Contact: Daniel Burton, China Aid Association, Inc., 432-689-6985, 267-205-5210, info@ChinaAid.org; www.chinaaid.org, www.monitorchina.org

BEIJING, October 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- ChinaAid has learned that Zhang Jian, the elder son of Pastor "Bike" Zhang Mingxuan, was severely beaten by Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials while at home with his mother, Xie Fenglan, in Beijing on October 16. Xie Fenglan testified that at about noon Beijing time, 15 Beijing PSB officers entered their residence and secured the exits before severely beating Zhang Jian with iron bars for 25 minutes. As Zhang Jian lay bleeding profusely, his mother called an ambulance, but the receptionist told her that a higher government authority gave a directive not to dispatch any ambulance to rescue her son because he is related to Pastor Bike Zhang. Zhang Jian's mother then called her younger son, Zhang Chuang, who rushed to the house where he was also beaten by the same authorities. After some time, a personal friend of the Zhang family was able to take Zhang Jian to the Beijing Min Hang (Aviation) Hospital emergency room where Zhang Jian remains now. His doctor said Zhang Jian's right eye may lose sight forever because of the severe damage resulting from the repeated beating. Pastor Bike Zhang, who was traveling in Yunnan province at the time, is currently unable to be contacted. It is assumed that he has been detained by authorities.  

Photo: Bike Zhang and his elder son Zhang Jian

Pastor Bike Zhang's wife, Xie Fenglan, was kicked out of her legally rented apartment, located at Room 206-102 at the Beijing Olympic Garden apartments, after her elder son Zhang Jian was sent to the hospital. The family's furniture was thrown into the street. Government authorities ordered all hotels in Beijing not to host her so she is now residing at Dr. Fan Yafeng's home. Dr. Fan, a house church leader in Beijing, is an internationally renowned Chinese Constitutional law scholar and rights defender.

ChinaAid strongly condemns the unjust and criminal actions of the Chinese government. The brutal and unprovoked assaults on innocent civilians are acts of desperation and cowardice of a regime that has continued to ignore basic human rights and freedoms despite outcries from the international community. These reprehensible acts by the Chinese government should serve as a reminder to the international community that the Communist Party of China is only interested in self-preservation and will gladly sacrifice its own citizens' freedoms in order to maintain its corrupt power.

During the past 22 years, Pastor Bike and his family members have been arrested, beaten and evicted from their home numerous times because of their Christian faith, yet he and his family continue to serve the house church Christians in Beijing. ChinaAid is standing with the Zhang family and will continue to send out updates on their situation.

Contact Zhang Jian's mother, Xie Fenglan, for an interview at +86-10-62547185.

Voice your concern for this incident by contacting:

Chinese Embassy in Washington DC
2201 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.,
Washington D.C. 20007
Tel: (202) 338-6688, (202)5889760
Fax: (202) 588-9760

Read Pastor Bike's "Statement of Complaints and Charges" sent to government officials on October 7, 2008. 

Issued by CAA, October 16, 2008