Recent Persecution Updates from Turkey, China and Azerbaijan
by Staff
July 17, 2007
(christiansunite.com) - Recent Persecution Updates from Turkey, China and AzerbaijanTurkey:
Hakan Tastan and Turan Topal, two Christians on trial in Turkey on charges of "insulting Turkishness" and inciting hatred against Islam (see www.persecution.net/news/turkey18.html for more details), were further harassed on July 1 by being fined for "illegal collection of funds" by an administrative district authority in Beyoglu district, Istanbul. According to a July 3 report from Compass Direct, plainclothes police officers met Tastan at his church, the Taksim Protestant Church, on Sunday morning and told him he was wanted at the local police station. Tastan telephoned Topal and the two agreed to go to the station. Both men were presented with a "penalty sheet" ordering them to pay 600 Turkish lira ($490 CAD) for collecting money without official permission from local district authorities. No documents or evidence to substantiate the accusations were shown to them.
China:
Pasto r Zhang Geming and Pastor Sun Qingqen, two of the six church leaders who were arrested during a church raid in Shandong province on June 15 (www.persecution.net/news/china169.html), have been sentenced to one year re-education through labour. According to a July 7 report from China Aid Association, both have been sent to a labour camp in Jining City to serve their sentence, which runs from June 29, 2007 to June 14, 2008. The four other detained church leaders were released after paying a fine of 10,000 yuans ($1400 CAD).
Six church leaders were arrested on June 9 while distributing literature in Jiaocheng county and were later released (see www.persecution.net/news/china169.html). On June 29, they went to the local Public Security Bureau office for an official explanation for their arrest. Ms. Gao Qiuxiang (54) accompanied them. While at the PSB office, Gao was arrested and sentenced to ten days of administrative detention.
Azerbaijan:
Please pray for Pastor Zaur Balaev who has been charged with Article 315.1 of the criminal code of Azerbaijan (see www.persecution.net/news/azerbaijan10.html). His trial is scheduled for July 13. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
