18 Jehovah’s Witnesses indicted in relation to “using an evil religion organization” in China

Open Invitation to the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses to Denounce the Actions of the Chinese Government and Prosecutors

We, Anonymous, demand that the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses give the same degree of attention to the plight of the 18 Jehovah’s Witnesses, indicted in China in relation to “using an evil religion organization,” as you did to the plight of Dennis Christensen, the Watch Tower Society representative in Russia.

On April 15, 2019, a total of 18 Jehovah’s Witnesses in China were arrested and charged with indictable offences relating to, “using an evil religion organization” to “incite the obstruction of law enforcement,” and one charge relating to, “obstructing law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization.” Since the arrests, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have remained silent on the plight of these 18 Jehovah’s Witnesses in China.

Since April 15, 2019, the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have published 11 individual articles on the JW.ORG website critical of the Russian government and prosecutors, and supportive of Dennis Christensen and other Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia being prosecuted.

DOWNLOAD | China Crisis for Jehovah’s Witnesses 2019 (translation of indictment) – PDF

The Background

April 15, 2019 (Urumqi, Xinjiang). Authorities in China’s north-western Xinjiang region indicted 18 individuals on account of being Jehovah’s Witnesses, according to a formal prosecutor’s indictment paper.

Those indicted are Liu Weiguo, Lin Zaiwu, Li Yifang, Lin Jie, Jiang Xijun, Gao Xinlian, Wang Xiaoqing, Yu Bingru, Zhang Min, Jiang Jinling, Chen Meiling, Fan Tao, Wei Pengfei, Cao Lili, Ma Xiaojun, Yang Hua, Shi Xianhe, and Xu Yanli. All except for Jiang Xijun were charged with using an “evil religious organization” to incite the obstruction of law enforcement, and Jiang received a law enforcement charge for allegedly “obstructing law enforcement by organizing and using an evil religious organization.”

The indictments evidence that the defendants violated religious management regulations by establishing a congregation in Korla, Xinjiang, and converting 63 people, among other accusations of “spreading superstition and heresy” and preventing people from joining Communist Party organizations.

The charges

All charges are brought under Article 300 of the Chinese Criminal Code:

Article 300: Whoever organizes or uses superstitious sects or secret societies or evil religious organizations, or uses feudal superstition to undermine enforcement of the state’s laws or administrative regulations shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than seven years. If the circumstances are especially serious, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than seven years. Whoever organizes or uses superstitious sects or secret societies or evil religious organizations, or uses feudal superstition to deceive another person and causes death of the person shall be punished according to the provisions of the preceding paragraph. Whoever organizes or uses superstitious sects or secret societies or evil religious organizations, or uses feudal superstition to rape a woman or defraud property shall be decided a crime and punished respectively according to the provisions of Article 236 and Article 266 of this Law.

About JW Leaks

JW Leaks is about openness, transparency and accountability within the Church of Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Watch Tower Society.

JW Leaks exposes and holds accountable the Watch Tower Society and those leaders within the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization that disregard or violate the laws of the land, and that cause harm to sections of the community.

Sources:

http://theconversation.com/jehovahs-witnesses-neglected-victims-of-persecution-114141

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-slams-countries-china-russia-violating-religious-freedom-1254633

https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/2/10/for-russias-jehovahs-witnesses-and-chinas-uighur-muslims-politics-overrides-all-religious-freedom-claims

https://www.chinaaid.org/2019/06/18-indicted-for-being-jehovahs-witnesses.html

https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/russia/