House Church in China For the First Time Files Lawsuit Against Religious Bureau

Sep 22, 2008 02:17 PM EDT

On Sept. 16, Chengdu Qiuyu Church filed an indictment of administrative proceeding to the Shuangliu County court in China with the plaintiff as Wang Yidi, a professor of management at Chengdu University, and the defendant as Shuangliu County Religious Affairs Administrative department. The representing attorney for this case is Lawyer Li Heping from Beijing Globe Law. According to Qiuyu Church, this is the first time for a house church to file a lawsuit against the religious bureau.

On May 2, the Shuangliu County Religious Bureau barged into a gathering of 30 believers from Qiuyu Church, who were having Bible-studies, prayers, and singing hymns, with the suspicion of conducting illegal proselytizing activities and proceeded with forceful investigation.

Refusing to accept the defendant’s administrative decision and the reconsideration made by the Chengdu Religious Bureau, the plaintiff will proceed with the administrative proceedings.

In the indictment letter, Wang stated that upon seeing the defendant’s embodiment of administering according to the basic laws and governing by respecting the law-abiding spirit of the citizens of faith he is willing to abandon law proceeding to express a fellow Christian citizen’s understandings and respect towards to administration at the religious bureau.

To view detailed information of the law proceeding, please visit Chengdu Qiuyu Church’s website.