by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A Christian pastor and three of his church members in China’s Guangdong Province have been in custody for six weeks after being arrested by the ruling Chinese Communist Party on suspicion of conducting “illegal business operations,” China Aid reports.
Pastor Deng Yanxiang and three co-workers Zhu Longjiang, Wang Weicai, and Zhu Qiaoling were taken into custody following a raid by police, national security agents, and staff of the religious affairs bureau on the education center of their Shengjia Church on 24 May, China Aid reports.
While the four detainees were given 30-day criminal detention notices, they remain imprisoned without charge at the Foshan City Nanhai District Detention Center, China Aid said.
In a statement to China Aid, “Little Hu” the wife of Zhu Longjiang, said: “My husband, Zhu Longjiang, is a devout Christian. We pray for justice and hope that Guangdong Province Foshan City Shunde District Bureau of Public Security will release my husband soon so that he can serve his parents!”
Shengjia Church asserted the four Christian’s innocence in a social media statement: “They are innocent. They are kind, loving, and honest people. They actively participate in public service. They are well respected among colleagues and neighbors. They have a very good reputation. Law enforcement imposed huge social harm by arresting people without discerning between good and bad.”
The authoritarian Chinese Communist Party considers religious minorities, and Christians in particular, to be a threat to its power: China ranks 16th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.