Release International

Religious rights campaigners have strongly condemned harsh jail sentences handed down to 11 church leaders in different parts of China.

Release partner China Aid reports that the Chinese authorities have 'quietly sentenced' Uyghur house church leader Alimjan Yimit to 15 years in prison in Xinjiang – the most severe penalty given to a house church leader in 'nearly a decade'. And ten leaders of Fushan Church in Linfen city, Shanxi, have been sentenced to up to seven years in jail – in a move which China Aid has branded 'farcical'.

Alimjan, 36, who has been detained since January 2008, was convicted of the apparently contrived charge of 'providing state secrets to overseas organisations' – because, reportedly, he had given interviews to foreign media. His sentence is the maximum penalty for this charge, meaning he is considered to have caused 'irreparable national damage'.

Meanwhile, in Shanxi, five Fushan Church pastors – including senior leaders Yang Rongli and her husband Wang Xiaoguang – were convicted in what China Aid called a 12-hour 'pre-determined show trial' on November 25. Five days later, the Public Security Bureau sentenced five other leaders to two years' 're-education through labour', bypassing the courts entirely.

The convictions follow an assault on Fushan Church on September 13, when more than 400 military police and civilians destroyed most of a factory it used as the church building. The five pastors sent to jail were arrested en route to Beijing where they had planned to file a complaint about the demolition. They were in fact convicted of 'illegally occupying farmland' and 'disturbing a transportation order by gathering masses'.

The other five leaders sent to labour camps were accused of 'gathering people to disturb the public order' after organising a prayer rally attended by 1,000 people the day after the demolition. One of these leaders, Yang Caizhen, whose husband Yang Xuan was jailed for three years, is said to be in a 'very fragile' condition after being beaten in custody.
Yang Rongli, who was given a seven-year jail term, and her husband Wang Xiaoguang, who was jailed for three years, have led Fushan Church for more than 30 years. At a court recess during their trial, they are reported to have told their son to stand firm in his faith. All eleven church leaders plan to appeal against their sentences.

(Sources: China Aid, Compass Direct, VOM Canada)

• Pray: Ask God to strengthen Alimjan Yimit and the ten Fushan Church leaders, and comfort their loved ones. Pray that their appeals will be prompt and successful.

• Act: Write a polite letter of concern about the sentencing of Alimjan Yimit and the ten Fushan Church leaders to the Chinese Ambassador in London. Write to: Her Excellency Mrs Fu Ying, Embassy of the People's Republic of China, 49–51 Portland Place, London W1B 4JL. Keep up to date with news on Alimjan Yimit and the Fushan Church at: www.chinaaid.org

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