A Taiwanese pastor was detained by police after visiting an unsanctioned Christian church gathering in central China, according to the pastor of the Chinese church.
Shen Zhenguo, the Taiwanese pastor, visited the underground gathering in the city of Luoyang on Oct. 13 and was detained when the police stormed in on the gathering.
The police of Luoyang declined to provide information regarding Shen’s detainment and the local propaganda official claimed to not know about the matter, according to the Associated Press.
Li Jia’en, one of the leaders of the church group, told Associated Press that Shen returned to Taiwan, having been released on Oct. 29 after being detained for 15 days. Li was detained during that time as well, for holding the unsanctioned religious gathering.
Although the congregation had experienced harassment in the past, this was the first time he and other members of the congregation experienced detainment, Li told the Associated Press.
This is the latest in a series of events in which Christians or human rights activists have been detained or arrested over the past year. The most recent event prior includes that of seven Christian leaders who were detained in early August on charges of embezzlement, which their lawyers argue are false accusations. The government has also been taking down crosses from churches citing violations of building codes.
