U.S. President Bush appealed to China to lift its restrictions on religious activity
BEIJING, China (AP) -- Chinese authorities have released 47 Chinese Christians who were arrested during a prayer service last week.
Police raided a private retirement home used for hosting an underground prayer service financed by Chinese Christians last Thursday, arresting and detaining worshippers.
Bibles, mobile phones and tape players were also seized during the raid.
The detainees were released on Friday, but another 15 people were picked up again and held until Saturday, Liu Fenggang, a member of the underground Protestant church, said.
The raid came the same day U.S. President George W. Bush arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit.
Liu suspects the arrest might have resulted from heightened surveillance of Christian activists in time for the Bush's arrival.
During his visit, Bush appealed publicly to China to lift its restrictions on religious activity.
But Chinese President Jiang Zemin said China protected religious freedom, and said people were only detained for breaking the law and not for religious activities.
China has been cracking down on independent religious groups that the ruling Chinese Communist Party sees as a threat to its monopoly on power, and only allows state-monitored worship.
Maltreated
Liu said the detainees were forbidden to drink water or use the bathroom for much of their confinement, causing one to suffer an irregular heartbeat and be sent to hospital.
All were repeatedly interrogated, Liu added, who himself has been detained several times and spent two years in a labor camp.
"They claimed we were holding an illegal meeting, but we said we were only exercising our right to freedom of faith," he said.
Police ordered the closure of the retirement home and the removal of its 12 elderly residents.
The owners were also ordered to hand over the property and pay a fine of 50,000 yuan or $6,100.
However, a deadline to close the facility passed Sunday without police action, said the home's co-owner, Yang Guizhi.
"It looks like they may have backed off. Where were we supposed to send these old folks? You tell me," she said.
The Vatican said this month that 53 Chinese bishops and priests were either detained or kept under surveillance and forbidden to worship.
In December, three leaders of an independent Protestant church in southern China were sentenced to death on charges of violating anti-cult laws.
They were also accused of rape and assault charges, which their followers say are fabricated.