Release International

Seven police officers made an unprovoked attack on a prominent Beijing house church activist and his mother as the pair walked near the 2008 Olympic village.

Human rights lawyer Hua Huiqi and his 76-year-old mother were kicked to the ground and taken to the Olympic village police station for questioning. When Hua asked for his mother to be released, he was beaten repeatedly and had cold water poured over him.

The next day, January 27, Hua's wife Wei Jumei, an evangelist, received a phone call from police informing her that Hua had been sentenced to a month's detention. There has been no official written notification to date, according to China Aid. RI sources have not reported on the whereabouts of Hua's mother.

Hua and his wife are well-known for their work in helping persecuted and poor Christians from other parts of China who travel to the capital in search of justice. China's commitment to upholding human rights as part of its Olympic bid has been badly dented in this attack.

• Pray that Hua Huiqi and his mother will recover quickly from their ordeal.
• Pray that the international community would continue to put pressure on China to clean up its religious rights record.

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