Detention of Rwandan opposition leader and Chinese Zion Church leaders

1/ HRF condemns the continued detention of 18 Zion Church leaders and the CCP’s escalating repression of Christians in China. The CCP’s ongoing prosecution aims not only to silence dissenting believers but to eradicate any practice of religion that does not serve its interests.

2/ Zion Church was an underground “house church” operating without CCP registration. A total of 30 pastors and staff were detained in October. The 18 who still remain in detention were charged with “illegally using information networks,” which carries a prison sentence of up to three years. (Reuters)

3/ The church’s founder, Pastor Jin Mingri, was among the group detained. His daughter, Grace Jin, expressed concerns regarding her father’s access to his lawyers and his necessary medications in detention.

4/ Tens of millions of “house churches” continue to operate in China outside the control of the CCP. The ongoing crackdown reflects the regime’s suppression of religious communities and its demands for ideological compliance.