Five pastors arrested without a warrant in China’s Shanxi province as they were en route to file a complaint over the demolition of their church building have been sentenced to prison terms of three to seven years.
In one of the most oppressive measures against Christians in recent years, house church leader Yang Rongli was sent to prison for seven years for “illegally occupying farming land” and “disturbing transportation order by gathering masses,” according to China Aid Association (CAA).
She and four other pastors were sentenced Nov. 25 at the People’s Court of Raodu district, Linfen city, Shanxi province. Yang’s husband, Wang Xiaoguang, was handed a sentence of three years on the charge of “illegally occupying farming land.”
Cui Jiaxing was sentenced to four-and-a-half years, and Yang Xuan to three and half years, on the same charge.
Zhang Huamei received four years in prison for “disturbing transportation order by gathering masses.”
“To punish an innocent house church leader with seven years’ imprisonment is the most serious sentence since 2004, when the senior Henan house church leader Pastor Zhang Rongliang received a similar length,” CAA President Bob Fu said in a news release. “We strongly condemn these unjust sentences, which are based on trumped-up charges.” (CD)
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