Christians' horror as churchgoers beaten and jailed for putting crucifix by home in China

Twenty Christians have been beaten and jailed for hanging a cross outside their home in China.
By KATIE MANSFIELD

Public security officials stormed the property in central Henan province after a crucifix was seen outside.
An eyewitness, described the scene in Nanle as “miserable” as officials beat the Christian homeowner before turning on other Christians coming out of the property.
Zhang Mingxuan, a pastor and president of the Chinese House Church Alliance, told China Aid: “It is against the national constitution and laws for house church believers to be beaten by Nanle County Public Security Bureau.
Churchgoers have been beaten and arrested in China

“A lot of problems have been caused because the public security bureau personnel control, attack and persecute Christianity in Henan. I hope the international community will pray for them.”
As chaos broke out in Nanle, officials in Xinjiang, raided a Christian couple’s house following reports a cross was displayed inside the property.
The couple, who run a house church, were detained alongside a woman visiting their home.

Officials attack a Christian woman in China

The Chinese Communist Party has been accused of cracking down on religious freedom

China Aid, who identified the couple as Dai and Li, say the couple and woman were taken away by police.
Dai has since been released but his wife and their guest remain in jail.
Officials reportedly confiscated other religious items from the couple’s home in north western China.
It comes as China’s latest regulations on religion come into force.

The crackdown has forced Christians to worship underground

The Chinese Communist Party has been accused of cracking down on religious freedom with the laws which restrict worship.
Xi Jinping’s despotic regime has banned Christians from praying, singing hymns, removed crosses from buildings and arrested people for attending worship.
Christian charities have reported scenes of violence, Christians being arrested, sent to labour camps and tortured.
The crackdown has forced Christians underground and has left a deal between the Vatican and China on the brink of collapse.
Catholics in the secretive state are divided between the official state Church, which heavily monitors sermons and teachings, and those who attend ‘underground Churches’, which run illegally away from the eyes of Xi Jinping’s Communist government.
It has led to an underground movement where bishops are unofficially elected without authorisation from the Chinese Communist Party or the Vatican.
Francis has previously declined to intervene.
In an unusual move, the Holy See released a statement this week warning underground Catholics not to take matter into their own hands.
It comes amid growing expectation the Vatican and the Chinese government are close to an agreement on the ordination of bishops as China still insists it has the authority to appoint bishops independent of the Holy See.

China's horrifying religious oppression ‘most tyrannical’ in 40 years

China is repeatedly breaking its own laws as it continues to persecute Christians in one of the most tyrannical years for the regime

By Katie Mansfield

Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party have launched a major crackdown on religion in recent weeks in an attempt to oppress religious freedom and exercise control.
The despotic regime has banned Christians from praying, singing hymns, removed crosses from buildings and arrested people for attending worship.
In a scathing report, charity China Aid noted there has been an increase in persecution.
The Chinese Government Persecution of Christians and Churches in China report found there has been a 4.74 increase in persecution in 2016 compared to last year.
With the number of abuses cases, unjust arrest and persecuted individuals on the up.
The charity said: “Persecution campaigns made 2016 one of the most tyrannical years since the Cultural Revolution.”

Echoing the revolution, which aimed to purge capitalist elements from the communist regime, Xi Jinping has overseen a year of chaos for China’s Christians.
The report found China is not only breaching its own laws but also international human rights.
The report said: “The cross demolition movement, which began in 2014 as part of a beautification campaign known as Three Rectifications and One Demolition, continued in Zhejiang province during 2016.
"Although official rhetoric claims the operation intends to address ‘illegal structures,’ it specifically discriminated against Christian churches and imposed strictures on the crosses that adorned the exterior of their buildings. In 2016, the number of crosses demolished surpassed 1,800.

“In addition to previous restrictions on religious activity, Henan province published a work plan devising to bring 'illegal' Catholic and Protestant churches in line with the Party’s ideologies.
"According to the official document, the authorities plan to manage church meetings and force the congregations to eradicate all religious symbols and become more socialist.
“This campaign echoes the new political trend set out in a proposed revision of the Regulations on Religious Affairs, which was introduced by the State Council earlier this month.
“The revision introduces tighter control on peaceful religious activities, such as punishing house church meetings by imprisoning Christians or heavily fining the church leaders, forbidding religious adherents from attending conferences or trainings abroad, and barring minors from receiving religious education.

“These measures violate China’s own Constitution, which guarantees religious liberty and condemns discriminating against religious and non-religious citizens and breaches the country’s pledges to adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child.”
Christians have also been placed under surveillance, house churches disbanded and there have been reports of torture taking place in prison.
As previously reported by Express.co.uk pastor Yang Hua’s lawyers say he has been repeatedly tortured in prison with proseection lawyers threatening to kill him.

China Aid says international governments must now hold the regime to account and have presented the report to the European Parliament.
The report said: “China continuously violates its own laws and international statutes safeguarding religious freedom in favor of promoting a socialist agenda, forcing religious devotees to choose between certain persecution and disregarding their deeply-held beliefs.
"Additionally, it prosecutes lawyers who attempt to defend the rights of religious practitioners, completely disregarding the rule of law. International governments must persuade China to free those it unjustly holds behind bars.”