Independent house church leader Pastor Hao Zhiwei has been sentenced to eight years on ‘fraud’ charges by the authorities in Ezhou in China’s central Hubei province. At least ten leaders and co-workers from four unregistered Protestant churches were arrested in 2021 and are facing similar charges.
Authorities in Guiyang, in China’s southwestern Guizhou province, appear to have charged church elder Zhang Chunlei with an additional charge of ‘inciting subversion of state power’ on top of the charge of fraud he is already facing.
The pro-Beijing newspaper Tai Kung Pao, controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central Government in Hong Kong, has issued articles criticising “Western” religions and Falun Gong, and attacking religious leaders and teachers for inciting people to participate in demonstrations.
