Responding to the detention of two Chinese Protestant church leaders and the interrogation by police of multiple members of the congregation during a service on Sunday, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:
“The detention of church leaders from the Early Rain Covenant Church is the latest example of the Chinese government’s efforts to crack down on independent religious activity and enforce state control over belief and worship.
“Over the past year, authorities have intensified control over religious activities through unlawful surveillance, raids and unfair prosecutions under anti-‘cult’ and security provisions – resulting in repeated attacks on individuals solely for peacefully exercising their right to religious freedom.
“Members of the Early Rain Covenant Church have faced years of harassment and intimidation – the 2019 imprisonment of its leader Wang Yi marking the start of a period of intensifying repression of Christian groups in China.
“The Chinese authorities must immediately release the two leaders detained, end their crackdown on all religious groups in the country, and uphold the right of everyone to freedom of religion. No one should be detained simply due to their religious beliefs.”
