(Zhengzhou, Henan, China — October 21, 2025) The Chinese authorities’ systematic crackdown on underground Christian churches has once again revealed the cross-provincial and extralegal methods used by the state security apparatus to pursue religious dissidents. Pastor Sun Xue, affiliated with Beijing’s Zion Church, was forcibly taken away by more than ten police officers earlier this month while visiting relatives in Henan Province.

In a belated and emotion-filled statement, Pastor Sun Xue’s wife, Shi Lin, described in detail the late-night raid that took place in Zhengzhou between the night of October 12 and the early hours of October 13. Her complaint exposes the police’s blatant disregard for due process during the arrest and the lasting psychological trauma inflicted on the family.

Under the Pretext of a “Census”

According to Sister Shi Lin’s account, around 10 p.m. on October 12, local community police in the Fengyasong district of Zhengzhou claimed to be conducting a “census” and tried to trick them into opening the door. When Pastor Sun requested to see a search warrant, the officers could not produce one. After the couple refused to open the door, they waited for more than three

hours, until their one-year-and-9-month-old child had fallen asleep, to prevent him from witnessing his father’s arrest.

Sister Shi Lin recounted that shortly after 1 a.m. on the 13th, noises began to increase outside the door, and subsequently, “a dozen people forcibly broke into the residence.” She claimed that upon entering, the police immediately handcuffed Pastor Sun behind his back and threatened, “If you both had opened the door earlier, it would not have ended like this.”

She further alleged that two female officers then took her into a room and strip-searched her without showing any warrant or summons. One plainclothes officer reportedly told her, “I will show it to you later,” but never did.

Continued Lack of Legal Procedure

After Pastor Sun was taken away by plainclothes officers from Beihai, Guangxi Province, Sister Shi Lin said she faced further intimidation. Because neither she nor her husband had their ID cards with them, one officer threatened, “If you do not hand them over, I will make sure you never return to Beihai.”

The police asked her to leave her phone number and address, claiming a detention notice would be mailed to her. As of October 22, nine days after the arrest of Pastor Sun, Shi Lin has not received any official notice. Although she later learned by phone that her husband had been detained at the No. 2 Detention Center in Beihai on October 15, the absence of formal documentation has left the family unable to confirm his legal status or arrange legal representation.

Ongoing Trauma for the Family and Child

The sudden arrest has caused severe emotional and humanitarian pressure on Shi Lin and her young child, who suffered five days of diarrhea due to environmental and dietary changes.

“The sudden disappearance of his father — he never mentions it during the day, but the more he stays silent, the more it breaks my heart,” Shi Lin wrote in her statement. She described how her son often jerks awake at night, calling out “Dad” while half-asleep. In addition, the child has a burn injury on his hand, causing him to become highly dependent on her and terrified that she might also suddenly disappear.

On October 21, Pastor Sun’s mother-in-law, the legal recipient of documents, went to the Yinhai Branch of the Beihai Public Security Bureau to request the detention notice. Instead, she was threatened loudly and told to “stay out of it,” with police insisting the document would be mailed to Sister Shi Lin, though this was a much more inconvenient route. The elderly woman was so frightened that her legs trembled uncontrollably.

Concluding her statement, Sister Shi Lin called on case-handling authorities to immediately stop delaying and deliver the detention notice, condemning officials for their procedural delays and disregard of citizens’ fundamental rights. The cross-regional nature of this arrest highlights how China’s security apparatus disregards the rule of law and uses repressive tactics designed to instill fear when suppressing unofficial religious networks.

ChinaAid Association