Chinese authorities have formally arrested 18 leaders of the underground Zion Church, clearing the way for potential prosecution and up to three years in prison. The arrests, which occurred in mid-October, are part of a broader crackdown on religious groups that refuse to submit to state control.
According toReuters, which reported the arrests Wednesday citing aChristian NGO advocate, nearly 30 pastors and staff members belonging to Zion Church were detained by police in mid-October in the biggest crackdown on Chinese Christians in seven years.
ChinaAid, a Christian nonprofit human rights organization, stated in a statement that the leaders were arrested on ‘politically motivated charges.’ The statement read in part, ‘These pastors and co-workers are being treated as criminals simply because they faithfully shepherded a large, legally unregistered church that refused to submit to CCP control and surveillance.’
Dr. Bob Fu, the founder and president of the organization, called the arrests of the pastors and staff members a ‘chilling milestone in the CCP’s all-out war on Christianity in China.’
‘Their only ‘crime’ is preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shepherding God’s flock, and refusing to turn Christ’s church into a propaganda tool of the Communist Party,’ he added. ‘By turning pastors into political prisoners, the CCP is not only persecuting these individuals and their families—it is sending a warning to every independent church in China: submit to Party control or face destruction.’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced the detentions of the Zion Church members in October and asked the Chinese government to release them. Open Doors, an international organization that supports persecuted believers, estimates there are more than 96 million Christians in China.