JINGMEN, China — An underground Christian leader in China has been sentenced to death on charges of rape and “hooliganism” as the country continues its crackdown on “evil cults.”
Gong Shengliang, 46, was sentenced to death Dec. 30 by the Intermediate People’s Court in the city of Jingmen, in Hubei Province, according to The New York Times.
Gong founded the South China Church in 1991. His niece, Li Ying, was also sentenced to death but was given a two-year reprieve, according to the Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy, a clearinghouse for reports of religious persecution in China.
According to the human rights group, Gong was found responsible for injuries to four people during an exorcism. Under the government’s anti-cult law, religious leaders can be held responsible for injuries to church members, even if the leaders were not directly involved. Prosecutors also charged him with rape and hooliganism.
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