CHINESE CHRISTIAN HAS REQUEST FOR ASYLUM DENIED
By Joy Junction (09/14/05)
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed with a U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals decision to deny asylum to a "house-church" Christian from Communist China.
According to Christian Freedom International (CFI), last month Xiaodong Li was denied asylum in the U.S. because he was a member of an "illegal" house church.
Li had fled to the U.S. seeking asylum after his apartment was raided by police in Ningbo, China. CFI reported that Li was punched, kicked, and shocked with electric batons until he "confessed" to organizing "unauthorized" Christian house-church meetings.
According to CFI, reversing a lower court decision, the 11-member Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that Li was punished for violating laws on "unregistered churches" that it said "China has a legitimate right to enforce."
Li, CFI reported the board concluded, "...feared legal action or prosecution, not persecution."
Last month, a three-judge panel of the federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the board's ruling, CFI reported, making it very hard for those individuals seeking asylum because of religious persecution.
Li, the court ruled, was punished for "illegal activities and not for his religion."
According to CFI, like most Christians in Communist China, Li worshiped in the "illegal" underground house church movement.
CFI commented, "The Fifth Circuit Court ruling must be overturned. This decision flies in the face of everything America was founded on and stands for. America has a long cherished tradition of recognizing the rights of the individual over the decrees of totalitarian regimes. In fact, America was founded by men and women fleeing religious persecution. It is unfortunate that a group of unelected officials, i.e., the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals, have lost sight of this."
CFI is urging concerned individuals to contact U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and request that he use his power to overrule the Appeals Board regarding Xiaodong Li.
According to its web site (www.christianfreedom.org/about_cfi.aspx), "CFI is an unparalleled organization that combines advocacy in Washington, DC, with humanitarian assistance for persecuted Christians on the front lines."
Those individuals who are concerned may write to: Alberto Gonzales, United States Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20530-0001.Tel. 202-353-1555
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