Press Release - November 3, 1995

Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A. - 1)Referencing our press release of October 9, 1995, Bishop Zeng Jingmu, Bishop of Yu Jiang, Jiangxi, arrested on October 4, 1995 by the Chinese Government, has been released from jail on October 18. The prelate suff ers from a serious case of pneumonia contracted during his detention without proper medical care.

2) Referencing our press release on September 15, 1995, Bishop Han Dingxiang, Bishop of Yong Nian, Hebei, arrested on August 27, 1995 by the Chinese Government, has been released from jail about two weeks ago. At the time of his arrest he was on intravenous fluids. Fortunately, he suffered no apparent medical problem during his detention.

Unknown to us until now, Bishop Jia Zhiguo, Bishop of Zhengding, Hebei was also arrested with Bishop Han. Bishops Han and Jia were released together.

3) Referencing our press release of April 28, 1995, Rev. Chi Huitian of Hebei, arrested on April 26, 1995 by the Chinese Government, has been released from jail about two weeks ago. As he was severely tortured by th e security officers, Rev. Chi is now suffering from a brain concussion.

******

We are grateful that many news agencies and religious communities have reported the above arrests after our recent press releases. Your voices of justice may well be one of the important reasons contributing to their shorter incarcerations.

However, these recent releases of the aforementioned prisoners should in no way be interpreted as increasing religious freedom in China. To give an impression of a more liberalized policy on religion, the Chinese Government has largely replaced mass arrests and long incarcerations with frequent sporadic arrests, as well as shorter detentions and imprisonment without going through due legal pr ocess. This shift in tactics makes it more difficult for human rights groups to obtain timely information, or to lobby for their victims.

The communist Chinese government hopes that these repeated but sporadic violations of freedom will intimidate the underground Roman Catholic bishops and faithful; thereby suppressing this loyal Roman Catholic church. The Chinese government hopes to accomplish this strategy without the awareness of the free world. Instead, increasing vocations and the burgeoning underground Roman Catholic pop ulation, characterized by their strong faith and persistence, have countered the strategy of the Chinese government to suppress the underground Roman Catholic church. Timely reporting of these atrocities in the West will put the Chinese Government on not ice.