(Beijing — November 12, 2025) A case involving a local church pastor in a city in eastern China has drawn attention to human rights and religious freedom. The detained pastor’s wife recently released a prayer letter, stating that her husband was taken away by police because of his faith and religious identity, and urging authorities to lift the restrictive measure on their family and ensure her two underage children’s right to receive education.

Detention of Pastor Wang Lin

Su Ziming is the wife of Pastor Wang Lin of the Zion Church’s Shanghai congregation. She wrote in the letter that communications with Wang Lin were lost at Shenzhen Airport on October 9. It was confirmed on the next day that he had been detained by Beihai police in Guangxi Province, and the location of detainment was at the Beihai No. 2 Detention Center. She stated that she has yet to receive any formal detention notice.

Family Facing Pressure and Instability

According to the letter, after Wang Lin was detained, she and their two children have continued to face surveillance and pressure from the authorities. Since June of this year, they have moved through six or seven cities, unable to have a stable life as landlords and schools came under “covert pressure.” “We have had to give up every place we tried to rent, buy, or enroll the children in school,” Su Ziming wrote. “As a result, the children have been out of school to this day.”

Pastor Wang Lin’s Condition in Detention

Wang Lin previously served as a pastor for a church in Beijing. In recent years, it has faced repeated interference for Christian activities and holding gatherings for Christians. The letter notes that during his current detainment, he has developed digestive problems due to poor diet and has lost over 10 kilograms but “remains in peace and faithful, rejoices and receives.” Wang Lin said that “God told him to face it together with a smile.” However, Wang Lin also worries for the other co-workers who have also been detained. His greatest hope is that “his loss of personal freedom can be exchanged with the freedom of his two children to enjoy their right to education.”

Concerns Over Children’s Education Rights

What worries this mother most is the predicament surrounding her children’s education. She wrote, “A child’s right to receive education is the most fundamental right. The law clearly states that no child should lose schooling because of their parents’ religious beliefs.” The letter cites provisions from China’s Constitution, the Compulsory Education Law, and the Law on the Protection of Minors, accusing the local departments of “blatantly violating the rights of minors to receive education.”

Attempt to Leave China Blocked

On the night of November 10, after Pastor Wang Lin’s detention, Su Ziming attempted to leave China with her children to seek schooling for them abroad, but they were stopped by border control and told that she was restricted from exiting the country “for being suspected of misusing information networks.” She called the accusation “groundless.” She believes that this act of the authorities has seriously infringed on her fundamental civil rights.

Children’s Citizenship Status

Wang Lin and Su Ziming’s two children were born in the United States while they were studying there, and, under U.S. law, these two children hold U.S. citizenship. It remains unclear whether their parents relinquished their children’s U.S. citizenship upon returning to China.

Closing of the Letter

In the closing of the letter, Su Ziming expressed that she will continue to have faith and keep praying and was grateful for the concern and attention of the outside world. “Perhaps my children and I will continue to wander, but in the Lord we will all find peace.”

Wider Context of Religious Crackdowns

In recent years, the Chinese government has tightened supervision over unofficial churches, commonly known as house churches. Many unregistered religious groups have been asked to disband or merge into state-approved bodies. China Aid Association believes that this case reflects the arbitrariness and suppressive nature of local authorities’ enforcement of religious policies.

Current Crackdown in Beihai

Beihai police in Guangxi have been the main force of the current concentrated crackdown on the Zion Church network. While authorities have recently lifted compulsory measures on 5 of its pastors and members, 18 others remain detained at the Beihai No. 1 and No. 2 Detention Centers, respectively.

Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai for ChinaAid