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Religion Today Summaries a glimpse at news articles from around the world http://www.crosswalk.com/news/

Monday, October 07, 2002

In Today’s Edition:

New Trial Ordered For South China Church Leaders Christian Woman Burned Alive In India

New Trial Ordered For South China Church Leaders Court Gives Defense Only One Day to Prepare

(Voice of the Martyrs) Seventeen members of the unregistered South China Church, five of which were sentenced to death for their involvement in illegal church activities, will be granted a retrial after the Supreme Court of Hubei Province ruled that the facts in the trial against the church members were ambiguous and the evidence inadequate. The bad news is, while the Hubei Provincial Supreme Court handed down its decision September 22nd, SCC lawyers did not receive notice of the verdict and the date for the new trial until September 30th. Also, October 1st through the 7th is a national holiday period in China and all government offices are closed. “This means the defense lawyers will in effect only have one full day to prepare for this retrial,” said VOM spokesman Gary Lane. “We ask the Bush administration and members of Congress to contact the Chinese Embassy in Washington to demand the release of these innocent Christians, or at the very least more time to prepare their defense for retrial.”

Christian Woman Burned Alive In India

(Charisma News Service) A Christian woman who belonged to a congregation in Tamil Nadu was burned alive last week. According to Gospel for Asia (GFA) officials, anti-Christians lashed out at believers in the remote village, where a minister identified only as Pastor K has been serving. Elsewhere in Tamil Nadu, a GFA pastor was interrogated this week by local police and falsely accused of damaging an idol located near the Believers Church where he ministers. The minister identified only as Pastor J was released unharmed several hours later, but antagonism toward Christians in the area is growing. Meanwhile, a team of women who distribute Bibles in Chhatisgarh state are facing ongoing harassment for their evangelistic work. Two of them were recently chased while walking home after conducting an outreach. The duo was able to escape unharmed.