Geplaatst: 7 mrt 2007 09:05 - Gewijzigd: 7 mrt 2007 09:05

,,Persecution China on rise"

BEIJING - A spokesman with Voice of the Martyrs (VOM), a ministry to the persecuted Church around the world, says Communist China's government is ramping up persecution against Christians as the 2008 Olympic games approach.

VOM's Todd Nettleton says he expects the Chinese government to crack down on Christians who are outspoken about their faith.

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In one recent example reported by Voice of the Martyrs, Christian house church leader Hua Huidi was arrested last month along with his 76-year-old mother as they walked near a construction site for a hotel being built in preparation for next year's Summer Olympic Games in Beijing. Hua has been active in trying to help persecuted Christians and others oppressed by Chinese communist government officials.

"It's unclear exactly what instigated the arrest. It's unclear exactly what drew the attention of the police to Hua and his mother as they were there that day", Nettleton says. "But it seems like the police were even maybe looking for an excuse to take them into custody", he notes.

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, take place in Beijing next year from August 8 to 24. Nettleton says the Chinese government will try and put a stop to all public protests by Christians leading up to the event. According to some sources, the Beijing municipal authority has announced its intention to enact more than 70 local laws and decrees before the start of the Games, including a ban on protests and the institution of penalties for any dissemination of materials deemed "not beneficial to the state."

"The Chinese government is very careful about what they allow people to say, especially in any kind of public setting", Nettleton observes. "I think this is kind of a symbol of what we're going to see heading into the Beijing Olympics", he says. "The Chinese government will do everything in their power to make sure that there is no embarrassment to them during those games."

Open Doors, another ministry that monitors Church persecution and supports persecuted believers, has listed Communist China among the nations around the world where Christians face the greatest hostility towards their faith or most severe abuses of their religious freedom. China currently ranks 12th on Open Doors' "2007 World Watch List" of the 50 worst religious persecutors. (One News Now)