The police acted brutally, showing their intention to threaten and intimidate the whole believers’ community.
On October 22, the wife of Brother Sun Xue, one of the Christian activists arrested during the crackdown on the Beijing Zion Church, sent to human rights organizations, including “Bitter Winter,” the letter we translated and reproduce.
“My family is safe—for now. I am Sister Shilin, wife of Brother Sun Xue. I apologize for the delay in sharing our story; it has taken time to gather the strength.
We returned to Henan during the National Day holiday to visit relatives. At 10 p.m. on October 12, police officers from the Fengyasong neighborhood in Zhengzhou came to our door, claiming they were conducting a census. When I asked to see a search warrant, they couldn’t produce one, so we refused to let them in. We even put our one-year-and-nine-month-old child to sleep, hoping to shield him from witnessing his father being taken away.
More than three hours later, just after 1 a.m. on October 13, the noise outside escalated. Over a dozen people forced their way into our home. They handcuffed Brother Sun behind his back and shouted, ‘If you had opened the door earlier, this wouldn’t have happened.’ Two female officers then took me into a separate room, stripped me, and conducted a body search. I repeatedly asked for a warrant. One plainclothes officer, while searching me, said, ‘I’ll show you later.’ I never saw a warrant. Nor a subpoena.
Brother Sun was taken away in handcuffs. Plainclothes officers from Beihai interrogated me for ten minutes. Because we didn’t have our ID cards with us, one officer threatened me: ‘If you don’t hand them over, you’ll never be able to return to Beihai.’ They demanded my phone number and address, saying they would mail me a detention notice. Nine days have passed. I have received nothing.
I called the Beihai No. 2 Detention Center and was told that my husband was officially taken into custody on October 15.
That night, I didn’t sleep at all. The next day, the kind-hearted person who had offered us shelter was pressured by community police not to take us in. My child suffered from diarrhea for five consecutive days due to irregular meals. Zhengzhou was caught in alternating rain and sun. In a strange room, I held my child and cried out to God. He gave us peace beyond understanding and protected us.
During the day, my son never spoke of his father’s sudden disappearance. But the silence only deepened my heartbreak. At night, I would startle awake, half-asleep, calling out ‘Dad, Dad.’ My child’s hand was burned by the water dispenser. He clung to me constantly, afraid I might vanish too. I was physically and emotionally drained.
As for my husband—he is gentle, humble, and always eager to serve others. He is loved by many and cares deeply for me and our child.
My appeal: I urge the authorities handling this case to immediately deliver the detention notice. Brother Sun Xue is not the only one among the 22 detainees who has yet to receive one. Please pay attention.
On October 21, my mother-in-law, as the legal representative, went to the Yinhai Branch of the Beihai Public Security Bureau to request the notice. She was shouted at and threatened. They told her to ‘leave it alone’ and insisted on mailing it to me—even though I was nearby. She was so frightened she returned home with her legs trembling.”
Source: Bitter Winter
