Release International

Four Christians serving time doing hard labour are demanding their right to be able to read the Bible and worship in their detention centre.

The four pastors from Sichuan province -- Li Ming, Jin Jirong, Wang Yuan and Li Mingbo -- have instructed their lawyers to appeal to authorities at the Langzhong Detention Centre.

As 7x7 reported on August 1, the four were each given two years' hard labour in July -- simply for asking local police about two members of their congregation who had been detained. The group are all members of the Chinese House Church Alliance.

The four imprisoned pastors have not been allowed to read the Bible and are even forbidden to mention words such as God or Jesus in letters home, says China Aid.

Their lawyer Dr Li Baiguang is realistic about his clients' chance of success -- but hopes that, at the very least, the authorities will be shaken out of their complacency and blatant disregard for prisoners' religious rights.

• Thank God for the principled stance that the four pastors are taking in demanding their religious rights. Pray that they will be a powerful witness in detention.
• Pray that their lawyer will be successful in his aim to encourage Christians to stand up for their rights and shake the authorities out of their complacency.

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