By Stefan J. Bos
Special Correspondent, ASSIST News Service (ANS).

International Christian human rights watchdog, Voice of the Martyrs, urged China to release over 100 house church leaders who it said were rounded up last week by security forces as part of an ongoing government-led crack down on evangelical Christians.

"We encourage Christians to write to the Chinese embassy in their respective country protesting this action against their citizens" - the third such police operation within two months, said VOM, which has close ties with persecuted believers.

Tough prison sentences were expected for the house church leaders who were arrested on Friday, 6th August, in Kaifeng City, Henan Province, reported the U.S. based China Aid Organization (CAA), another Christian human rights group.

They reportedly gathered for a meeting of encouragement at a gathering sponsored by a Henan House Church when suddenly "200 military police, Public Security Bureau (PSB) and other officers" arrived at the scene "in about 20 police and military vehicles along with six minibuses."

CAA said it had learned from eyewitnesses that no arrest warrants or even official identification papers were shown by the security forces during the raid. Among those arrested was a key organizer and family members, including his wife, and three, 8-to-11 year-old children. "These children were crying a lot when being dragged away" CAA quoted an unidentified eyewitness as saying.

- www.assistnews.net