Zhejiang: eight Sanjiang Church members convicted, then released, for trying to stop its destruction
Beijing (AsiaNews) – The Yongjia County People's Court in Wenzhou convicted eight Protestants for trying to stop the demolition of the Sanjiang Church in April 2014, in Zhejiang, a province in eastern China.
The court found all the defendants guilty of "illegal occupation of farmland" and "gathering a crowd to disturb public order." However, the sentences were suspended and the eight Christians were released on bail.
Hundreds of faithful were present at the courthouse to see the verdict, but most were prevented from entering the building by security forces.
“Zhao Rendi was sentenced to three years in prison”, a worshipper present at the trial told ChinaAid. “The others received sentences ranging from several months to a year, and all got reprieves of several months.”
The convictions are based on confessions of the defendants who all pleaded guilty. However, many of those present at the trial believe the confessions were obtained by force.
Elderly Church members said they were delighted at the suspended sentence. According to several experts, the decision is a compromise between those who wanted to punish the Christians because they are Christians and those who wanted to limit the violence to the church.
The campaign against crosses and Christian buildings began in early 2014, when Zhejiang party boss Xia Baolong noted "too many crosses” cluttering the skyline of Wenzhou, one of the cities of the province.
Christians suspect that the real reason behind church demolition is a desire to limit the impact and influence of Christian communities, both official and underground, in Chinese society, at a time of boom in conversions.
At the same time, in 2013 Zhejiang authorities launched an ambitious economic development plan for 2020. This includes a “beautification” campaign against illegal constructions.
The campaign is called "Three rectifications and One demolition", reflecting the plan’s proportions in terms of prime real estate redevelopment.
The provincial government said no community or private site would be spared from demolitions. However, the campaign has mainly targeted Christian buildings, even those approved by the authorities and built with all the right papers.
Members of the Sanjiang Church began to protest on 25 March 2014, when the authorities declared the building "illegal" for violating construction rules.
On 3 April, local authorities sent a formal notice to the Protestant congregation warning them that the building would be demolished "within 15 days" since it was unsafe.
On the same day, the government sent thousands of police officers to the area to "convince" the Christians to leave the building and keep away during the demolition.
Since then, about 3,000 people have peacefully taken turns at the church to prevent bulldozers from starting to tear it down. However, the demolition order was carried out in late April 2014.
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