An elderly Christian from the southeastern Fujian Province was subjected to the CCP police’s monitoring and questioning until he passed away.
According to the accounts of Liu Jianming (pseudonym) before his death, when he was arrested for missionary work in December 2012, the police instigated the local village officials to beat him and noted down his motorcycle plate number. In February 2013, several police officers traced him to an address through the registration information of the plate number. They searched out and took away a computer, a bag of old Bible hymn books, and some religious literature. Also, they arrested and detained him for 15 days.
One day in April 2013, the police went to his house and forced him to attend a 7-day indoctrination class. In the class, the police officers and Three-Self pastors took turns to indoctrinate him and other Christians. They played videos that slander and defame The Church of Almighty God. They also threatened to imprison Liu Jianming and have his children and grandchildren implicated if he continued to believe in Almighty God.
Around October the same year, several officers from the police station went for Liu Jianming at his workplace, and repeatedly questioned him whether he continued attending gatherings. They threatened him once again, “If you go to the gathering once again, you’ll be arrested and sentenced.” After the police left, his colleagues all defended him, saying that he was an honest man, and they found the police’s actions unreasonable.
In March 2015, Liu Jianming stayed home for quiet recuperation after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. During that period, he was harassed and monitored by the police and village officials from time to time. Sometimes, when he forgot to shut the gate downstairs, the police would directly go upstairs; when he shut the gate, they would shout and ask him to open the gate. At 8 p.m. every day, a patrol car would pass by his house and blow the horn. Liu’s family was disturbed, and Liu often lost sleep as a result. He said, “It’s proper and right to believe in God, but the police come to my house to harass and persecute me over and over again. This government is too insidious. It ignores its proper duties and does not deal with those evil-doers, but singles out us believers in God for persecution.”
In October the same year, Liu Jianming was summoned to the police station, where the officers threatened him, saying, “If you continue your belief, you are in opposition to the government. Then, not only will your future be restricted, but the future of your descendants will be also restricted.” Liu Jianming’s claim to keep his belief angered the police, who threatened to arrest and detain him. When his son showed his medical reports and receipts of hospitalization to the officers at the police station, they had to release Liu for fear of being held accountable for the consequence.
One afternoon in January 2016, the police went to Liu’s house to question him again. Liu said angrily, “I’m dying. How come you do not leave me alone?” The police answered that they must do so as he had a criminal record.
One day after four months, the police stormed into his house and, without presenting any documentation, made a thorough search, turning three floors of his house into a mess. They confiscated two MP5 players and some religious materials. They warned Liu before leaving, “You must stop believing in Almighty God!” They also threatened to arrest Liu, but he firmly stated that he would rather die than give up his belief. Seeing this, his angered neighbor blamed the police that their frequent visits would torment him to death. The police left in frustration.
In October 2016, Liu’s condition became critical. He was terribly skinny and black in the face, but the police still summoned him to the police station for questioning, and wanted to detain him. Liu said, “I’m dying anyway. Do what you want to do.” Seeing this, Liu’s wife tried to reason with the police, but they justified themselves saying, “If the police station says you’ve broken the law, you’ll be held accountable. You can’t reason with us.” Liu didn’t take medicine for that day due to their harassment. Thinking of the police’s repeated harassment, Liu was very angry, which accelerated the deterioration of his condition.
According to a source, early in May 2017, the police went to Liu’s house and took photos of him and his wife, as well as his house. They also intimidated them, while Liu had a tube inserted into his nostril, and he could not swallow the food in his mouth. Despite his critical illness, the police still would not let him go. Seeing this, his wife cried in indignation.
On May 23, 2017, Liu Jiangming passed away at the age of 61. After his death, his son took his cremation certificate to the police station to annul his household registration. Only then did the officers stop visiting his house.
The Church of Almighty God is a new Chinese Christian movement. For decades, the church members have been arrested, tortured, and even persecuted to death by the CCP merely for believing in God, attending worship service or preaching the gospel. Even after they were released from jail, they are subjected to lifelong control and surveillance, as if they were held in an invisible prison.
