... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
an American Christian aid worker based near its border with
North Korea, his lawyer said Saturday, as authorities deepen an apparent crackdown on religious groups in the region.| Lots of converts to Christianity recently in what may soon be "the country formerly known as Communist China," and most to house churches rather than the officially approved ones. They say China may soon have more church members than any other country in the world. Understandable that the governing Communists grow concerned. |
Many Christian groups, mostly run by South Koreans, are active along the border. But they are forced to operate underground as China bans foreign missionaries and vows to arrest refugees escaping persecution in North Korea.
Hahn has been based in the border city of Tumen since the late 1990s, when he founded a Christian NGO providing aid to North Korea and help for refugees. He set up a vocational school for local teenagers in 2002.
A source with direct knowledge of the case but who declined to be named told Agence La Belle France Presse that several foreign workers associated with Hahn's charity have been deported in recent months.
Authorities this summer froze Hahn's bank accounts and barred him from leaving China, according to Chinese media reports.
The 74-year-old maintains his innocence of the charges, which "cannot be stood-up," Zhang added.
Hahn is likely to face trial within three months, he said. The maximum sentence for the two crimes is 12 years in prison.
It comes months after Chinese authorities leveled espionage accusations against a Canadian couple also living close to the North Korean border who provided aid to Christians fleeing the country.