PASTOR CHINH’S STORY OF FAITH AND SUFFERING
In Vietnam, churches and pastors are often under surveillance by the authorities — and risk beatings, imprisonment and torture for preaching the gospel and speaking out in support of religious freedom.
Courageous prisoner of faith Pastor Nguyen Cong Chinh, who was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to a punitive 11 years in prison for ‘undermining national unity’, has been repeatedly abused while in jail.
These attacks have included being:
- assaulted by police while praying in his cell
- beaten by fellow prisoners, after incitement by guards
- assaulted with stun guns and pepper spray
- subjected to humiliating ‘criticism sessions’ by fellow inmates
Pastor Chinh has also been prohibited from praying in his cell and has been denied a Bible.
After first enduring 20 months of solitary confinement at the T20 prison in Gia Lai province, he was moved to An Phuoc prison, in the southern province of Binh Duong, where he is currently confined.
In addition to suffering prolonged separation, his wife, Tran Thi Hong, has also been subjected to systematic persecution.
In March 2016 officials tried to prevent her from meeting the US Ambassador at Large on International Religious Freedom, who was visiting Vietnam. Two weeks after the meeting went ahead, Mrs Hong was interrogated and beaten by plainclothes agents for three hours, leaving her with multiple injuries.
Pastor Chinh’s story is very typical, when a Christian is imprisoned for their courageous witness, often their whole family suffers.
That’s why our Prisoners of Faith ministry provides practical help and pastoral care to both prisoners and their families.
Will you give today to help them? Your gift could enable our partner to:
- provide gift packages for Christian prisoners
- provide food, medicines and other support to the families of prisoners
- help families visit their loved ones in jail.
- Release Int.
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