18 church leaders arrested in China as part of crackdown.
(Photo: Getty/iStock)Leaders of a Chinese house church have been arrested for supposedly “illegally using information networks” in what may be part of a broader crackdown by the Chinese government on non-state sanctioned Christianity.
This latest incident occurred at Zion Church in Beihai, Guangxi Province. The church’s senior pastor, Ezra Jin Mingri, was one of the 18 arrested.
They could be held in pre-trial detention indefinitely or receive prison sentences of up to three years, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Zion Church is one of the largest unofficial churches in China, boasting at least 5,000 members. In 2018 Beijing officials closed down the church’s main building after it refused to install CCTV cameras.
Scott Bower, CEO of CSW, condemned the arrest of Pastor Jin and the other leaders of Zion Church. He said they had "been targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of their religious beliefs".
“We call on the Chinese Communist Party to release these individuals immediately and without condition, and to cease its harassment of churches and religious groups that choose not to register with the CCP in order to practise their religion or belief without undue interference and surveillance," he said. CT.
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