Christian College Students Arrested at Underground Churches

From OneNewsNow
By Allie Martin

Persecution against Christians continues to increase in China, this time focusing on college-age students.

China Aid Association (CAA) has learned that from the end of September through early November, large numbers of police were dispatched to raid house church gatherings in Beijing and in areas near college campuses in Hangzhou. More than 400 Christian college students were arrested and interrogated.

Four house church leaders were sentenced to "re-education" through labor for one to one-and-a-half years. Katherine Cason, a spokesperson for CAA, says most of the crackdowns targeted future leaders of the underground church, who were also college students.

"The students came from 14 different universities, and so the school officials were called and then the students were actually questioned by their respective university officials, forced to write statements...guaranteeing they would not meet for religious events again" she explains. "And all of these students were of adult age; they were all over 18, [the age at] which, according to Chinese law, they're allowed to choose what religion they'd like to follow."

Cason, among other Christians, believes the large-scale persecution is part of the government's efforts to limit citizens' religious freedoms after the 2008 Olympic Games, which concluded in late August.