Sharon,
There's no doubt in my heart the the U.
S. will go this way. The U.S. president, and the Canadian Prime Minister
both went and to returned from China, to increase the trade with China. The
Human rights issues could not be spoken about.
Vinny
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharon Hooley" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 4:09 PM
Subject: Could the U.S. be headed this way?
Monday, December 7, 2009
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Religion Today
Five More Christian Leaders Sentenced in China
Special to Compass Direct News
December 7, 2009
LOS ANGELES (CDN) - Bypassing the court system, China arbitrarily sentenced
five more leaders of the Fushan Church in Linfen City, Shanxi Province, on
Monday
(Nov. 30), this time to re-education labor camps for two years, according to
China Aid Association (CAA).
A Chinese court last week sentenced five house church leaders to three to
seven years in prison after they were arrested en route to Beijing to file a
complaint
about an attack on their church, according to the advocacy organization. The
five leaders sentenced to labor camps this week were accused of "gathering
people to disturb the public order" after they organized a prayer rally of
1,000 people the day after military police and others attacked their church
members and building on Sept. 13.
In what CAA termed "an arbitrary administrative sentence by the Public
Security Bureau enacted so the leaders would not be 'required' to go through
the
court and prosecution system," China delivered the verdicts to church
leaders Li Shuangping, Yang Hongzhen, Yang Caizhen (wife of Pastor Yang
Xuan, who
was sentenced to three years of prison on Nov. 25), Gao Qin (also known as
Gao Fuqin), and Zhao Guoai.
"Yang Caizhen was seen being beaten severely during an interrogation," CAA
said in a press statement. "Having had one of her front teeth knocked out
during
a beating, and fasting and praying during her detention, Ms. Yang is
reported to look very fragile."
The church leaders, the latter four women, were arrested on Nov. 11. They
had helped to organize a prayer rally after the Sept. 13 attack on the
Fushan
Church branch congregation in Linfen, when some 400 uniformed police and
civilians bearing shovels, batons, bricks, iron hooks and other weapons had
beaten
members of the church who were sleeping at the nearly finished factory
building used as a worship site.
With several Fushan County officials involved in the attack, more than 30
Christians were seriously injured among the 100 Christians who were hurt,
CAA
reported. According to the Epoch Times, a church member's relative obtained
a license to build the shoe factory and was allowing the group to meet
there,
as the church was growing too large to meet in homes and the building could
hold up to 400 people.
As Chinese authorities had kept the families of Gao Qin and Zhao Guoai under
tight surveillance, CAA relied on church sources to confirm their sentences
to labor camp. The organization said family members had confirmed the
sentences of the other three.
"Linfen house church Christians continue to be monitored by Chinese military
police, including neighboring Golden Lampstand Church (Jin Dongtai) in
Linfen
City," CAA stated.
The organization said authorities violated Chinese law by refusing to
provide family members of the prisoners with copies of documents notifying
them of
the sentences.
All 10 of the Fushan Church leaders plan to appeal their sentences,
according to CAA.
"To arbitrarily send five innocent citizens to labor camps is in direct
violation against the international human rights covenants and norms the
Chinese
government has signed and even ratified," said CAA President Bob Fu.
The five pastors previously sentenced were arrested on Sept. 25 without a
warrant, according to CAA. Yang Rongli was sent to prison for seven years
for
"illegally occupying farming land" and "disturbing transportation order by
gathering masses."
She and four other pastors were sentenced on Wednesday (Nov. 25) at the
People's Court of Raodu district, Linfen City, Shanxi Province. Yang's
husband,
Wang Xiaoguang, was handed a sentence of three years on the charge of
"illegally occupying farming land." Cui Jiaxing was sentenced to four and
half years,
and Yang Xuan to three and half years, on the same charge; Zhang Huamei
received four years of prison for "disturbing transportation order by
gathering
masses."
The pastors were arrested by Shanxi Province officers of the Public Security
Bureau (PSB). Fu characterized their trial as a farce, saying the case
demonstrated
a deteriorating state of religious freedom in China.
Yang Rongli and Wang Xiaoguang had led the Fushan Church, part of a
50,000-strong house church network in Linfen and the surrounding villages,
for more
than 30 years.
The Beijing PSB has misrepresented the demolition and attack on the Linfen
branch church as a response to a "violent uprising," Fu said.
"So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you, do not turn
aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your
God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your
days in the land that you will possess."
Deuteronomy 5 32-33
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