HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — A pastoral couple and 11 congregants were questioned in a criminal investigation accusing their church of starting a COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City, reports Morning Star News.
On Oct. 14, Go Vap District police questioned Rev. Vo Xuan Loan; her husband, Rev. Phuong Van Tan, and others from Revival Ekklesia Mission house church.
Christian leaders believe the probe is an effort to defame evangelicals after some 60 people with ties to the church tested positive for the Delta variant at the end of May. Authorities are using Vietnam criminal code Article 240 — concerning “spreading a dangerous contagious disease to cause harm” — as justification for the probe, according to the report.
Church members maintain they were observing government COVID-19 measures in place at the time.
Attorney Dang Dinh Manh, on Oct. 20, petitioned for dismissal of all charges, notes the report.
Delta variant outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City killed more than 22,000 people by mid-October, says the report.
Vietnam is No. 19 on Open Doors’ 2021 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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