A Year in Prison for Defending the Cross in China

The Global Lane

Gary Lane

CBN News Senior International Reporter

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A Year in Prison for Defending the Cross in China

Defending the Cross in China will get you jail time.

Just ask Pastor Huang Yizi. He spoke out publicly against government removal of crosses from churches in Zhejiang Province. This week a court in Pingyang city sentenced him to one year in prison. He's been jailed since last August.

Huang was found guilty of gathering crowds to disrupt social order.Huang's lawyers say he only encouraged church members to oppose the illegal action of government authorities by restoring church crosses to their rightful places.

The Zhejiang government removed 400 rooftop crosses throughout the province last year, maintaining they had violated building codes. But Christians say in reality, the communists didn't want daily reminders of Christianity's rapid growth throughout China; they detested crosses becoming a regular fixture of Zhejiang's city skylines.

Huang's case will be appealed.

Pray that he will remain strong in his faith and that he will be reunited soon with his family and friends.

Find out more about Huang at the China Aid web site.

And it's not just Christians who have been targeted by government officials. A human rights organization was raided this week because its workers have been speaking out against the groping of women on public transportation.

Read more here: China Human Rights Raid.

CBN News