Over 100 relatives, church members and supporters of Pastor Zhang Shaojie, a Protestant pastor, joined in a protest on November 18 in Henan Province, China, to call for his release from prison.
Pastor Zhang Shaojie, 48, belongs to the Nanle County Christian Church under the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). On November 16 police forcibly detained Pastor Zhang without any formal documentation. Some sources suggest that his detention was a result of his work defending the rights of vulnerable groups. In response, a number of relatives and church members gathered in front of the police station and were subsequently beaten.
Also detained
Zhang’s sisters were also detained and several church members were summoned to government offices. On November 18, over 100 church members and other supporters gathered in front of the city hall to demand Pastor Zhang’s unconditional release. The current whereabouts of Pastor Zhang and his sisters are unknown.
