Early Rain Covenant, one influential Protestant church for China, don talk say two of their leaders bin dey arrested after more than dozens of their members, including pikin, bin dey rounded up for interrogation.
Di church bin dey for middle of Sunday service for Jiangyou city, for south-west China, when armed police officers storm di room wey dem dey, according to statement wey di church post for Monday.
Di church bin found for 2008 for Chengdu city, and e don dey for Chinese Communist Party radar since dat time, because how religion dey tightly controlled for di region.
Founding pastor Wang Yi bin dey arrested for raid for December 2018, and e dey serve nine-year jail term for ‘inciting subversion of state power’ and ‘illegal business operations’.
Di ground for arresting di two leaders, Yan Hong and Wu Wuqing, for Sunday still unclear, di church talk for dia statement wey dem post for Telegram.
Chinese authorities no don respond to di statement, or make any comment so far.
Di church also share photographs and videos wey show di congregants, wey dey seated for hotel ballroom surrounded by SWAT officers.
At least 50 police officers bin dey present during di raid for 11:00 local time, according to some members estimates.
More than 30 members and leaders bin ‘forcibly taken away for several police vehicles’ and questioned for Jiangyou detention centre, di church talk.
Throughout di process, dem ‘fellowshipped, sang hymns, and prayed until most of dem bin dey released,’ e add.
Di remaining congregants, wey include elderly and children, bin dey locked up for di ballroom and subject to identity checks, according to di church.
Clips show some congregants dey sing even as one officer for plain clothes take di stage and repeatedly shout for dem to stop.
Di church say officers try to make those for di ballroom sign affidavit for exchange for dia release, but no disclose wetin dey inside di affidavit.
Di congregants refuse and eventually dey released for 18:00.
Apart from Yan and Wu, those wey dey taken away for interrogation bin dey released between 21:00 and 23:00 on Sunday.
Di two preachers don previously dey arrested by authorities, di most recent for January, when dem bin dey summoned by police for ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble’.
Chinese authorities bin talk for 2018 say 44 million Christians dey for di country, but e no clear if dis number include those wey attend many underground churches.
Di Communist Party dey pressure Christians to join only state-sanctioned churches led by government-approved pastors.
Many don turn to underground churches, also known as ‘house churches’, over di years, but Christian groups say di government grip don tighten noticeably, with arrests becoming more common.
Sunday raid na another stark reminder say di Chinese Communist Party continue to treat peaceful Christian worship as threat to state control, Bob Fu, founder of non-profit ChinaAid wey monitor religious persecution, talk.
For October last year, 30 leaders of Zion Church, another one of China biggest underground churches, bin dey rounded up across seven cities.
Its founder Ezra Jin still dey custody.
