Chinese church leaders arrested at retreat

XINJIANG AUTONOMOUS REGION, China — More than 100 house church leaders have been arrested in westernmost China’s Xinjiang Autonomous Region, according to The Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), an Oklahoma-based interdenominational ministry aiding the persecuted church.

According to VOM sources, the house church leaders were attending a July 12 “co-workers meeting” or retreat, when they were surrounded by more than 200 military police accompanied by Public Security Bureau (PSB) and other officers who arrived at the scene in 40-plus police and military vehicles. No arrest warrants or even official identification papers were shown by officers as they carried out the raid, VOM reported. The meeting was being held to train and encourage Christian workers in the Xinjiang region, with a population of 17 million, 60 percent of whom are the mostly Muslim Uyghur people. All of the house church leaders remained in custody as of July 27, Todd Nettleton, VOM director of news services, told Baptist Press. “It appears they’re not going to be released anytime soon,” he said.