members which have raised the interest of China’s judicial community was due to begin Thursday, July 7, a human rights group said.
In a statement to BosNewsLife, the US-based China Aid Association (CAA), which has also investigators in China, said Wednesday, July 6, that Pastor Cai Zhuohua, his wife Xiao Yunfei and two other family members would be tried at 9:00am local time at the People’s Court of Haidian District in Beijing.
"According to a copy of the prosecution papers obtained by CAA, Pastor Cai, his wife Ms. Xiao Yunfei and her brother will be prosecuted" on [charges] of "illegal business management and for allegedly printing over 200,000 copies of Christian literature," CAA said.
"Because of Pastor Cai’s pastoral leadership at a Beijing house church, nine prominent lawyers and legal scholars volunteered to defend Pastor Cai. They all believe this is a case of religious persecution under the pretext of illegal business management."
NEW CASE
The organization said that Cai’s family members are considering filing "an administrative legal case against the relevant government agencies" for allegedly violations of Chinese laws "since they have not received any official notification of his arrest and Cai had been brutally mistreated by his interrogators."
CAA has also appealed to the international community "to intervene immediately on behalf of pastor Cai and his family" and urged "conscience journalists in China to observe the trial." Bob Fu, the president of CAA and a former coworker of pastor Cai, said the case was seen as "a true litmus test for the Beijing government’s religious freedom" claims.
"Given the fact that the 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing, the international community has an obligation to demand the Beijing government show the true spirit of the rule of law and respect of religious freedom for ordinary citizens like pastor Cai," he told BosNewsLife in a statement.
SMALL SON
Cai’s mother, who was informed of the court’s decision by telephone, has reportedly taken care of his 6-year-old son since the arrest of the pastor, his wife and the two other relatives last September.
News of the highly charged trial comes just a little more than a week after CAA reported from China "that a nationwide campaign against unregistered house churches is underway" and that "hundreds" of Christians have been detained." CAA said on June 29 that "numerous house churches" were raided in recent weeks, and that "hundreds were arrested and many are still in prison."
The term ‘house churches’ refers to millions of Christians who rights groups say are forced to hold underground meetings because they refuse to worship in the Communist government-led churches.
PASTORS ARRESTED
In one of the latest incidents on June 24, Chen Dongming was among 100 pastors allegedly detained when he was leading a church leadership training meeting at his home in Hezhai Village in Henan Province. "More than 50 Chinese police and public security officials raided and searched his house without a search warrant," CAA claimed.
Most of the pastors were released the same day after "intensive interrogations" [but] nine of them, including Pastor Chen Dongming, Pastor Wei and Pastor Jin whose first names are not available, are still jailed, CAA said. The Communist government of China has denied religious persecution saying it only takes action against "dangerous sects." (With BosNewsLife Research and reports from China).
