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<\/source><\/picture>Details have emerged surrounding the April arrest of a house church preacher from China\u2019s Yunnan region who was arrested by local officials and has not returned home.<\/p>\n
The government has reportedly refrained from issuing a formal written notice of the arrest of Chang Hao or charges to his family, and has repeatedly denied visitation requests, including those from the family\u2019s legal representation, the U.S.-based group China Aid reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chang\u2019s family and lawyer have unsuccessfully attempted to secure meetings with him four times since his arrest, said the group, which monitors human rights violations inside China.<\/p>\n The preacher\u2019s daughter, Chang Zhiling, voiced her concerns about the authorities\u2019 handling of her father\u2019s case in a prayer bulletin last month. She said the lack of formal documentation or communication about her father\u2019s detainment was equivalent to holding him hostage.<\/p>\n Following his arrest, local police reportedly confiscated personal belongings, including two mobile phones, a laptop, nearly a hundred copies of the Bible and all of his Christian literature.<\/p>\n The family learned about the charges against Chang only after they hired a lawyer, discovering he was detained for purportedly \u201cpicking quarrels and provoking trouble,\u201d a charge the government selectively employs to target specific individuals, leading to unjust imprisonments.<\/p>\n Chang\u2019s legal counsel has met resistance from the detention center staff, who have cited orders from \u201chigher-ups\u201d regarding the \u201cspecial nature\u201d of the case as reasons for refusing visitation. This refusal directly violates Chinese law, including the \u201cCriminal Procedure Law\u201d and \u201cRegulations on Detention Centers,\u201d which guarantee a lawyer\u2019s right to meet with their defendant, China Aid pointed out.<\/p>\n Chang, known for his work in the congregation of a house church in Zhaotong area in Yunnan, was dedicated to social justice in China and had a particular interest in the support of persecuted churches. His activities, which involved distributing COVID-19 masks inscribed with Bible verses, became popular in the region, but local Communist Party officials found his activism \u201cdisturbing,\u201d according to UCA News<\/a>.<\/p>\n His wife, Enlin, informed the Bitter Winter magazine that following the April 14 raid, police seized Bibles, Christian literature and the inscribed masks. They denied the family and their lawyer the right to see Chang after his detention. After three days, the police informed them he would be detained for a further three days pending re-evaluation. This evolved into an \u201cadministrative detention\u201d of eight days, which later became a \u201ccriminal detention,\u201d with police offering no elaboration on the charges.<\/p>\n Chang\u2019s case is in the stage of prosecutorial review. Due to the lack of evidence, it has been \u201csent back for further investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n The family remains deeply concerned for his well-being, given Chang\u2019s physical disability and diabetes.<\/p>\n His situation is indicative of the increased crackdown on religious groups since President Xi Jinping took charge in 2013 and particularly after China adopted repressive Regulations on Religious Affairs in 2018.<\/p>\n