Pastor Zhang Shaojie (59) from Nanle county in Henan province has been released from prison at the end of his twelve-year sentence. The pastor, pictured with his 84-year-old mother, was escorted home by police on 16 November. The Chinese Communist Party has installed facial recognition cameras all around his home and has not permitted visits.

Following his release, Pastor Zhang expressed deep gratitude to the global Body of Christ for its prayers for him and his family during his imprisonment and for its efforts to achieve his freedom. He said, “Coming out of prison during this month of Thanksgiving has been full of God’s grace – I have seen the Holy Spirit’s presence every day.” He added that he felt “deeply grateful for help and support of the international community; otherwise, I might not be here today and might have been ‘disappeared’”.

Before his arrest Zhang Shaojie was pastor of Nanle County Christian Church in Henan province, central China. He was arrested in November 2013 after a dispute with local government officials who were trying to seize land the church had bought for a new building – Pastor Zhang and a group of church members decided to go to Beijing to petition for the land, but were stopped by local officials. In July 2014 the pastor was sentenced to twelve years in prison for “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order” and “fraud”.

Pastor Zhang was local head of the China Christian Council and local president of the government-approved Three-Self Patriotic Movement. Church members and rights lawyers said they believed the government was persecuting him not only because of the desire to seize land and limit church growth but also because of his frequent defence of marginalised people who had their rights violated.

Read Pastor Zhang’s Prisoner Profile.

(Bob Fu, China Aid)

Photo: China Aid