Ku wa Gatanu w’icyumweru gishize, Grace Jin Drexel wari muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika yakiriye ubutumwa bugufi bwa se, Pasiteri Jin Mingri uzwi cyane mu Bushinwa, amusaba gusengera mugenzi we wari waburiwe irengero mu mujyi wa Shenzhen uri mu majyepfo y’igihugu. Mu butumwa bwe, yamubwiraga ko uwo mupasiteri yafashwe n’inzego z’umutekano.

Nyuma y’ako kanya, nyina wa Drexel yamuhamagaye amubwira ko na we atagishoboye kuvugana na se. Mu masaha make yakurikiyeho, umuryango wabo waje kumenya ko na Pasiteri Jin Mingri yatawe muri yombi, mu gikorwa gikomeye abaharanira uburenganzira bwa muntu bise “itotezwa rikomeye ry’abakirisitu ritigeze ribaho mu Bushinwa mu myaka amagana ishize.”

Kugeza ubu, abantu 30 bose bifitanye isano n’Itorero rya Zion ryashinzwe na Pasiteri Jin barafashwe, bikaba byateje impungenge ko ari intangiriro y’itotezwa rikomeye rishobora gusenya insengero zitemewe n’ubutegetsi bwa gikomunisiti buyobora u Bushinwa.

Hari abavuga ko ibi bifitanye isano n’amategeko mashya aherutse gushyirwaho agamije kugenzura no kugabanya ibikorwa by’amadini atemewe n’ubutegetsi (underground churches), ndetse n’igitutu gikomeje kwiyongera ku bayoboke bayo mu mezi ashize.

Nubwo u Bushinwa buyoborwa n’Ishyaka rya gikomunisiti ritizera Imana, bufite abakirisitu benshi. Leta ivuga ko hari abarenga miliyoni 38 b’Abaporotesitanti na miliyoni 6 b’Abakatolika, ariko abasesenguzi bavuga ko ayo ari amazina y’amatorero yemewe gusa, mu gihe abandi barenga amamiliyoni n’amamiliyoni bajya gusengera mu nsengero zitemewe zizwi nka ’house churches’.

Izi nsengero zagiye zibasirwa n’ibikorwa byo kubangamirwa n’ubutegetsi. Bamwe bagiye batakaza inyubako zabo, imisaraba ikavanwa ku rusenge rw’amatorero, ibitabo by’idini bikagenzurwa cyane, ndetse zimwe muri ’application’ zo muri telefoni zikoreshwa mu ivugabutumwa zirahagarikwa.

Mu 2005 no mu 2018, amategeko agenga amadini yaravuguruwe, hongerwamo ko amatorero yose agomba kuba yemewe na leta mbere yo gukora mu ruhame. Mu 2016, Perezida Xi Jinping yasabye ko “amadini yose agomba gushyirwa mu muco w’u Bushinwa” — ibintu byafashwe nk’uburyo bwo kuyagenzura kurushaho.

Itorero rya Zion, kimwe n’ayandi menshi, ryahise rifungwa nyuma y’uko ryanze gushyira za camera za CCTV mu rusengero mu 2018. Nyuma yaho, abayoboke baryo batangiye gusenga binyuze kuri internet cyangwa mu matsinda mato yo mu ngo, abandi barafungwa.

Mu mezi ashize, ibimenyetso by’itotezwa byongeye kugaragara. Muri Gicurasi, Pasiteri Gao Quanfu wo mu mujyi wa Xi’an yafashwe ashinjwa “gukoresha imyizerere y’amayobera mu guhungabanya amategeko.” Mu kwezi kwakurikiyeho, abayoboke b’Itorero Linfen Golden Lampstand Church bo mu Ntara ya Shanxi bakatiwe imyaka myinshi bazira uburiganya, ariko imiryango iharanira uburenganzira bwa muntu ivuga ko ibyo ari uburyo bwo kubatoteza.

Mu kwezi kwa Nzeri, ubutegetsi bwashyizeho amategeko mashya agenga uko abakozi b’amadini bakoresha internet, asaba ko ababwiriza bagomba kuba bafite uruhushya rwa leta. Abasesenguzi bavuga ko ayo mategeko agamije guhagarika insengero zitemewe zari zatangiye gukorera kuri internet.

Grace Jin Drexel yavuze ko mu mezi make ashize abapolisi batangiye guhata ibibazo abayoboke b’Itorero rya Zion, ariko ntibigeze batekereza ko byageraho bikagera ku bantu benshi.

Ku wa Gatanu no ku wa Gatandatu w’icyumweru gishize, inzego z’umutekano zatangije operasiyo ikomeye mu mijyi irenga icumi irimo Beijing na Shanghai, zifata abapasiteri, abayobozi n’abayoboke benshi b’Itorero rya Zion. Pasiteri Jin Mingri yatawe muri yombi mu mujyi wa Beihai mu Ntara ya Guangxi.

BBC yabonye kopi y’impapuro zemeza ko Pasiteri Jin afungiye muri gereza ya Beihai Nomero ya Kabiri, aho ashinjwa “ikoreshwa ry’urusobe rw’amakuru mu buryo butemewe.” Nubwo bamwe mu bafashwe barekuwe, benshi baracyafunze kugeza ubu.

Corey Jackson, washinze umuryango Luke Alliance uharanira uburenganzira bw’abakirisitu, yavuze ko itotezwa nk’iri ritigeze ribaho mu Bushinwa, kandi ko bishoboka ko ari intangiriro y’itotezwa rikomeye kurushaho.

Undi muryango witwa Open Doors wavuze ko Zion Church ari itorero rikomeye kandi rifite abayoboke benshi, ari nayo mpamvu ryateye ubwoba ubutegetsi.

Pasiteri Sean Long, umwe mu bayobozi ba Zion ubu uba muri Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika, yavuze ko “hari urundi rwego rushya rw’itotezwa ry’amadini ruri kwiyongera vuba cyane mu Bushinwa,” asobanura ko gufunga Zion ari “uburyo bwo gutinyisha izindi nsengero.”

Yagize ati: “Ibi ni nko ‘kwica inkoko kugira ngo utinyishe inkima’. Zion ni inkoko kuko ari ryo torero rifite ingufu kandi rikomeye.”

Ambasade y’u Bushinwa i Londres yasubije BBC ivuga ko “abaturage b’u Bushinwa bafite uburenganzira bwo kwizera idini bashaka mu gihe rikurikije amategeko, ariko ibikorwa byose by’amadini bigomba kugendera ku mategeko y’igihugu.”

Umuvugizi wa Minisiteri y’Ububanyi n’Amahanga nawe yongeyeho ko “u Bushinwa butazihanganira na gato abashaka kwivanga mu bibazo by’imbere mu gihugu bitwaje imyizerere.”

Itorero rya Zion ryatangiye rifite abayoboke 20 gusa mu rugo rwa Pasiteri Jin Mingri, uzwi nka Ezra Jin i Beijing, ariko ryaje gukura rigeraho rigira amashami 100 mu mijyi 40, none ubu rifite abayoboke barenga ibihumbi 10.

U Bushinwa bwataye muri yombi Abakristo 30, bitera abandi ubwoba ko bishobora kuba ari intangiriro y’itotezwa rikomeye ry’amadini atemewe muri iki gihugu