A church founder and six other Christians have been detained in Wenzhou, China, with their current whereabouts unknown.
Pastor David Tang and six workers from Purpose Driven Church (also known as Biaogan Church) were arrested around 7:30 am on 5th August. The reason for their detention has not been disclosed, nor has their current location or condition.
Purpose Driven Church had reportedly refused to register with authorities and join the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement, the official body of protestant churches. The church is popular with young professionals in the region.
Bob Fu, president of persecution watchdog China Aid, said: “The secret detention of Pastor Tang and fellow believers demonstrates that the Chinese Communist Party is escalating its campaign against independent Christianity through intimidation, enforced disappearances, and the misuse of criminal law.”
It is the latest in a series of arrests and disappearances of Christian leaders at the hands of Chinese authorities.
Wenzhou, close to the financial hub of Shanghai, has been known as the ‘Jerusalem of China’ because of the concentration of churches and Christians. But a decade-long crackdown on religious freedom has seen crosses removed from more than 1,500 churches, and the destruction of the Yayang Church in May.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is warning that the disappearances “follow a broader pattern in which Chinese authorities have increasingly targeted religious leaders through criminal or administrative measures rather than explicitly religious charges”.
Mervyn Thomas, CSW founder president, said: “We are deeply concerned at the incommunicado detention of Pastor David Tang and six other members of Purpose Driven Church in Wenzhou with no information provided regarding their whereabouts or legal status. Enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention are serious violations of international human rights standards.
“We urge the Chinese authorities to disclose immediately the whereabouts of these Christians, ensuring they have access to legal representation and their families, and releasing them unless credible evidence of a recognisable criminal offence is produced. No one should face detention simply for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief.”