2014-07-08
Christian pastor Zhang Shaojie in detention in February 2014.
Photo courtesy of lawyer Liu Weiguo.
Authorities in the central Chinese province of Henan have handed a 12-year jail-term to a prominent Christian pastor for “fraud” and “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order,” sparking concerns that the government is broadening its campaign against large religious groups.
The sentence handed down to Nanle county pastor Zhang Shaojie suggests the ruling Chinese Communist Party is becoming less and less tolerant of organized religion, even in its state-approved form, rights activists said.
The court ordered Zhang, a former president of the government-sanctioned Protestant association and adviser to the county People’s Political Consultative Conference, to pay a fine of 100,000 yuan (U.S.$ 16,000).
Zhang’s daughter Zhang Yunyun said the sentence was handed down last Friday, and that the family plans to appeal.
“A lot of the congregation had planned to go to the courtroom, but a lot of [them] were confined to their homes by plainclothes police,” she said.