Teng Biao told reporters he was released just two days unidentified police kidnapped him outside his Beijing home. "I was taken away on Thursday night. They shoved me into a car and put a bag over my head," Teng said. "They didn’t show me any identification, but they said that they were from the Beijing Public Security Bureau."
Chinese activists and international rights groups Saturday condemned Teng’s kidnapping as "shocking," as fears rose of a crackdown on political and religious dissent ahead of the Beijing Olympics.
Police told him he had been detained for articles he had written on protecting the rights of citizens, including an open letter to the government penned with fellow activist Hu Jia, who is currently awaiting trial for subversion.
His release came after Chinese authorities released the US educated House Church leader Bai Cheng and his female coworker Zhang Yu in Henan Province Thursday, March, 6. Both of them were detained on January 29 when they led a Bible study with a group of young people, said China Aid Association (CAA), a major religious rights group.
‘EVIL CULT’
They were reportedly held on charges of involvement in an evil cult, a reference to their house church movement known as the Shouter Group, one of more than a dozen groups designated by the Communist government as dangerous.
Bai Cheng and Zhang Yu were released when prosecutors determined there was insufficient evidence to convict them of the charge amid international pressure, CAA said in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife.
Bai Cheng studied in the United States in the 1990s and was reportedly close to receiving a permanent US residence status before his detention in China. In statements, the Christians said they arrived safe at home and thanked the international community.
"We welcome the release of these two innocent house church Christian leaders,” added CAA President Bob Fu, However, “We hope the sincere prayers for the Beijing Olympics by millions of Christians in China and abroad can enable the Chinese government to realize the House Church Christians are not a threat to the stability of Chinese society but a positive force for love and justice."
