China’s Christians being persecuted under country’s draconian anti-church drive
Washington, Feb. 22 : Christians and human rights advocates are alarmed over an aggressive crackdown on house churches in China.
Under the crackdown, the Christian faithful are forced to call their gatherings `patriotic’ assemblies or sent to prison where they can face torture.
According to China Aid, a Texas-based human rights group, cases of the government persecuting Christians rose 42 percent in 2012, amid a three-phase plan by Beijing to eradicate the home-based churches, Fox News report.
Experts said that the Communist Party in China has long felt threatened by any movement that galvanizes a large sector of the population, fearing it could wield political clout.