China Detains Beijing house church leaders in latest crackdown on unregistered churches
.jpg "An undated photo overlooking Christian Quannan Church and surrounding scenery in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, China. | Getty Images (The Christian Post)")
Authorities in China have detained several pastors and church workers from Beijing Jiaquan Church, an independent house church operating in the capital.
The U.S.-based group ChinaAid said it has received firsthand accounts of the arrests, though the number of people held and the charges against them remain unknown.
The group said it was checking whether Jiaquan congregations outside Beijing were hit.
A coordinated operation in several places, if confirmed, would mark another major move against churches outside the state-run religious system, the group said.
ChinaAid’s founder and President Bob Fu said his organization is “urgently concerned for the safety, health and legal rights of every Jiaquan pastor and church co-worker who has been taken away.” He asked authorities to name the detainees, disclose where they're being held, provide the legal grounds for their apprehension and detention, and allow them to see independent lawyers.
