Chinese pastor released from prison but still not free

The Rev. John Sanqiang Cao was arrested and sentenced to seven years in prison while coming back from a missionary trip in Myanmar.

After completing his sentence, Cao is no longer behind bars. But he is facing another major obstacle. He is without any legal documentation in his country, unable to access even the most basic services.

He said that police who came to his mother’s house in 2006 took away her “hukou” registration book, which had also included Cao.

Every child born in China is registered in the hukou, which is an identification system through which social benefits are allocated by geography. Later in life, the hukou is needed to apply for a national ID card, which is used in everything from getting a phone number to public health insurance.

Cao became a Christian in his 20s through an American family he met in China. Read more

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News category: Odd Spot.

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