On April 10, 169 members of Shouwang Church were arrested by police in Beijing as they tried to hold an outdoor service. The church had been forced to hold its Sunday service outdoors because its landlord had bowed to government pressure to prevent the congregation from meeting in his building. The congregation, which includes academics and human rights lawyers, has been under pressure from Beijing authorities in recent years.
Members of the unregistered Protestant church with approximately 1,000 members gathered in a public place to worship. According to reports, 1,000 police officers cordoned off the area and forced the Christians onto buses. Some were taken to police stations and others to a local elementary school where they sang hymns while under arrest. Those arrested had their personal data recorded and many were asked to sign statements that they would never attend Shouwang Church again. Many refused and were not released until after midnight. The church pastor and two others are still detained. Contacts within the Christian human rights organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), of which Danish European Mission is a member, say Beijing authorities also placed more than 20 of the church's leaders under house arrest Sunday night to ensure they did not attend Sunday's meeting.
In November 2009, the congregation was forced to meet in a park in the snow after the landlord of the office building rented by the church bowed to pressure from the authorities to terminate the lease. That same year, the church raised money and bought a 1,500 square meter office building in northwest Beijing at a cost of about $25 million. However, the building's managers also came under pressure from the authorities and as a result, the church has not received the keys to the building, although it has paid the price in full.
The Chinese government is nervous about protests like those in the Middle East spreading to China and is increasingly wary of unauthorized gatherings that could be seen as political actions. Sunday's incident comes in the context of the most significant crackdown on dissidents in recent years. Many political dissidents are missing or detained. Dr. Fan Yafeng, leader of a house church in Beijing and of the Association of Christian Human Rights Lawyers, is currently under house arrest. There has been no news on the whereabouts of Christian lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has been missing for two years, except that he briefly reappeared in March 2010. In the latest show of force, internationally renowned Christian artist Ai Weiwei has been arrested as he is under investigation for "economic crimes."
Unregistered congregations in China operate in a legal gray area. The law only protects "normal" religious activities, and those who choose to practice their faith outside of officially approved state-run organizations, like Shouwang Church, are vulnerable to accusations of illegal activities. Christian Solidarity Worldwide continues to lobby for religious freedom in China and seeks to inform policymakers of the latest developments.
