Officials Detain and Eventually Release 29 House Church Leaders in Henan Province

Officials detained 29 house church leaders meeting in Henan province on December 12, according to a report issued the same day by the China Aid Association (CAA), a U.S. NGO that monitors the religious freedom of house church Protestants. Approximately 100 house church leaders from Henan and Anhui provinces met in Xiapigang village, Dungang town, Xincai county in Henan province to discuss how their churches can assist local farmers who have contracted AIDS. Officials raided the meeting, characterized it an "illegal religious gathering," and detained Shen Yiping, a pastor and founder of the China Gospel Fellowship, Yang Huamin, and 27 others. A public security official, however, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that "70 or 80" people were reported present at the meeting, according to a December 14 SCMP article (subscription required). Officials released the 29 detained house church leaders on December 13, according to another CAA report of the same day, but did not return personal property seized from those detained.

This detention adds to a list of recent detentions of house church Protestants, many of which also took place in Henan province. Article 12 of China's Regulations on Religious Affairs (2005) forbids citizens to gather other than at "registered sites" presided over by "religious personnel" whom the government certifies as "qualified." The Chinese government generally qualifies only religious personnel who submit to state control of religious groups. The government uses this and other regulations to detain and sometimes arrest believers who choose to worship outside state-controlled venues.

For more information on Protestants in China, see the CECC 2005 Annual Report, Section III(d), Religious Freedom for China's Protestants.