Chinese house-church historian denied ID card

BEIJING — When Chinese house-church historian Zhang Yinan applied for a passport in order to attend a prayer breakfast in Washington in February, police immediately surrounded his house and even followed his wife to the hospital where she works as a nurse. Zhang, 50, was arrested Sept. 26, 2003, and imprisoned for two years on charges of “attempting to subvert the national government.” He was released last September, but the Lushan County Police Bureau has retained his personal documents, including his identity card, making it impossible for him to travel. Police in Henan used Zhang’s personal prayer journals as evidence to accuse him of trying to overthrow the government.