Contact: Bob Fu, China Aid Association, Inc., 267-205-5210, 432-689-6985, info@ChinaAid.org; www.chinaaid.org, www.monitorchina.org

WUHAN, Hubei, Jan. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- In an unprecedented legal victory after CAA's legal aid, 4 House church leaders were released from their labor camp in Hubei province last week. In a stunning ruling on January 8, 2008, the Hubei Provincial Re-education through Labor Administration Committee decided to repeal the decision made by the Re-Education through Labor Administration Committee of Enshi Autonomous Region. After the ruling, four leaders were released while they were serving in their labor camp.

Photo: the Decision Paper by Hubei Provincial Re-education through Labor Administration Committee for ordering the release of the church leaders

Four male church leaders and five female leaders were arrested and sentenced to 18 months and 12 months re-education through labor respectively on August 6, 2007 after they were detained on July 15 when they were found having Sunday worship service together at the home of Ms. Qin Daomin. They were accused of the "crime of engaging in organizing and making use of an evil cult organization to undermine the enforcement of State laws." Since then, two female leaders have been serving their sentence at their homes because of illness and having an infant baby. On October 9, 2007, CAA helped hire attorney Wu Chenglian from Beijing who filed an administrative legal review to Hubei Provincial Re-education through Labor Administration Committee requesting to overturn the previous decision by its city level Committee.

After 3-months deliberations, the final ruling said "after reviewing the applicants' application for reconsideration and the answers and evidence submitted by the respondent, this committee believes that the decision of education through labor of En Zhou Lao Jue Zi [2007] No. 00038 made by Education through Labor Administration Committee of Enshi Autonomous Region is not based on clear facts and is not supported by sufficient evidence."

"We are truly pleased by the ruling from the Hubei government. This is clearly another victory of the rule of law in China," said Bob Fu, "We certainly hope the other three female leaders can be released from their labor camp because they were related to the same case."

Click here for the full text of the official ruling paper.

The 9 sentenced leaders are from Anhui, Hubei, Henan and Shanxi provinces. The four men who were released are Mr. Wang Caizhang(34-year-old), Mr. Ma Zhao(35-year-old), Mr. Yang Situan(39-year-old) and Mr. Du Dongliang(32-year-old). The five women are Ms. Qin Daofang(40-year-old), Ms. Hu Rong(42-year-old), Ms. Li Mei (42-year-old), Ms. Ren Xianxue (35-year-old),Ms. Qin Daomin(33-year-old). Mr. Yang Situan and Ms. Ren Xianxue are husband and wife with three children at school. Ms. Qin Daofang and Qin Daomin are two biological sisters and their father Mr. Qin Hongjun (65-year-old) was sentenced to ten days administrative detention for hosting the Sunday worship service at his home. He was also severely beaten.

The four male church leaders were released from the following labor camp:
Enshi Zhou Labor Camp
Shi Jia Po Reeducation through labor camp, Liu Jiao Ting town, Enshi city, Enshizhou, Hubei province (zip code: 44500)

The three women's labor camp address:
Hubei Provincial Female Reeducation through labor camp
Team 2, Female Reeducation through labor camp, Te Yi Hao, Wunan Tielu, Hongshan district, Wuhan city, Hubei province
Contact Phone number: +86-27-88422136(Labor camp management bureau) or +86-27-88422142(inside labor camp)

Communicate your concern for the three still imprisoned female leaders to the Chinese authority at the following address:
Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong,
Embassy of the People's Republic of China
2300 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008
http://www.china-embassy.org/
TEL: 202-7456743                 
Fax: 202- 588-0032; 202-7457473
Director of Religious Affairs: (202) 328-2512

WEN Jiabao Guojia Zongli
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
People's Republic of China
Fax: +86 10 65961109 (c/o Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Email: gazette@mail.gov.cn
Issued by China Aid Association, Inc.