Activists and Advisors of Unofficial Christian Church Arrested

October 10, 2003

Source: The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2003/10/10/china_arrests_church_leaders_adviser/

On October 10, 2003 The Boston Globe ran an Associated Press story that reported, "The legal adviser to an imprisoned leader of China's unofficial Christian church has been arrested along with a prominent church activist and his wife, international human rights groups reported Friday. Xiao Biguang, a longtime campaigner for religious freedom and workers' rights, was seized Sept. 26 by police in central Henan province's Lushan County and is being held at an undisclosed location, said Bob Fu, president of the China Aid Association based in Pennsylvania. Arrested with Xiao was Zhang Yinan, a leading historian of the unofficial church movement, Fu said. Zhang's wife, Ding Guizhen, a doctor, was arrested separately...Communist authorities allow worship only in state-monitored churches. Millions of believers, however, belong to unauthorized congregations and are subject to arrest and harassment. The South China Church at one time claimed to have 50,000 followers in central China."