Kingdom Prayer Request – Chang Hao, Preacher from Zhenxiong, Yunnan

Hello, friends! Peace to the family in the Lord!

I am Chang Zhiling, the third daughter of Chang Hao, a Christian from Zhenxiong County, Zhaotong City, Yunnan. Our family are all Christians, and Chang Hao is a rural home church preacher. He was taken away by the Zhenxiong County police after 6 PM on April 14, 2023, and has not returned since. The police also took away Chang Hao’s two mobile phones, a laptop, and nearly a hundred Bibles and almost all our faith-related books from our home. There have been many illegal actions in the handling of Chang Hao’s case! Please pay attention:

1. After Chang Hao was taken away, our family did not receive any written notice. Only after hiring a lawyer did we find out that Chang Hao was detained and arrested for alleged “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and is being held in the Zhenxiong County Detention Center.
2. The lawyer is not allowed to meet with him. The Zhenxiong County Detention Center, in violation of the “Criminal Procedure Law” and the “Detention Center Regulations” and other legal provisions, has consistently refused the lawyer’s requests for a meeting. Today, Chang Hao’s lawyer again went to the Zhenxiong County Detention Center to request a meeting, but the staff at the gate refused the lawyer entry upon hearing the name “Chang Hao.” The lawyer called the director Lu Hong and the on-duty instructor with the surname Su, pointing out the illegal actions of the detention center. However, the reply was “cannot meet”! The lawyer was even denied entry to lodge a complaint with the resident prosecutor! This was the lawyer’s fourth attempt to request a meeting, and each time was denied. The lawyer has complained multiple times to the Zhenxiong County Procuratorate, as well as the Zhaotong City and Yunnan Provincial Procuratorates, and reported the situation to the Public Security 12389, but the detention center continues to act arbitrarily and refuses the lawyer to meet Chang Hao! This is a violation of Chang Hao’s right to defense.
3. The lawyer is not allowed to view the case files. Chang Hao’s case is currently at the stage of prosecutorial review for prosecution and has been returned for further investigation. This morning, the lawyer went to the case management center of the Zhenxiong County Procuratorate to request file access. The staff initially said that files cannot be viewed during the investigation return stage, then said there were no electronic files, and the paper files had been returned to the investigation authorities, so they could not be viewed. The lawyer did not accept this and requested to view the files according to the law, to no avail. The lawyer then went to the prosecutor in charge, who initially gave the same reasons as the case management center, but after the lawyer’s insistence, the prosecutor called the public security authorities and told the lawyer to go to the Zhenxiong County Public Security Bureau to view the files. Although the lawyer believes the procuratorate should provide file access, they went to the public security bureau for the sake of work. However, upon arrival, they were not allowed to view the files at all. It feels like they are just passing the buck! Is this how judicial authorities handle cases?! We feel so helpless!

Chang Hao is a person with a second-level disability and also suffers from diabetes. Our family is very worried about his health!

We sincerely appeal to people from all walks of life and family members in the Lord to pay attention to Chang Hao’s case! Please pray for us! We hope that the authorities will stop illegal handling of the case! Treat Chang Hao fairly! We hope Chang Hao can return home soon! Thank you!

Chang Zhiling July 25, 2023