Chinese house church movement leader sentenced to prison for over 7 years

Chinese house church pastor Zhang Rongliang, a key leader of the China for Christ house church movement, has been sentenced to prison for seven and half years by a court in Henan province of China for possessing a fake passport and crossing the border illegally.

Pastor Rongliang, who has courted arrest on several occasions earlier, was convicted by the Zhomgmu City People's Court on June 29 for fraudulently obtaining a passport and crossing a border illegally.

According to the international human rights group, Amnesty International, the leader of China’s biggest house church movement was tortured in prison.

Arrested in December 2004, Rongliang was accused by the Chinese authorities of "attaining a passport through cheating" and with "illegal border crossing."

According to Compass, Chinese authorities often deny passports to well–known house church leaders.

Soures close to the development have said that Chinese authorities also confiscated Christian DVDs and other materials from Pastor Rongliang's house that allegedly linked him with foreign co–religionists. Contact with foreign co–religionists can constitute illegal activity in China.

Many people feel that the verdict was biased.

"It is very clear that the verdict was not made independently by the People's Court," defence lawyer, Zheng Laiyou, said.

"Who would have thought the outcome would be this bad?" queried Pastor Rongliang's wife, Chen Hongxian.

"It is the Communist Party's court, not the People's Court, that makes the real decision," Hongxian said, adding that she had lost confidence in the people's court and would not appeal the verdict.

However, according to Chinese law, Pastor Rongliang, who suffers from chronic diseases, is qualified to ask for medical parole based on his health condition.

Hongxian has appealed to the international Christian advocacy and human rights groups to continue praying for her husband.