Release International

Pastor Gong Shengliang, the imprisoned leader of the South China Church, has been beaten up again, as his family appeals for his release on medical grounds.

Pastor Gong was reportedly attacked without provocation by a fellow prisoner, Lei, whom prison officers had designated as Gong's 24-hour guard. Lei was apparently applauded by prison guards and walked away unpunished. When Gong asked for Lei to be transferred to another section of the prison, his request was ignored.

When Gong's two sisters were allowed to visit him in Hong Shan prison in Hubei Province, they saw that the right side of his mouth was swollen, a month after the attack. He told them he had been unable to move his mouth for three days and had suffered some hearing loss in one ear.

Before this visit, his sisters Ms Gong Shuqin and Ms Gong Shuzhen had had no news from Gong for more than a year, because the prison had intercepted his letters. When they were finally given access to their brother, Ms Gong Shuqin was allowed only 10 minutes with him: Ms Gong Shuzhen was threatened with not being able to see him at all. Christian literature they have sent him has been confiscated.

Pastor Gong was given a life sentence for alleged assault, rape and 'illegal cult' activities. In 2003 he was beaten into a coma and suffered serious internal injuries. 7x7 reported on April 25 that his family have asked the Chinese prison authorities to consider giving him medical parole, given his poor state of health.

• Pray for the safety and health of Pastor Gong Shengliang who has suffered brutal torture over the past five years since his arrest.
• Pray for Pastor Gong's family who are engaged in their own battle with the authorities as they fight for their brother's rights and his release.

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