China Jails Two Buddhists for Organizing Cult-Group
September 10, 2000 - 0:0
HONG KONG China has sentenced two Buddhists to three years in jail for "organizing evil cult to break law and order", a Hong Kong-based human rights group said on Saturday.
The Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy said in a statement Buddhists Liu Yin and Gan Suqin were arrested in February and sentenced on July 18.
The two were from the Guan Yin Method Sect, which was founded in Taiwan in 1988 and spread to China in 1992, the center said.
It said Guan Yin Method had about 200,000 believers in mainland China.
The United States accused China this week of trying to stem a surge in religious activity by harassing, detaining and physically abusing believers.
The human rights group said on Monday China had laid criminal charges against 85 members of a banned Christian Church who were detained a week earlier.
The 85 were among 130 members of the China Fang-Cheng Church detained on August 23 in the Province of Henan, it said.
Besides the crackdown on the Buddhist and Christian groups, Beijing has also continued to tighten its screws on the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement and the Zhong Gong meditation group.
(Reuter)
The Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy said in a statement Buddhists Liu Yin and Gan Suqin were arrested in February and sentenced on July 18.
The two were from the Guan Yin Method Sect, which was founded in Taiwan in 1988 and spread to China in 1992, the center said.
It said Guan Yin Method had about 200,000 believers in mainland China.
The United States accused China this week of trying to stem a surge in religious activity by harassing, detaining and physically abusing believers.
The human rights group said on Monday China had laid criminal charges against 85 members of a banned Christian Church who were detained a week earlier.
The 85 were among 130 members of the China Fang-Cheng Church detained on August 23 in the Province of Henan, it said.
Besides the crackdown on the Buddhist and Christian groups, Beijing has also continued to tighten its screws on the outlawed Falun Gong spiritual movement and the Zhong Gong meditation group.
(Reuter)