Normally, giving humanitarian aid is applauded. But for Christians Li Mingshun and Zhang Yonghu, it resulted in a ten-year prison sentence.

The Missions Agency, China Aid, reports that at the end of July, Li and Zhang were indicted for aiding North Korean refugees fleeing to South Korea through China. Officials found Li guilty of “human smuggling across the border.” Zhang received a seven-year sentence for organizing transportation for the refugees to Inner Mongolia. Li’s family is reportedly submitting an appeal for the two missionaries’ release.

“I am shocked at how the Chinese government treats its own humanitarian workers,” said President of ChinaAid, Xiqiu “Bob” Fu. “They are innocent! We must urge the international community to voice their concerns for the persecuted North Korean refugees and the humanitarian workers who serve them in their time of need.”
North Korean refugees living in China face ongoing persecution. The government continually denies them refugee status, and the cost of returning to their home country is high. Refugees face charges of treason which are punishable by death, detention, and/or lifelong imprisonment in labor camps. Women and children often disappear from formal record, sold into the void of human trafficking. Many Chinese and Korean Christians, like Li and Zhang, work with underground networks to aid these refugees as they seek freedom from persecution.
Lawyers working with Li and Zhang hope this case will raise awareness of the persecution against North Korean refugees. Ask fellow Christians to pray with you for this situation; pray that Li and Zhang will soon be released.

[Editor’s note: Some of the original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid, so the links have been removed.]