Persecuted Christian lawyer in China writes letter to thank supporters

Zhang Kai, a Christian and a prominent human rights lawyer who was imprisoned for six months in China, has written a letter to thank those who supported him while he was serving his sentence.

Zhang and his two legal assistants were taken into custody in August 2015 after he represented about 100 churches that are affected by the Communist Party's demolition campaign, China Aid reported.

He was kept incommunicado inside a "black jail" for six months and was forced to make a confession on television. He later retracted his confession and said that he did it out of fear.

The lawyer, who is currently out on bail, wrote a letter last week to express his gratitude to the people who offered prayer and support while he was incarcerated.

"The history of Thanksgiving is a history of escaping from oppression, seeking freedom and thanking God. On this special day, even though I often feel desperate and devastated, I deeply know in my heart that God always encourages and supports me with His irresistible love, and my gratitude is always beyond words," Zhang wrote.

"Thanks to those comforted and cared for my parents when I was in trouble last year. On this special day, I thank the friends, lawyers and the strangers who appealed for me and supported me. Thanks to all the Christians at home and overseas, who are praying for me all of the time," he continued.

Zhang, who was originally from Beijing, moved to Zhejiang Province prior to his arrest to organize a team of 30 lawyers to defend the churches that are facing demolition or being forced to removed the crosses from their buildings.

Hundreds of crosses have been removed from churches across the province since 2014, but some have estimated that the actual figures could be around 1,500.

According to a report from Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Zhang was supposed to meet with the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, David Saperstein, but he was arrested before the meeting took place.

Over 300 people were interrogated, arrested, and imprisoned, and some people also disappeared in China's crackdown on human rights lawyers and activists beginning in July 2015. Many have since been released, but some have been formally arrested while others were held incommunicado.