Published on August 4, 2024, 12:30 am

Image source: Fox News

In a recent case that spotlights religious freedom issues in China, Elder Zhang Chunlei of the Guiyang Ren’ai Reformed Church was sentenced to five years in prison due to charges relating to “subversion of state power” and “fraud”. This occurred at a court in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, under closely regulated circumstances limiting public participation.

Elder Zhang’s predicament commenced on March 16, 2021, following his arrest after he visited a local police station. He had gone there to inquire about several fellow church members apprehended during a private police raid where a church retreat was being held. Initially arrested under alleged fraud suspicions, an additional charge—inciting subversion of state power—was revealed against him in January 2022.

While detained, Zhang’s health took a significant downturn due to liver cirrhosis—a condition his family only became aware of recently. Reports indicate that despite developing cholecystitis and requiring hospitalization while in detention since August 2023, he was sent back into prison. His life is now considered at risk under the present conditions.

According to details from court proceedings that were tightly controlled with public attendance restrictions, Elder Zhang will serve three and half years for instigating subversion of state power plus another two years concurrently for fraud charges. The total sentence is thus five years.

The court has further ordered that 14,400 yuan (around $2,000) should be obtained regarding the fraud-related offenses along with an extra fine of 5,000 yuan ($700). With his period already spent in detention included within this term declared by the court setting his release date as March 16, 2026.

These developments have drawn criticism from numerous sources including CSW Founder Mervyn Thomas who argued that Elder Zhang Chunlei’s accusations are entirely unfounded and stressed on his immediate unconditional release asserting reparations for the unjust suffering Zhang and his family have been subjected to. His incarceration is reportedly part of an overarching agenda under China’s President Xi Jinping’s administration, intending to manage all Protestant church into merging with the state-sanctioned Three-Self Church.

Open Doors, an international organization that monitors Christian persecution globally, has also noted that such persecution in China forms part of a more extensive drive to govern religious practice in the country. Regions dominated by Buddhism or Islam are encountering severe threats to converted Christians as well. Increasingly, digital surveillance is broadly impacting Christians across the entire nation specifically those involved with house churches. Despite his present situation, Elder Zhang is preparing to appeal his sentence.

With this real news narrative underscored by a Christian worldview perspective, readers worldwide can glean a trusted news source on serious violations of religious freedom taking place in China today.