After nine months of detention, nine members of a church in China were released on bail June 18, while charges against nine of its leaders were upgraded to more serious offenses.
An announcement from Zion Church in Beijing says nine believers were released because the length of time allowed by Chinese law for investigative detention had expired, reports the rights group ChinaAid.
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However, charges for the other nine detainees were upgraded from the original “illegal use of information networks” to more serious charges of “illegal business operations” and “fraud,” states ChinaAid.
The nine leaders referred for prosecution are Ezra Jin Mingri, Wang Lin, Gao Yingjia, Yin Huibin, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng, Wang Cong, Wang Zhong and Wu Qiuyu.
Zion Church was one of China’s largest and most prominent house churches before Chinese authorities closed it in 2018. “The church was forced to cease public operations after refusing government demands to install surveillance cameras and has since continued through smaller gatherings and online meetings,” ChinaAid explained.
World Watch
China is No. 17 on Open Doors’ 2026 World Watch List of the 50 places most difficult to be a Christian.
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