Eight members of an underground Christian church in China's southwest have been charged with violating anti-cult laws, police confirmed Thursday.
The human rights group that announced the arrests said they were part of a crackdown on unauthorized worship.
Twelve members of the church in Yunnan province were detained June 7 for "participating in cult activities," but four were later released, according to a police official at the Funing County Detention Center. "The remaining eight face criminal prosecution," said the official, who would only give his surname, Lu.
China's communist government allows worship only in state-monitored churches, but tens of millions of Christians attend underground services, often in private homes. Members of such "house churches" are frequently harassed and arrested.
The New York-based group Human Rights in China said police action was continuing against "house churches" in Yunnan. It said the arrests were part of "the most wide-scale crackdown on house churches carried out in China this year."
Human Rights in China said the 12 Christians were detained after police visited unofficial ceremonies in four locations.
Police told the worshippers they were there to register the church, but instead took them to Funing detention center where they were held without outside contact until June 13, the rights group said in a statement.