A Christian woman and wife of a pastor has been killed in China while she and her husband protested the demolition of their church.
Christian Today reports that Ding Cuimei suffocated to death after a bulldozer pushed her and her husband into a ditch where they were covered in soil. Ding’s husband, Li, was able to escape, but Ding was killed.
Bob Fu, the president of human rights organization China Aid, called Ding’s death a “serious violation of the right to life, religious freedom and rule of law.”
"Bulldozing and burying alive Ding Cuimei, a peaceful and devout Christian woman, was a cruel, murderous act," he continued. “The Chinese authorities should immediately hold those murderers accountable and take concrete measures to protect the religious freedom of this house church's members."
Police are reportedly investigating the incident and have taken two members of the demolition team into custody.
Many fear that the Communist party in China, under President Xi Jinping, is becoming more and more hostile toward Christianity. The government’s campaign to take down crosses from churches and to apprehend pastors and Christian leaders has grown in recent months.
Up to 1,700 churches have been demolished or had their crosses taken down in a single province.
Publication date: April 19, 2016
