In June 2022, authorities in Guangdong launched two waves of large-scale arrest operations targeting Christians from the Church of Almighty God. Following the mass arrests in Heyuan and Maoming in early June, further detentions were carried out in mid-June in multiple cities including Dongguan, Zhongshan, Yangjiang, Qingyuan, Foshan, and Huizhou.
According to internal sources from the church, a total of 387 people had been arrested during the month as of the time of reporting. Significant amounts of church and personal property were also confiscated, though the total value remains unclear.
“My wife was taken away over a week ago, and our three children cry for their mother every day. I don’t know what to do!” said the distraught husband of an arrested Christian. “The CCP’s crackdown on The Church of Almighty God is brutal. The police said, ‘Better to arrest ten by mistake than let one believer in Almighty God go free!’” He was unable to secure his wife’s release.
Another Christian reported that her husband, daughter, and son had all been arrested, and their home had been sealed. The CCP is now investigating her own faith, and she fears she may soon be detained as well.
“On June 13, Brother Cao said his parents were taken by the CCP. Now we can’t reach him or his sister, and we don’t know if they’ve been arrested too,” another Christian said with anguish.
Reports indicate that most of the arrested Christians had been followed or monitored prior to their arrests, with surveillance cameras installed directly outside some of their homes. CCP arrests were particularly violent. In some cases, the doors of Christians’ homes were smashed open, leaving holes; in others, room doors were pried open and beds were overturned. Many homes were sealed off. Due to the hostile environment, further details of ongoing persecution faced by many Christians remain unavailable. We will continue to follow this situation.
