Renowned Beijing Church Leader Cai Zhuohua Released After Three Years Imprisonment for Distributing Bibles; Forced Labor for Olympics Products was Imposed
by Staff
September 20, 2007
MIDLAND, Texas, (christiansunite.com) -- CAA learned that jailed Beijing house church leader Cai Zhuohua was released on September 10, 2007.According to Cai's mother, to whom CAA has talked, pastor Cai arrived at his home at 1pm. He looked well with good spirit although he was not allowed to have or read a bible in the past three years. In his prison, Cai was forced to make soccer balls 10 to 12 hours a day for 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Pastor Cai asked CAA to thank all the brothers and sisters who have been praying and helping him and his family members during his imprisonment time. "The love of the Lord and the prayers by the saints sustained my life in the prison," said Cai.
CAA has been helping pastor Cai's legal defense and his family support.
After his release, Cai was warned not to speak up. He has to report to the PSB office once a month. He was taken to the PSB office again on September 13 and given more warnings and intimidations. "He feels (after PSB talks to him) he won't have any freedom even after his release," said his mother who is also a dedicated house church leader.
On November 8, 2005 Pastor Cai was sentenced to 3 years in jail on charges relating to "illegal business practices" and fined 150,000 yuan (18,500 USD). His wife Xiao Yunfei was sentenced to two years and fined 120,000 yuan. Her brother Xiao Gaowen was given an 18 month sentence and fined 100,000 yuan.
Cai was arrested September 11, 2004 at a bus stop, where he was dragged into a van by state security officers. Authorities were shocked to find more than 200,000 pieces of printed Christian literature including Bibles in a storage room managed by Cai. In China, only the Chinese government sanctioned church is allowed to print and distribute bibles.
In recent years, Chinese authorities have tried house church leaders under Article 225 of China's Criminal Law, which makes it a crime for anyone to commit "illegal acts in business operation and thus disrupt market order." In 1998, the Supreme People's Court issued the Explanation Regarding Certain Questions About the Specific Laws to be Used in Adjudicating Criminal Cases of Illegal Publications, which allows courts to use Article 225 to imprison anyone who "publishes, prints, copies, or distributes illegal publications."
Another house church leader in Xinjiang Zhou Heng was formally arrested last week for the same charge because he was caught receiving 3 tons of bibles from another city.
"Since the pastor has already served an unjustified three years sentence, to continue to restrict his freedom of movement is a violation of Chinese own law," said Bob Fu, President of CAA and a former coworker of Pastor Cai. "We urge the international community to continue to press the worsening situation on religious freedom and human rights in China."
Communicate your concern to the Chinese authority at the following address:
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong,
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008
http://www.china-embassy.org/
TEL: 202-7456743
Fax: 202- 588-0032; 202-7457473
Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512
Premier Wen Jiabao, PRC
PO Box 1741, The State Council, Beijing, PRC (zip code 100017)
Contact Phone: +86-10-66012399
Email: gazette@mail.gov.cn
Ms. Wu Aiying, minister of Ministry of Justice of PRC
Tel: +86-10-65205114
Fax: +86-10-64729863
Email: pufamaster@legalinfo.gov.cn
Address: No. 10, Nan Da Jie, Chaoyangmen, Beijing City (Zip Code: 100020)
Issued by China Aid Association, Inc. September 14, 2007
