A Chinese pastor has been released after serving a 12-year prison sentence. Zhang Shaojie and other church leaders in Henan had been planning to build a new church on a plot of land they owned, but he was charged and convicted of fabricated public order offences and fraud.
Church members believe the authorities targeted him to obtain the land and prevent the church from growing.
After his release, Pastor Zhang, 59, thanked Christians around the world for their prayers, saying had it not been for the prayers of many, he “might have been ‘disappeared’”.
Rejoicing and praying
Release International’s partner for China said: “We rejoice at his freedom, but we continue to pray for him and his family, as the Chinese Communist Party has installed a large number of facial recognition cameras around his home and has not allowed anyone to visit.”
State surveillance using face recognition technology is notoriously widespread in China, but further measures are being used to target and control Christianity.
The authorities in Henan Province are now offering financial rewards to citizens for spying on illegal religious activities, such as underground churches who do not have permits to gather. Reports on individuals “posing as religious clergy” are also being encouraged.
This spy system is already being used in other parts of China. Henan Province is China’s third most populated province and has a large and growing Christian population.
