Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The judicial authority of Shandong has accused 5 people of "intentional homicide" and "organizing and using an evil cult to undermine the rule of law in the country." The accused are all members of the church of God Almighty, which is outlawed in China: The arrest came after the group beat to death Wu Shuoyan, a 35 year old woman who had refused to give them her phone number and join their congregation.
The murder took place May 28, 2014 at a McDonald's in Zhaoyuan, and the police arrested the group at the crime scene. In total, 6 people were arrested, but one is a 12 year old boy: the minor cannot undergo a criminal proceeding and will be tried separately by a juvenile court. The case has sparked public outrage, because the restaurant security camera video clearly reveals the indifference of the staff and other patrons during the attack.
The murder has sparked off a series of arrests against members of the sect: since the beginning of July, according to state media, the police has arrested "hundreds" of members of the church. The courts have already sentenced many to prison terms because of their religious affiliation.
The religious group was founded in the 90s, has a vague Christian influence (mixed with Taoism) and argues that Christ has been reincarnated as a woman from the Chinese province of Henan. The government has declared it an "evil cult" and outlawed it because the members of the sect advance apocalyptic visions of the end of the world and invite their peers to "cut the throats of the red dragon", a clear reference to the Communist Party.
In China, the government claims the right to distinguish between "evil cults" and "good " or "permitted cults ". Several academics and lawmakers have been calling for the country to adopt a law on religious freedom, reducing the power of the state in strictly religious matters, while giving it the power to prosecute criminal actions. Often, as in the case of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, persecution and the definition of "evil cult" have a purely political reasons: many members of the army follow Falun Gong and the government fears that the "cult" could lead to a revolution of the communist system.