Zion Church Case Far From Over: 8 Members Still Detained in North Sea

English translation of the Chinese news article:

Zion Church Case Far From Over: 8 Members Still Detained in North Sea

The release of Pastor Jin Mingri has not marked the end of the Zion Church case. The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) stated that 8 members are still being held in North Sea, Guangxi, and the case has been transferred to the court, with family members reflecting on problems with medical care, nutrition, and defense rights.

Pastor Jin Mingri's release has not alleviated the judicial pressure on Zion Church. The CECC revealed on August 20 that among the Zion Church members arrested in last year's nationwide crackdown, 8 are still being detained in the first and second detention centers in North Sea, Guangxi, and the case has been transferred to the court.

The 8 individuals listed by the CECC include Gao Yingjia, Lin Shucheng, Liu Zhenbin, Wang Cong, Wang Lin, Wang Zhong, Wu Qiuyu, and Yin Huibin. In October 2025, police in multiple locations, including Beijing, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Shandong, Sichuan, Henan, and Guangxi, detained nearly 30 Zion Church members and leaders, with some initially being accused of "illegally using information networks".

Image: A page from the CECC's "China Observations" No. 7, related to the Zion Church political prisoner cases.

In June 2026, the authorities released some individuals on bail while changing the charges against the remaining detainees to "illegal business operations" and "fraud". In July, the Yinhai District Procuratorate in North Sea completed its review and transferred the case to the court. The CECC stated that defense lawyers did not receive timely notification of the case transfer.

Another focus of the case is defense rights. The CECC stated that multiple lawyers handling the Zion Church case have faced administrative pressure, with lawyer Zhang Kai's license being revoked and six other lawyers being suspended from practice for six months. Family members have also reported that detainees are facing extreme temperatures, malnutrition, and a lack of necessary medical services. These situations come from reports by family members and human rights organizations, and the Chinese government has not publicly responded to all the allegations.

Zion Church was founded by Jin Mingri in 2007 and had developed into one of the larger unregistered family churches in China. After its Beijing gathering place was closed and assets were seized in 2018, the church continued to hold gatherings online and on the network, with its online ministry expanding rapidly during the pandemic.

From the official religious management logic, unregistered, cross-regional, and internet-based religious groups have long been viewed as key targets for regulation. The CECC believes that the concentrated crackdown on Zion Church is related to the authorities' strengthening of network religious activity management.

After his release, Jin Mingri has stated that he will not stop speaking out for the detained members. Whether the case will be openly tried, whether lawyers can normally review case files and meet with clients, and the health and detention conditions of the 8 defendants will become important indicators for observing the situation of China's family churches.