House Church Leader Zhou Heng Released From Detention

May 5, 2008

Authorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) released house church leader and bookstore manager Zhou Heng from detention on February 19 after holding him for over six months for alleged involvement in plans to receive and distribute religious literature. According to a February 21 China Aid Association (CAA) article, authorities dropped the charges against him.

Authorities in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) released house church leader and bookstore manager Zhou Heng from detention on February 19 after holding him for over six months for alleged involvement in plans to receive and distribute religious literature. According to a February 21 China Aid Association (CAA) article, authorities dropped the charges against him. As noted in the Congressional-Executive Commission on China Political Prisoner Database, Zhou was initially detained on August 3, 2007, while picking up a shipment of books reported to be Bibles donated by overseas churches for free distribution in China. Authorities formally arrested Zhou on August 31 and accused him of "illegal operation of a business." Authorities limited Zhou's meetings with defense counsel, and officials rejected his family's request to post bail. The Saybagh (Shayibake) District People's Procuratorate in the XUAR capital of Urumqi reportedly returned the case to the public security bureau in November due to "insufficient evidence," but Zhou remained in detention until February 19. It is unclear what steps, if any, authorities took in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Law to seek formal extensions for detaining Zhou beyond the normal permitted period of two months after arrest.

Zhou's release follows bookstore owner Shi Weihan's release from detention on bail on January 4, 2008. Shi was reportedly detained for "illegal printing and distribution" of religious literature, but due to "insufficient evidence" was not formally arrested. In contrast to available information on Zhou's case, Shi was released on bail, which means that his case could remain open and subject to further investigation and prosecution for up to a year. While Zhou and Shi were eventually released without facing trial, similar cases in the past have ended in prison sentences. House church leaders Wang Zaiqing and Cai Zhuohua were fined and given two- and three-year prison sentences in 2006 and 2005, respectively, for "illegal operation of a business" for printing and giving away Bibles and other religious literature without government authorization.

While the recent releases of Zhou and Shi might suggest a shift in the government's approach to such cases, there is no indication that the government is reconsidering current regulations that restrict a citizen's right to prepare and distribute religious texts. Citizens in China may not privately print and distribute religious literature. Instead, only licensed printers may print such materials, and they must comply with numerous government restrictions toward religious materials that in some cases are stricter than those that apply to non-religious publications. In addition, the government has singled out the Bible for special regulation. The Provisions Regarding the Administration of Contracts to Print Bible Texts assign responsibility for the printing of Bibles for domestic use to China's national state-controlled religious associations. Such printing jobs must be approved by the State Administration for Religious Affairs, and the publications are to be distributed internally within churches. The Provisions also specify that printing enterprises "in principle" may not contract to have Chinese-language or bilingual Bibles printed overseas. (For more information, see a CECC analysis on religious publishing in China.) Chinese citizens who wish to privately prepare or distribute religious material face the risk that Chinese authorities will characterize their activities as acts like "illegal operation of a business" that are subject to penalties under China's Criminal Law.

China's restrictions contravene international human rights law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which China has signed and committed to ratifying, protects the printing and distribution of religious literature. The official General Comment 22 to Article 18 of the ICCPR (available via the University of Minnesota Human Rights Library) specifies that freedom of religion includes "the freedom to prepare and distribute religious texts or publications."

For more information on religion in China, see the CECC 2007 Annual Report (via the Government Printing Office Web site), Section II--Religious Freedom.