Communist China: Officials put on alert to use military force against potential “unrest” by churches.
— Compass reports:
— “Following a mob attack on a church in northeastern China and the demolition of their worship site last month, the government put officials on alert to use military force against churches to quell potential ‘unrest,’ according to a leading advocacy group.”
Category: China
Communist China: “The Oppression of Linfen-Fushan Church Continues”
— China Aid reports on “The Oppression of Linfen-Fushan Church Continues”
— “SHANXI–Huozhou City officials met on October 3rd to discuss results of the emergency meeting held on September 28th, where officials assembled to determine whether Linfen Fushan Church would be charged as an ‘evil cult.’ Citing the need to preserve stability in the province, local officials had seized Linfen-Fushan Church’s Senior Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, his wife Yang Rongli, and more than ten co-leaders on September 25 for attempting to petition Beijing, and have since continued to hold them in detention. Three days after the arrests, the Fushan Government held the emergency meeting to determine whether the Linfen-Church violated Chinese laws on religion, which explicitly ban ‘evil cults.'”
— “On October 3rd, the Religious Affairs Bureau of Huozhou (RAB) deemed the 50,000 member church to legitimate, but the government reported they would no longer tolerate the “gross violations and law-breaking actions’ of Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife Yang Rongli over the past ten years. The RAB reportedly listed these violations, but no legal record of these abuses have been issued or confirmed. According to an inside source, the officials expressed satisfaction that the ten church leaders were being held in their “rightful place” in administrative detention, and the government resolved that the situation must be fully “dealt with” in the upcoming weeks.”
— “Though a state military numbers have decreased slightly in the past two weeks, ten police vehicles are still stationed at the main Fushan Church around the clock, barring members from entry and assembly.”
— “ChinaAid President Bob Fu is preparing for the gathering storm: ‘The Chinese communist government has used the National Day celebration as an excuse to intensify religious persecution throughout China. With the celebrations coming to an end, they have no intention of scaling back the attacks on house churches. They have tried to place blame for the destruction on the church itself, kidnapping the church leaders, and unjustly accused them of inciting a “violent uprising.” It is just an excuse to declare martial law, and use national military police forces to deny religious freedom! We urge the international community to raise their voice against this gross abuse of state power, and call for the immediate release of the innocent church leaders. The Chinese communist government cannot justify their abuse of basic human freedoms.'”
DC: Fang Zheng Dances in Name of Democracy — Sending Message to Communist China
“Olympic Hopeful who Lost Legs in Tiananmen Uprising Sends Human Rights Message to China by Way of Waltz”
— ABC reports:
— “Fang Zheng sent a human rights message to China today, by way of a waltz. Fang, 42, was back on his feet — and dancing, no less — for the first time today since a tank sheared off his legs in the uprising at Tiananmen Square 20 years ago.”
— “Then a 22-year-old university senior and accomplished sprinter with Olympic ambitions, Fang joined the demonstrations for democracy in 1989. He and his fellow students were agitating against the Communist government, hoping to win democratic rights. But on June 4, 1989, the Chinese regime issued a crackdown, and Fang was one of the casualties.”
— “‘In the blink of an eye, the tank was approaching the sidewalk and closing in on me. It seemed as if the barrel of its gun was inches from my face. I could not dodge it in time. I threw myself to the ground and began to roll. But it was too late. My upper body fell between two treads of the tank, but both my legs were run over,’ he said in a testimony before a human rights commission. ‘The treads rolled over my legs and my pants, and I was dragged for a distance. I used all my strength to break free and to roll to the side of the road.'”
DC: “Interethnic/Interfaith Leadership Conference” to Promote Understanding on Chinese Issues
The Fifth Interethnic / Interfaith Leadership Conference Set for Washington, D.C. October 8-10 — Initiatives for China is coordinating a three day conference where “leaders of ethnic and religious groups of China to convene for three-day conference to promote understanding, respect, and cooperation.”
Conference Sponsors
China Aid
International Campaign for Tibet
Initiatives for China
National Endowment for Democracy
Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
World Uyghur Congress
Communist China: “After 60 years in power, Communist regime still fears protesters”
DC: “After Crushed Legs and Dreams, Fang Zheng Stands for Freedom”
After Crushed Legs and Dreams, Fang Zheng Stands for Freedom
October 5, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC–To celebrate his heroic dedication and perseverance, former Tiananmen Square student leaders will be joining re-enabled Chinese athlete Fang Zheng in a celebration of his receiving new legs, and to witness this human rights hero’s stand for freedom. The event will be held in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-215, at 4:00 PM, Wednesday, October 7, and will be attended by US Members of Congress as well as other distinguished guests concerned with human rights and freedom in China.
