Police in Beijing rounded up dozens of followers of an underground Protestant church yesterday, a rights group said, as a widening crackdown on dissent appeared to spread to religious figures.

Police late on Saturday also detained Jin Tianming (金天明), a senior pastor of Beijing’s Shouwang church, an unregistered Protestant congregation, and other church leaders, before releasing them early yesterday, the US-based China Aid group said.

Jin’s detention came after the church called for an outdoor worship meeting following a similar gathering last Sunday that resulted in police rounding up nearly 170 church followers, most of whom were later released.