Dec 12, 2007, 9:21 GMT
Beijing - China has detained more than 200 pastors from underground Christian churches at a Bible study meeting in the eastern province of Shandong, a US-based Christian group and local police said Wednesday.
Dozens of police raided the meeting in Shandong's Linyi city Friday, handcuffing the pastors in pairs before taking them away for questioning and releasing many of them by Monday morning, the China Aid Association reported on its website.
When asked about the report, a police official in Linyi told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa by telephone that 'more than 200 people' were detained in the operation.
The official declined to give more details of the case while a staff member at the Linyi religious affairs bureau said she had 'never heard of' the detentions.
The pastors were accused of attending an 'illegal religious gathering,' the China Aid Association said, adding that the raid reflected the 'apathy of Chinese officials in moving towards a policy for toleration of religious freedom.'
The US-based Radio Free Asia quoted one pastor who was detained and later released as saying that police beat some of those arrested during questioning.
After their arrests, the pastors were asked to pay 300 yuan (40 dollars) each to cover their living expenses during their detentions of up to 15 days and police refused to refund any money when most of them were released after two or three days, the unidentified pastor told the broadcaster.
Radio Free Asia quoted other participants as saying the police might have mistakenly believed the meeting was linked to the banned Falun Gong spiritual group after a tip from residents of Linyi's Hedong district.
It said an employee of the Hedong district police station confirmed by telephone that some church members were still under detention for illegal assembly.
The China Aid Association said up to 150 pastors had remained in detention on Monday.
The pastors came from Linyi and other areas of Shandong and neighbouring provinces, the reports said.
China officially has about 16 million Christians, but activists claim the true figure is at least 40 million.
All religious organizations must register with government supervisory bodies, but many Christian groups refuse to do so, claiming their religious freedom is too restricted within China's official churches.
Police and officials forcibly disband illegal Christian and other religious groups. Their leaders face criminal charges, and buildings used for underground religious activity are often demolished.
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