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Bitter Winter

A magazine on religious liberty and human rights

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Home / China / Testimonies China

Persecuted for Religious Faith, Family Torn Apart

08/11/2018Jiang Tao |

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Members of a Christian family in the Anhui Province have been separated due to CCP sanctioned persecution.

On August 25, 2015, three police officers lured Chen Xiulan (pseudonym) who was an active member in a local house church to the station under the pretext of wanting to “talk some things over.”

When she did not return by late evening that day, her husband, Mr. Liu, rushed to the station and found that she had been detained at the Bengbu City Second Detention Center.

The next day, four officers raided the couple’s home in Bengbu City and seized their Bible and an extensive collection of Christian materials. Mr. Liu was ordered to sign his wife’s arrest warrant as well.

The couple and their only son belonged to the Born Again Movement, i.e., a Protestant community not part of the government-controlled Three Self Church founded in 1984 in Henan by Xu Yongze (Peter Xu), and known under different names: All Sphere Church, All Ranges Church, Word of Life Church.

The 43-year-old Mrs. Chen was passionate about preaching the gospel while Mr. Liu worked the fields at home. The couple often hosted religious gatherings at their home.

After Mrs. Chen’s arrest, her family hired a lawyer to represent her, but the court did not allow for that to happen. Instead, she was sentenced to three years in prison without any legal proceedings. To date, the police have allowed her family to meet with her at the Hefei city women’s prison only once.

According to internal reports, the couple’s son ran away fearing an arrest. At the moment, nobody knows about his whereabouts or whether he is even alive or dead. Mr. Liu lives alone and he is depressed at the state of the things.

The family that was once harmonious and happy has now been torn apart by the CCP for having a religious faith.

Reported by Jiang Tao

Tagged With: Three-Self Church

Jiang Tao profile picture
Jiang Tao

Uses a pseudonym for security reasons.

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