In brief
On Sunday, armed officers raided Early Rain Covenant Church in Jiangyou, detaining leaders Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing amid a broader crackdown on house churches. Over 30 congregants, including children, were taken from a hotel ballroom and questioned at a detention centre before being released in the evening. The raid followed a pattern of arrests against the church’s leaders, who have faced repeat detentions over the past years. Chinese authorities remain silent as global human‑rights groups warn that peaceful worship is increasingly hunted as a threat to state control.
Police raid Early Rain Covenant Church in Jiangyou, China
Armed police descended on a hotel ballroom at roughly 11:00 local time, rounding up >30 members and leaders of the house church for interrogation. Two of the church’s leaders, Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing, were taken to a detention centre in Jiangyou, with no clear reason given.
The raid involved at least 50 police officers, including SWAT teams. Congregants were held in the ballroom, subjected to identity checks, and forced to sit in several police vehicles. They sang hymns and prayed until release between 18:00 and 23:00.
The leaders had previously been detained in 2018 and again in January this year for alleged “subversion” and “picking quarrels.” This latest raid follows China’s broader crackdown on unregistered churches, which the Communist Party insists cultivate state‑sanctioned worship.
Religious‑rights groups warn that peaceful worship remains targeted as a threat to the party’s control, underscoring a tightening of religious freedom in the country.
Stay tuned for real‑time updates and map integration on PulseWire.
