Persecution of Chinese Christians Increasing, Expected to Continue Rising

November 9, 2004

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3993857.stm

On November 9, 2004 BBC News reported, "'They hung me up across an iron gate, then they yanked open the gate and my whole body lifted until my chest nearly split in two. I hung like that for four hours.' That is how Peter Xu Yongze, the founder of one of the largest religious movements in China, described his treatment during one of five jail sentences on account of his belief in Christianity. Mr Xu, 61, is not the only Chinese Christian to suffer for his faith. Both Catholics and Protestants have long complained of persecution by the Communist authorities, and human rights groups claim the problem is getting worse. According to the Jubilee Campaign, an interdenominational lobby group, about 300 Christians are in detention in China at any one time, and that number is set to rise."