Release International
Release International

Release International is calling on the UK government to make the issue of religious rights a clear priority as it negotiates a multi-billion pound post-Brexit trade deal with China. This follows the latest jailing of another Chinese church leader for so-called subversion.

Hu Shigen, an elder of an unregistered church in Jinhua, has been sentenced to seven and a half years, accused of damaging national security.

He is the latest in a series of lawyers and pastors to be jailed following the roundup of 300 Christians and human rights activists more than a year ago. Others are set to follow.

67-year-old Hu has been accused of leading an organisation that masqueraded as a church to mask anti-government activities linked to 'foreign anti-China forces'.

'Once again China is accusing Christians who speak up for justice of being enemies of the state,' says Paul Robinson, the chief executive of Release International, which supports persecuted Christians around the world.

Christians and lawyers who mounted legal challenges against moves to tear down crosses from church buildings in Zhejiang Province have faced charges tantamount to espionage.

Release is calling on the UK government to link the multi-billion pound trade deal with China currently under discussion with progress on religious rights.

Paul Robinson says: 'Release's message to the UK government in seeking new deals with China is you can't - you mustn't - separate basic human rights from trade. Britain must use all of our influence in this emerging relationship with China to press for religious rights reform, otherwise whatever we build will be built on repression.

'China has already embraced economic freedom, which is a huge step. Now this emerging superpower must embrace the most fundamental freedoms of all - freedom of belief, and the freedom to speak openly, freedom of speech.

'This is the hallmark of a mature state - a willingness to countenance constructive criticism and to learn from it, without looking upon its critics as enemies.

'Our message to the Chinese government is Christians are not your enemies. The Chinese Christians known to Release pray for the Communist Party, not against it. They seek to serve their country by working for justice.

'China has so much progress to celebrate. It is time to bury that Cold War mind-set and entrust its citizens with human freedoms. China - believe in your people!'

Release is calling on UK Christians to learn from their Chinese counterparts and to make the best use of the freedoms we have.

'Chinese Christians like Hu Shigen are being jailed for freedoms we all take for granted. If they could, they would ask us to use our freedom to the full, to cherish that freedom and protect it.

'Release asks Christians in the UK and Ireland to stand with our brothers and sisters in China and to pray for them, and to join them in their prayers for freedom of belief and speech in that land. And we call on the UK government to press for that freedom.' CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.