As people worldwide are awakening to growing threats to freedom of speech, citizens of a communist country like China are already living the nightmare of totalitarian state control.
In China, it amounts to risking one’s life to express any views that don’t follow the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) narrative. Something as simple as revealing your religious beliefs on social media, if your religious affiliation is not officially acknowledged by the CCP, can result in your being put under surveillance or even arrested.
In March 2022, China’s new measures to monitor online religious content came into force following Xi’s “complaints’' that the internet is being used to ”advertise“ faith and that social networking sites are becoming tools of ”religious propaganda,” according to Bitter Winter.
Since the release of the draft of the new measures in 2018, chat rooms and several internet platforms have already been reportedly receiving “warnings about using sensitive words such as ‘Amen’ and ‘Jesus,’” reported ChinaAid.
Here are some accounts of what happened when Falun Gong adherents and Christians were persecuted for sharing “sensitive information” online.
Teacher Sentenced to 8 Years
Sun Wanshuai, an art teacher in his 50s living in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, was sentenced to 8 years in July 2022 with a 30,000 yuan fine (approx. $4,350) for posting “sensitive information” about Falun Gong on WeChat, a popular Facebook-like social media platform in China, reported Minghui.org. The internet police arrested him and confiscated his computer and cell phone.Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is an ancient meditation discipline based on the tenets of truthfulness, compassion, forbearance. Falun Gong is freely practiced in over 100 countries but has been persecuted in China since July 20, 1999; countless adherents have been arrested and killed in the past 23 years.
Christian Preacher Arrested for His Evangelism
On March 5, 2022, Chen Wensheng, a Christian street preacher from Hengyang City, Hunan province, was arrested after he posted a message on social media asking people to participate in a ministry for ethnic minority groups in China, reported Persecution.org.By 11:02 a.m. on the same day, he was taken away by the Hunan police. Chen has previously been arrested multiple times for evangelism.
Catholic Apps and Websites Shutdown
On Sept. 1, 2022, China’s first Catholic app, CathAssist, announced the “termination of operations” of both its website and app, according to ChinaAid.CathAssist’s operation team said that they “made various efforts to apply for an Internet Religious Information Service License” since the implementation of the new law but they did not meet the CCP’s requirements as the “government officials demanded significant reduction in functionality and content,” according to the report.
An Ex-Police Officer and a Deputy Director Sentenced
Falun Gong adherent Zhang Xia, a former police officer from Shanghai, was arrested in February 2021 for posting information about Falun Gong on social media, reported Minghui.org. The 53-year-old woman was charged with “promoting a cult with a communications network,” sentenced to 9 years, and fined 30,000 yuan (approx. $4,350) in June 2022.Huang Daimiao, former deputy director of the Business and Tourism Department at a vocational college in Yichang City, Hubei Province, was sentenced to 4 years and fined 10,000 yuan (approx. US$1,450) in July 2018 for sending videos about the persecution of Falun Gong on WeChat.
Ban on Publishing Live Christian Broadcasts
According to ChinaAid, on Jan. 29, 2021, the Three-Self Patriotic Association and Christian Association of Qingdao City, Shandong Province, published a notice on “Restrictions on Churches in China’s Shandong Province: A ban on live broadcasts as well as releases of preaching audios and videos.”Two days previously, Christians in the province were also prohibited from broadcasting religious activities via the internet, according to the report.
Online Church Service Terminated
ChinaAid also reported that on July 11, 2022, police raided the Shenzhen Trinity Harvest Gospel Church during their online service. Officers of national security, police, and the Religious Affairs Bureau “broke into the rooms” while Pastor Mao Zhibin and Elder Chu Yanqing were hosting the service via Zoom.The Church’s online service was “forcibly terminated,” the report said.
A Business Professor Sentenced
Zeng Hao, a business professor in his 40s at Tianhe College of Guangdong Polytechnical Normal University, was arrested in August 2017 for sharing information about the persecution of Falun Gong on the Tencent QQ platform, a popular Chinese instant messaging service and web portal, between October 2014 and January 2017, Minghui.org reported. After a period of monitoring, the police arrested him. Zeng was later sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 10,000 yuan in January 2019.
Another Falun Gong adherent from Heilongjiang Province was also sentenced for posting on the Tencent QQ platform. Wang Xin, a man in his 40s, was arrested by Shanghai police officers in August 2016 after he posted a photo related to Falun Gong on social media, according to Minghui.org. He was sentenced to 8 months and fined 3,000 yuan (approx. $450).
Arrested for Sharing an Audio File Exposing Persecution
According to Minghui.org, Che Guoping, an employee of Huaneng Power Company in Dezhou City, Shandong Province, was arrested by over ten police officers in May 2017 while on her way home from work. Che had earlier shared an audio file online containing information about the persecution of Falun Gong.The police ransacked her home and took away her cell phones, iPad, and personal belongings. She was later sentenced to 3.5 years and fined 5,000 yuan (approx. $960).
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