A Henan Province family church pastor and his wife were charged with “illegal religious gathering” and sentenced to one year in a labor camp. It is believed that the approach of China’s 60th National Day is the cause of the increasing suppression and persecution of family churches all over China.
Pastor Dou Shaowen and his wife Feng Lu of Pan Se Church in Zhengzhou City were arrested on June 14 during a church gathering. The authorities sealed off the church and disallowed any further gatherings.
Feng Lu told Voice of America that the police sentenced both she and her husband to a year of labor reeducation. She was allowed to go home and serve her sentence outside of the labor camp because of her 12 year-old daughter. She is required to report to the police frequently.
She said that she talked to her husband last Wednesday. He described the situation at the labor camp to her.
”He said it was exhausting in there. It is difficult to sleep, and they work long hours. The work starts at 6 a.m., and they must wake up at 5. They work for 18 hours—until midnight. With 40 people in the cell, it’s very difficult to sleep well.”
Feng Lu also said there were five other church members arrested on June 14. The authorities detained them for 15 days and then released them, extracting from each a fine of 800 to 900 RMB (approximately US$ 125). The reason for the arrest, according to the authorities, was that the Pan Se Church had conducted a gathering in an illegal place.
Chang Mingshuan, the leader of the Chinese family churches, explained that after the June 4th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Chinese authorities had turned their attention to the family churches and had arrested and persecuted their members in places such as Jiangsu, Sichuan, and Henan. He believes that this is connected to the upcoming National Day.
This reporter also made phone inquiries at the police department of Zhengzhou City regarding this case. He was told that they were unaware of the pastor’s arrest or the closing down of the church.