Chinese court orders new trial for Christians

BEIJING — A Chinese court has thrown out the criminal conviction of 17 members of the unregistered South China Church (SCC). Voice of the Martyrs reported that the Supreme Court of Hubei Province ordered a new trial for the Christians, five of whom were sentenced to death for their involvement in “illegal” church activities.

Twelve other Christians received sentences ranging from two years to life. The church members were arrested in April 2001 after the government officially labeled the SCC a dangerous cult and said its members were trying to “undermine the enforcement of the law,” the center told the Associated Press.

The communist government of China has strict rules against the free practice of religion and requires that all religious churches and groups be registered with the government. Sources report that a massive underground church movement is alive and well in China with tens of millions of members. Persecution against these churches is reported to be extreme, as in the case of the SCC members.