A star collegiate sprinter, who qualified to compete in the Olympic Games for China, Fang Zheng’s dreams were cut short, when he pushed a fellow Tiananmen student out of the way of an oncoming tank, only to have his legs crushed beneath its treads on that fateful June 4th day in 1989. Undeterred by the loss of his legs, Fang Zheng refused to stop competing, and the former sprinter shifted his focus to other track events. The Chinese government feared Fang Zheng’s status as a national athletic figure would raise awareness of his injuries at the hand of the People’s Liberation Army. The pressured him to publicly state he had suffered the loss of his legs in an accident; when Fang Zheng refused, they denied him his degree from the Beijing College of Physical Science, and forcefully warned him not to speak with foreign media.
In 1992, he medalled in both discus and javelin events, breaking Asian records in the All-China Disabled Athletic Games. When he qualified for the Far East and South Pacific Disabled Games, he was again pressured into silence. Fang Zheng agreed to keep the story of his legs quiet in order to compete, but was still banned from the competition. Barred from all future competitions, Fang Zheng looked for alternative work, even working on the streets in Hainan, as he was repeatedly harassed by the China National Security Bureau. He began telling his story to the media, exposing the truth of Tiananmen and his treatment. Security forces frequently cut his communication and power sources, hoping to deter him from speaking out. He was detained for 10 days at a train station in 1999, while traveling to Beijing to look for work, and was denied job opportunities for his lack of credentials and degree.
Miraculously, in 2008, Fang Zheng was granted a visa to the United States. Upon arriving in early 2009, he met with ChinaAid employees, human rights activists Zhou Fengsuo, Chai Ling, and Michael Horowitz, and US Congressmen Pitts and Wolf, as well as many others who were compelled by his story. The Ossur Corporation offered to donate new legs to him, and in the care of Dr. Terrence Sheehan and other specialists at the Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital in Maryland, the sprinter has once again been able to stand on his own two feet.
Click here to see Radio Free Asia’s coverage of Fang Zheng walking with new legs, 10/2/2009.
Fang Zheng’s powerful story has inspired many in China who have been repressed and denied their fundamental freedoms of speech and belief. He has used his story to expose the truth of human rights adversity in China, and is a living testimony that change can happen. Fang Zheng firmly believes that the time is coming when all in China will experience true freedom.
Join Fang Zheng and his friends and family in celebration, as he stands for freedom, and leads his wife in their first dance. Fang Zheng’s New Steps for Freedom will be held at 4:00 PM in the US Capitol Visitor’s Center, Room HVC-215. To attend, Please RSVP to Step4Freedom@gmail.com.
Click here to view and print out the formal event invitation.
The event is being co-sponsored by the following organizations:
Humanitarian China
Initiatives for China
ChinaAid
Jenzabar Foundation
China Rights Network
Chinese Alliance for Democracy
Federation for a Democratic China
Photos have been provided for ChinaAid’s use by members of Fushan Christian Church. ChinaAid grants permission to reproduce photos and/or information for non-fundraising purposes, with the provision that www.ChinaAid.org is credited. Please contact: Annee@ChinaAid.org with questions or requests for further information.
ChinaAid
Media Coordinator: Annee Kahler (267) 210-8278 or Annee@ChinaAid.org
Directory of Advocacy (Washington, DC): Jenny McCloy (202) 213-0506 or Jenny@ChinaAid.org
Websites: www.ChinaAid.org and www.MonitorChina.org
Fax: (432) 686-8355
— see also May 31, 2009 – Washington DC: Many Attend Candlelight Memorial Remembering Tiananmen Square Martyrs
Communist China: UN Development Programme (UNDP) Lists Communist China as “Improved” Place to Live
— AFP: “China moved up seven places on the list to rank as the 92nd most developed country due to improvements in education as well as income levels and life expectancy”
— human rights not taken into consideration in UN study
— BBC: “China has become one of the most improved because of rising income levels and life expectancy rates”