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Church member detained over social media posts commemorating June Fourth

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Franklin Wolf | Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom | China Aid Advisory Board website

On June 4, 2024, Fu Lijun, a member of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, was detained by Chengdu State Security Police. Sources indicate that his detention was due to messages he posted on WeChat Moments in the early morning hours of June 4th. These messages included music commemorating the events of June 4th and a prayer for the nation.

Following his detention, Fu Lijun's family received no immediate news about his whereabouts. On June 6, they were informed via text message from State Security Police that he had been detained for five days due to the WeChat Moment incident. His period of detention is set to end on June 10, 2024.

This incident is not isolated; during a significant crackdown in December 2018, Fu Lijun and nine other Christians from the Early Rain Covenant Church were also criminally detained. The church, founded in 2005, has faced numerous challenges due to its refusal to register under China's Religious Affairs Bureau or the Three-Self Patriotic Association—organizations required for official recognition but not guaranteeing full freedom.

The Early Rain Covenant Church was officially banned by local authorities on December 14, 2018. Subsequently, Pastor Wang Yi was sentenced to nine years in prison on December 30, 2019.

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