China tries leading members of banned religious group ‘Almighty God’
Unspecified number of members have been on trial in northeastern Heilongjiang province since July 31, state media says
A Chinese court has begun proceedings against leading members of the banned religious group “Almighty God”, state media reported, the latest crackdown on what the government has labelled a dangerous cult.
China has already sentenced dozens of followers of Quannengshen, or the Church of Almighty God, since the murder of a woman at a fast-food restaurant by suspected members of the group in 2014 sparked a national outcry.
In the latest case, an unspecified number of members of the group have been on trial in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang since July 31, Xinhua reported late on Sunday.
“Heilongjiang police arrested the leader and some key members of the cult branch in northeast China in June 2017,” the report said, citing local police.
It provided no other details of the case and it was not possible to reach a representative of the group in China for comment.