On March 9, 2010, public security officers in Yucheng county, Shangqiu prefecture, Henan province detained pastor Gao Jianli, church member
Liu Yunhua, and several other members of the Tianmiao Town Church, an unregistered house church, and accused them of belonging to a "cult," according to CAA (
9 April 2010). On the basis of an undisclosed document, the Shangqiu Municipal RTL Committee determined that the church members belonged to a "cult" and ordered them to serve one year of RTL each, according to CAA (
3 August 2010). In May, Gao filed an administrative lawsuit in the Weidu District People's Court in Xuchang city, Henan province against the Shangqiu Municipal RTL Committee to challenge the legality of the RTL punishments, according to CAA (
19 May 2010). Sources do not indicate why Gao filed the lawsuit in Xuchang city, rather than in Shangqiu prefecture. On July 21, the court decided to uphold the legality of the RTL punishments, according to CAA (
3 August 2010). According to AsiaNews (
22 September 10) and CAA (
20 September 10), Gao and Liu appealed the decision to the Xuchang Intermediate People's Court.