Persecution of Christians Continues by Chinese Communist Party, Trial of Pastor Ma Yan from Yinchuan Church Underway.

The Chinese Communist Party continues to suppress Christianity, with Christian believer Long Ke Hai from the Church of the Covenant of Autumn Rain in Chengdu recently detained by the police in Huixian County, Gansu Province on charges of “provoking trouble.” He is currently being held in the Huixian Detention Center in Longnan City. Some believers revealed that Long Ke Hai’s criminal detention may be related to his support for dissident Zhang Pan Cheng and others. In addition, the second trial of Ma Yan, a preacher from Yinchuan City, Ningxia, on charges of “organizing illegal gatherings,” took place.

Long Ke Hai, 59, has previously served a total of three and a half years in prison. After being released on parole in July last year, he officially joined the Church of the Covenant of Autumn Rain in Chengdu in January. On March 19 (last Wednesday), the church mentioned in a prayer letter that Long Ke Hai had been criminally detained at 17:00 on that day. The detention notice provided by the believer’s family shows that Long Ke Hai is suspected of provoking trouble and is currently detained in the Huixian Detention Center in Gansu Province.

A Christian surnamed Yang from the Church of the Covenant of Autumn Rain said in an interview with Radio Free Asia on March 24 that Long Ke Hai was detained again shortly after being released: “I remember Long Ke Hai was released not long ago, in July last year. I heard that his situation is similar to Zhang Zhan, the citizen journalist who was arrested by the police for supporting Zhang Pan Cheng, a former security guard from Peking University who was taken away by the Public Security Bureau of Heshui County in Gansu last year and criminally detained on charges of provoking trouble. I heard that Long Ke Hai’s family is currently in contact with a lawyer.”

According to publicly available information, Long Ke Hai, born in Sichuan, previously worked at the Han Zhong Construction Section of the Xian Bureau of China Railway, has long been concerned about social justice and human rights issues, and has been involved in civil activities, resulting in multiple detentions and warnings by the police. His first imprisonment occurred on March 4, 2019, when he was arrested by the police in Baoji, Shaanxi, on charges of provoking trouble and sentenced to one and a half years. After his release in September 2020, he continued to be harassed and monitored, forcing him to return to Jialing Town, Huixian County, Gansu, where he faced many restrictions.

In July 2022, Long Ke Hai was sentenced to two years on the same charge by the police in Huixian County for his involvement in the case of lawyer Chang Weiping, until his release in July 2024. After regaining his freedom, Long Ke Hai joined the Church of the Covenant of Autumn Rain in Chengdu and officially became a member of the church in January this year.

A Christian surnamed Chen said that in recent days, the church has hired a lawyer to intervene in Long Ke Hai’s case: “The specific reason for Long Ke Hai’s arrest is not yet clear, but it is speculated that it may be related to his support for and organization of assistance to Zhang Pan Cheng, who was recently arrested, as well as his participation in civil activities. The church has retained a lawyer for him, and in the coming days, they may go to the Huixian Detention Center in Gansu to have Long Ke Hai sign an agreement to represent him in this case.”

The Church of the Covenant of Autumn Rain, which Long Ke Hai joined nearly ten years ago, has been repeatedly harassed by the Chinese Communist Public Security, with many pastors, elders, and members of the church being arrested or subjected to varying degrees of restrictions. Years ago, the church was shut down, and Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years for “inciting subversion of state power,” while Elder Zhang Chunlei and others were also sentenced by the court on similar charges.

At the same time, several other house churches are facing similar difficulties. Ma Yan, a preacher from Yinchuan, Ningxia, was detained on charges of “organizing illegal gatherings” on August 20 last year. After the first trial on February 10 this year, the second trial took place on March 24. According to sources, Ma Yan had long been organizing family gatherings in the area and had publicly spoken about religious freedom, which may be the main reason for his charges. Despite repeated appeals from family members and believers for a fair trial, the lack of transparency in the trial process has raised concerns about the final judgment.

Pastor Zhang from Shandong believes that in recent years, the Chinese government’s restrictions on religious freedom have become increasingly severe, especially in the monitoring and control of Christian house churches, including prohibiting gatherings of more than six people and banning children from attending worship services and summer camps. Lawyer Liu in Guangdong, who has handled multiple religious cases, stated that the charge of provoking trouble has become a “pocket crime” used by the Chinese government to suppress dissidents: “Many citizens criticizing government policies or focusing on social injustices have been detained or sentenced because of this charge. Similar to ‘organizing illegal gatherings,’ it has become a legal tool against religious activities, and Ma Yan’s case may become an important indicator to observe the government’s attitude towards house churches.”

(Translated from Radio Free Asia)