By BosNewsLife News Center
BEIJING, CHINA (BosNewsLife) -- Chinese security forces reportedly arrested and tortured four Christian missionaries, including two women, in Jinghong City of Yunan Province on charges of "superstitious activities," BosNewsLife learned Saturday, August 12.
The US-based religious rights group China Aid Association (CAA), which has close contacts with the alleged persecuted believers, identified the four missionaries as Xing Baoying and Wang Guizhen from Luohe in Henan Province, Li Jianying from the Jinghong city region in Yunan Province and Li Tuying from Jinghong Farm in the same area.
"The four missionaries were in so much pain they could hardly walk out the gate of the National Security Guard office. They stated that they did not think they would survive the interrogation," CAA said.
DRUNKEN POLICE
CAA said their ordeal, of which details just emerged, began July 24 when "the head of the local police station, who was allegedly drunk that evening, and ten policemen tortured the four missionaries from 8 PM...until 2 AM the next day. One female missionary had her hair torn out."
At least one police officer was as saying that "in this remote area, where it is far from the emperor, I can beat you until you obey. You have no where to lodge a complaint." Police also allegedly threatened to hand over the two women
missionaries to a minority tribe to rape them.
It was difficult to confirm the claims, and Chinese officials have in the past either declined to comment or denied human rights abuses.
CAA said the police also "handcuffed the four missionaries to chairs in their office and left them there until 2 PM local time, July 25, 2006, when they were escorted to Mengla County National Security Guard squad office."
NO PROVE
As police could not prove they had committed a crime they freed them hours later on July 25, after searching their pockets and confiscating $400 in cash, Bibles, and
hymn disks, CAA added.
The July incident happened after Xing Baoying and his wife Wang Guizhen were released on March 10 this year from a so-called 'Reeducation through Labor camp', where they served a two-year sentence for their involvement in house churches, CAA said.
"Sister Wang Guizhen and her husband, brother Xing Baoying were arrested on July 25, 2004. They endured cruel torture in the custody centre. They were later put into a 'Re-education Through Labor Camp' for two years because of sister Wang refused to cooperate with the [government backed] Three-Self Church," CAA explained BosNewsLife.
The organization said it had urged the international community to protest against the treatment of the missionaries. It comes amid growing international concern over a perceived crackdown on evangelical Christians in China, which include destruction of churches. Most of the Communist nation's estimated 80 million Christians worship outside the 'official' denominations in house churches, Christian observers say. (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from China).
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