Tortured Chinese Christian Testifies at UN Human Rights Forum

The 61st Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) is now taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Running from 14th March to 22nd April, the six-week meeting gathered over 3,000 delegates from member and observer States and from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to discuss the world’s human rights issue. Many victims whose human rights are being exploited, have taken this precious chance to make their experience known to the international communities.

According to the UK-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), a Chinese Christian who has been illegally tortured and sexually abused for her faith in the labour camps, testified at the UNCHR on 30th March.

The 33-year-old core member from the underground church South China Church, Liu Xianzhi, was interviewed by CSW staff and prepared her testimony of persecution at the hands of Chinese Communist authorities. Yesterday, she spoke at a parallel meeting at UNCHR which was chaired by Lord Chan of the British House of Lords.

Liu’s appalling abuse experience is very shocking. Liu is one of the top 20 leaders in the South China Church, which has more than 100,000 members. Liu was arrested in 1996 when she spent three years in Shauang Labour Camp for being an "illegal evangelist". She was released in 1998, but was arrested again in 2001 in a crackdown on the South China Church. Then, she was brought to the Zhongxiang Police Training Centre where she was humiliated and abused.

CSW recorded Liu’s description about her mistreatment. In a room where there were around seven men, she was made to stand in the centre and she described:

"One of the men came to me and started touching my body. I was so horrified that I shouted out loudly. He slapped me across the face. Then the rest of the men started asking me questions about who I was, what I did and so forth. I told them my name, but before I could say what I did the first man started to kick me on each of my calves. He said angrily, ‘I’m going to beat you until you understand why we arrested you.’"

Liu then boldly said that she was free to believe in Jesus. The man replied, "You are still so proud to believe in Jesus and not believe in the Communist Party. Jesus is a foreigner’s god. Now is the time of the rule of the Communist Party."

Even worse, interrogators from the Chinese authorities tried to force her to give evidence of sexual misconduct by her Church leader, Pastor Gong Shengliang, in an attempt to persecute him.

Liu was then being sexually assaulted when she refused to do so. She felt extremely humiliated. However, she has never been tested because of these persecution, she said, "I felt so much pain, that in my heart I felt as though I could understand the pain of Jesus when he was nailed on the cross."

On 7 December 2001, Liu was charged with organising and using an evil cult organisation to obstruct the implementation of the law. She was accused of evangelising, attending gatherings and being involved in the publication of a church magazine, including actively contributing articles, according to CSW.

At the same time, the South China Church’s leader Pastor Gong and four other core members were sentenced to death. The charges relating to cults were dropped after an international outcry and Liu was freed. However, she was immediately administratively sentenced by the police to three years re-education in a labour camp. She was finally released on 1st February 2004.

Nowadays, physical pain and spiritual trauma still remain in the heart of Liu even though she managed to escape from China. However, her faith in Christ has not been shaken.

Speaking with Liu yesterday was Bob Fu, President of the China Aid Association, a key agency based in US documenting the persecution of the Church in China. He spoke on official Chinese policies against unregistered religious groups.

Stuart Windsor, CSW’s National Director is also at UNCHR. Yesterday he spoke on the case of Zhang Yi Nan, 47, who is a church historian and writer, who played a key role in unifying the unofficial house churches in China. He was arrested by police without a warrant in September 2003.

Windsor reported on the meeting that the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has recognised his arbitrarily detention in breach of international standards.

CSW has released video footage regarding extra-judicial killing and evidence of torture, forced labour, and religious repression was also produced. A secret official document regarding the current crackdown on unregistered religious groups was exposed at the meeting. With reliable evidence, Windsor showed how China continues to practise arbitrary detention in its ongoing persecution of Christians.

Windsor said, "The vicious persecution of Liu Xianzhi demonstrates yet again the violence used by the Chinese authorities against Christians. Her account is a horrifying testimony of mistreatment at the hands of a regime which seems to use all means necessary to try to stamp out the Christian faith. Her powerful testimony before the UN must spur the international community to do more to uphold basic human rights and religious freedom in China."

In fact, this is not the first time Liu Xinazhi has spoken about her personal experience to the public. In mid-February, China Aid organised a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. where the Liu story was first exposed.