Chinese interrogators has been forced by security agents to sign a false affidavit denying the incident took place, a human rights official told BosNewsLife Monday, October 3.
"I just got another piece of information from a reliable source that [Tong Qimiao, 45] who is still in hospital was visited [Sunday morning] by agents from State Security demanding him to write a false affidavit stating he was not beaten by the security agents", said Bob Fu, president of the US-based religious rights organization China Aid Association (CAA).
In addition "the security agents made a business registration bureau official come to the hospital making a threat to shut down his business in Xinjiang if he refused to comply," Fu added. However despite the threats, "Mr. Tong and his wife already refused to make a false testimony since he was indeed beaten and wounded," he said.
The alleged threats at Tong’s bad site came a day after BosNewsLife and other media outlets reported CAA allegations that he was "beaten so seriously that he could not walk," in the eastern town of Kashgar September 28, apparently because of his ties to a local church and an evangelist.
OVERSEAS WEBSITE
"The security agent went to the hospital with a copy of CAA press release downloaded from a overseas Chinese news website and told Mr. Tong and his wife they will hunt down any individual who leaked the information," Fu said.
China’s Foreign Ministry has not commented on the report, but Chinese officials have in the past denied human rights abuses against religious minorities in the country, saying they follow the law and crackdown only on "sects" deemed dangerous for society.
Tong and his family reportedly moved to Kashgar in Xinjiang in 2000 to expand their furniture business while also supporting church activities. In 2003, his church friend Wang Xinrong, an army veteran and full-time evangelist, was arrested and detained for almost three months, CAA said.
"Due to inhumane torture and extreme intimidation, Mr. Wang suffers from mental disorders," the group said earlier. China only allows religious activity in state-approved churches, which it closely monitors. Members of China’s secret, or "underground" house churches are often harassed and arrested, rights groups say. However, despite the risk of prison, experts believe about 60 million Christians worship in unofficial churches. (With reports from China and BosNewsLife Research).
