Almost all of the more than 150 Christians rounded up in Beijing when they tried to pray outdoors have been released, but church leaders remain under house arrest, a US-based rights group said yesterday.
On Sunday, Beijing police arrested at least 169 worshipers from the Shouwang “house church” — not formally recognized by the government — in Beijing’s western Haidian District (海淀), China Aid said.
The incident came after the US and the UN expressed concerns over a growing crackdown on dissent across China in which artists, lawyers, writers, activists and intellectuals have been detained.
“Only a pastor and his wife and one woman believer are still in police custody,” China Aid director Bob Fu (傅希秋) told reporters by telephone. “Surveillance vehicles remain outside the apartment buildings of many Shouwang members. We believe that their freedom of movement will remain restricted for some time to come.”
The Shouwang church was kicked out of its regular -meeting place in recent weeks when a rental agreement was not renewed, allegedly under government pressure, Fu said.
Efforts to secure a new meeting place have met with government obstruction, he said.
Church leaders again plan to hold services on Sunday, but have yet to announce where such an event could take place, Fu said.
China’s crackdown on government critics comes amid persistent calls by shadowy activists to stage “Jasmine” rallies, echoing those that have rocked the Arab world.
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