Hundreds of Christians are arrested in mega operation in China

The episode took place on the night of December 15, according to local sources reported to the organization China Aidwhich denounces situations of religious persecution in the Asian country.

People who witnessed the action said that a fireworks display of unusual proportions suddenly lit up the government square in the city of Yayang. But what appeared to be part of some festivities was quickly identified as a smokescreen for a large-scale campaign of persecution against Christians that had been underway for several days.

According to the China Aidsince the 13th, more than a thousand police officers, SWAT teams, anti-riot forces and firefighters from Hangzhou, Pingyang and other parts of Zhejiang have been sent to the city of Yayang to carry out mass arrests of Christians.

Two days later, SWAT teams raided a church in the Yayang region known as “Yayang Assembly”. During this period, hundreds of people were taken for interrogation and, between the 16th and 17th, at least four more people were detained.

The campaign lasted around five days and resulted in the confiscation of the detainees’ belongings, the roads leading to the church were completely blocked by the police and Christians in the city of Yayang were prevented from entering the church, according to reports from the organization.

Furthermore, local sources who spoke anonymously about the case said that during the operation, information on social media was subject to strict control by the Xi Jinping regime.

Comments denouncing the detention of Christians and the illegal confiscation of their homes were deleted by the platforms.

According to the China Aidthe main targets of the police operation were two important figures from the local religious community: Lin Enzhao, 58, and Lin Enci, 54.

The city had posters of the two, presented as “wanted” for “leading a criminal organization”. The local government placed rewards for information on the two ranging from 1,000 Chinese yuan (R$788, at current exchange rates) to 5,000 (almost R$4,000).

One of them, Lin Enzhao, has been wanted for more than a decade for rejecting the demolition of a cross at a local church and the raising of a Chinese Communist Party flag. In official documents consulted by the China Aidhe is described as a “gang-connected individual”, but among the faithful, he is seen as a representative figure who defended the rights of the church.

The Christian community in the city of Yayang is considered one of the most organized Christian groups in the region. This influence has led the Chinese regime to intensify religious persecution in recent years in the region.

Since the start of the large-scale campaign to demolish church crosses in Zhejiang in 2014, local believers have carried out repeated collective actions to oppose the demolitions and the installation of surveillance equipment.

In 2017, Christians and police clashed during an attempt to force the community to install surveillance cameras, resulting in several injuries.