Son of Pastor Bike Zhang in Critical Condition after Severe Beating from PSB officials

By Dan Wooding, ASSIST News Service, October 16, 2008

Pastor Bike Zhang and Son, Zhang Jian

BEIJING, CHINA (ANS) -- China Aid Association (CAA) says that it 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 Thursday, October 16. A CAA spokesperson told ANS that Xie Fenglan has 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," said the CAA spokesperson.

"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."

CAA said that 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 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.

"China Aid strongly condemns the unjust and criminal actions of the Chinese government," said the spokesperson. "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. China Aid says that it 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.

For more information, go to Website: www.ChinaAid.org