MIDLAND, Texas - Kidnapped Chinese house church pastor Zhang Mingxuan and his son were released by the Chinese government at 9:30 am on November 21, 2005, shortly after President Bush left Beijing, China Aid Association reports.
Zhang Mingxuan and his son were seized in Beijing by government agents from Henan Province on November 18. They were detained and in Henan until President Bush left China. Neither of them was severely mistreated. Agents confiscated Pastor Zhang's cell phone and didn't return it until he was released.
Pastor Zhang refused to take any food offered by the government. He remained in good spirits. “I had been sharing the Good News with all of the officials who were watching me,” said Pastor Zhang.
CCP officials kidnapped eight other house church leaders in Henan. These church leaders were released at about 6 am, November 19, 2005, but confiscated church property was not returned.
Among the eight released, pastor Huang Hailiang (40 years old) and pastor Wei Lin (20s) were tortured, both had their legs injured by their interrogators on November 3, 2005.
According to a CAA reporter in the field, all of the released were in good spirits and thanked God and those who prayed for their release. “They feel very happy and honored because they are the blessed who are persecuted for their righteousness,” said one of their church leaders interviewed by Rev. Bob Fu of the CAA.
China Aid Association, established in 2002, is a non-profit Christian organization with a mission to explore the truth, to tell the truth and to preserve the truth on the issue of religious freedom in China, particularly focusing on the fate of the unofficial church.
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