China Indicts Eight Zion Church Members
Eight Beijing Zion Church leaders and staff remain detained at Beihai’s No. 1 and No. 2 detention centers in Guangxi: Wang Lin (王林), Gao Yingjia (高颖佳), Yin Huibin (尹会彬), Wang Cong (王聪), Liu Zhenbin (刘桢彬), Lin Shucheng (林书铖), Wang Zhong (汪中), and Wu Qiuyu (吴秋雨). On 17 July, prosecutors indicted them in the Yinhai District People’s Court without first notifying defense lawyers or inviting formal defense submissions. Indictments delivered to their families in late July accuse Wang Lin, Gao Yingjia, Yin Huibin, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, and Lin Shucheng of “fraud” for allegedly collecting more than RMB 10 million in tithes and offerings. Wang Lin, Wang Zhong, and Wu Qiuyu also face “illegal business operations” charges over online religious-training packages which are said to have generated more than RMB 2 million between 2020 and 2025.
The “10·9 Case” arose from a crackdown on Beijing Zion Church, a large Protestant house-church, and its pastors and co-workers. Church leaders—including founding pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, released in early July—deny the allegations. They say tithes and pastoral support were voluntary and overseen by church elders, while course fees were non-profit commitment deposits largely refunded after completion.
Administrative Detention Escalates to Criminal Charges for Yueyang Rock Bible Church Members
Three members of the Rock Bible Christian Church in Yueyang, Hunan, Pastor Huang Lei (黄磊), Yang Jianjun (杨建军), and Hu Hongtao (胡洪涛), were transferred from administrative detention to criminal detention in late July 2026 on suspicion of “illegal use of an information network.” The three were initially given 15-day administrative detention orders on July 11. However, instead of being released after completing their sentences, they were taken into criminal custody. As of late July, family members and lawyers reported significant restrictions on legal access, with only Huang permitted a brief meeting with his defense lawyer.
The case stems from the men’s involvement in the unregistered Rock Bible Christian Church, where they participated in routine pastoral ministry and online religious gatherings. Police initially accused them of “organizing illegal religious activities” and used administrative detention before escalating the matter to criminal charges linked to their online communications. The case reflects a broader nationwide trend toward tighter restrictions on unauthorized online preaching: authorities are increasingly using the charge of “illegally using information networks” to criminalize independent house churches engaged in online fellowship, prayer groups, and the distribution of religious materials.
Henan Student Returning from the Netherlands Tried for “Picking Quarrels” Following Airport Interception
Hu Yang (胡洋), a Henan native who earned a master’s degree in philosophy from Leiden University in the Netherlands, stood trial in mid-July 2026 before the Erqi District People’s Court in Zhengzhou on charges of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The court did not issue an immediate judgment, and Hu remains detained at the Zhengzhou No. 3 Detention Center. He was intercepted by police at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on 26 July 2025 while returning to China with fellow student Wu Haoyu (吴昊宇) of the Polytechnic University of Milan. Both were subsequently placed under criminal detention by Zhengzhou police and formally arrested in September 2025.
The case is based on Hu’s online speech and activities while studying in Europe. It highlights a growing pattern in which Chinese authorities target overseas students for engaging in political discussion and rights advocacy while overseas. Following Hu’s detention, authorities reportedly intimidated his family and prevented defense lawyers from meeting with him for more than 100 days, until access was finally granted in November 2025.
Former 1989 Student Leader Arrested in Lhasa on “Inciting Splittism” Charges
Zhang Yi (张毅), a former student leader in the 1989 democracy movement, was criminally detained by the Lhasa Public Security Bureau on July 18 on suspicion of “inciting splittism.” He is currently being held at the Lhasa Detention Center. Earlier, on July 1, while traveling in Tibet with his brother, Zhang Xuan (张玄), he was taken into custody by police in Lhasa’s Chengguan District and placed under 15 days of administrative detention. Instead of being released when the detention period ended, authorities escalated the case and transferred him to criminal detention.
Zhang Yi previously served two years in prison for his participation in the 1989 Tiananmen Square movement and has remained under state surveillance for decades. The case marks an unusual application of the offence of “inciting splittism” against a Han Chinese participant in the 1989 democracy movement. The charge is more commonly used in cases involving Tibet and Xinjiang.
Additional Charge Added in Case Against Early Rain Preacher Dai Zhichao
In mid-July 2026, the case of Early Rain Covenant Church preacher Dai Zhichao (戴志超) was transferred to prosecutors for review and prosecution, with authorities adding a second charge of “organizing illegal gatherings” alongside his initial charge of “inciting subversion of state power.” Dai remains held at the Deyang Detention Center in Sichuan following a pre-transfer visit from his defense attorney.
Dai was detained on January 6, 2026, in a crackdown on Early Rain Covenant Church leaders in Chengdu and Deyang. A longtime minister and former student of Pastor Wang Yi, he has endured years of police raids, house arrests, and short-term detentions for persisting in unregistered pastoral ministry.