Officials reject attorney's requests to meet with Elder Zhang Chunlei—four consecutive days during the CCP’s Centennial

Source:               www.ChinaAid.org

Date:                    July 5, 2021

(Guiyang, Guizhou Province—July 05, 2021) On July 03, Yang Aiqing, wife of Elder Zhang Chunlei of Guiyang Ren Ai Reformed Church, revealed that detention center officials had repeatedly refused to permit the attorney representing her husband to visit him. Sister Yang posted on WeChat Moment that Elder Zhang's attorney had traveled to the detention center and requested to visit him four times—on June 29, June 30, July 1, and July 2. Although the attorney’s requests aligned with laws, officials claimed that due to Elder Zhang “being in interrogation,” they could not arrange a meeting.

As a result of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities’ recent crackdown on Christianity and the ensuring fabricated charge of “fraud,” they have held Elder Zhang Chunlei in custody for 109 days. On March 16, when authorities officially arrested Elder Zhang, they changed his administrative detention charge to criminal detention. Additional other accusations against Elder Zhang include:

• corruption and embezzlement of public funds,

• disclosing State secrets,

• picking quarrels and provoking troubles, and

• incitement to subvert State power.

CCP authorities routinely fabricate charges like these to defame pastors or ministers.

 

 

The church collecting offerings is one of the teachings in the Bible, and churches across the world practice this.

 

I do not think what I did constitutes a crime.

 

As CCP authorities have severely targeted Guiyang Ren Ai Reformed Church, in Guiyang City, they raided the church on March 16, 2021, and arrested the pastor and numerous Christians attending there. They also searched homes of the pastor and coworkers and confiscated their possessions. This reflects part of the CCP’s massive suppression on house churches since the 129 crackdown on Early Rain Covenant Church.

The last time his attorney met with him on June 4, Elder Zhang Chunlei related his greetings to brothers and sisters in Christ, spiritual friends, and relatives. He said that he intercedes for them in prayer every day. He hopes that his relatives and friends submit him to God. He does not want them to worry about his situation, but encourages them to rather, remain joyful and hopeful.

Elder Zhang especially thanks God for his wife—Sister Yang, saying that he praises God for granting her to him as his wife, a gift of God's great grace.

 

 

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