
neighboring province of Henan. Four Shandong ministers detained along
with them were released after paying fines of 1,000 yuan (US$131; EUR96)
each.
An officer answering phones at police headquarters in Cao county, where
Zhang and Sun were detained, said he had no knowledge of their cases.
Phones at the labor camp in Jining, where they were being held, rang
unanswered.
Despite the risk of harassment, fines and imprisonment, millions of
Chinese continue to worship in the unofficial groups, often called
"house churches" because they meet in private homes.