(Beijing — July 27, 2026) Chinese prosecutors have filed criminal charges against eight members of Beijing Zion Church without notifying their defense attorneys or seeking their legal opinions, raising fresh concerns that authorities violated China’s own criminal procedure laws in the latest stage of a months-long crackdown on one of the country’s best-known house churches.
For nearly 10 months, the eight Christians have remained in detention following coordinated police raids on several locations of Beijing Zion Church across China on Oct. 9, 2025.
The operation, known as the “10.9 Church Case,” initially swept up nearly 30 pastors and church members as authorities intensified pressure on one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant congregations, according to family members and defense attorneys.
Fourteen detainees have since been released on bail pending trial. Pastor Ezra Jin, who was exempted from prosecution following diplomatic discussions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, reunited with his family in the United States on July 4. Eight church members remain in custody.
The remaining detainees — Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Gao Yingjia, Wang Cong, Wu Qiuyu, Wang Zhong, Lin Shucheng and Liu Zhenbin — are being held at the First and Second Detention Centers in Beihai, a coastal city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China near the border with Vietnam.
The eight pastors and church co-workers face charges of fraud or illegal business operations. The case, originally centered in Beijing, was transferred hundreds of miles away to southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, making family visits and legal representation more difficult.
Chinese authorities have increasingly relied on economic offenses, including fraud and illegal business operations, to prosecute the financial activities of unregistered churches. Human rights organizations contend such charges are frequently used to suppress religious groups operating outside state control.
Prosecutors move case forward without notifying defense lawyers
According to a statement released by the detainees’ families on July 21, prosecutors transferred the case to the Yinhai District People’s Court on July 17 after completing their review but did so without notifying defense attorneys or soliciting their legal opinions as required under Chinese law.
The case had been transferred to the Yinhai District People’s Procuratorate in Beihai for review on June 18. Families say prosecutors proceeded directly to court despite legal requirements designed to ensure defendants receive meaningful legal representation before trial.
Articles 261 and 262 of China’s Criminal Procedure Rules for People’s Procuratorates require prosecutors to hear the opinions of defense counsel during the review process. Even when practical obstacles exist, prosecutors must make reasonable efforts to obtain those views or formally document why they could not.
Legal observers say bypassing defense counsel before filing the case represents a significant procedural violation that undermines the defendants’ right to an effective legal defense.
Worsening detention conditions
Families also continue to express growing concern over conditions inside the detention centers, where the eight church members are reportedly being held in overcrowded cells measuring about 40 square meters (430 square feet) and housing more than 30 detainees each.
“In the sweltering summer heat, there is only one fan, leaving many with heat rash,” Sister Su Ziming, wife of Pastor Wang Lin, told ChinaAid News in a recent interview. “Over time, these conditions take a toll on physical health and prevent proper rest.”
Relatives of the detainees also report that several detainees with preexisting medical conditions have been denied necessary medication and treatment, while requests for supplemental meals have been rejected.
According to the families’ statement, prolonged malnutrition has led to significant weight loss among all eight detainees, whose health continues to decline. Communication with relatives has also been tightly restricted.
Calling for due process as trial nears
As court proceedings approach, the detainees’ families are urging Chinese judicial authorities to uphold the country’s Constitution and Criminal Procedure Law by correcting procedural violations and protecting the defendants’ rights to medical care, correspondence and effective legal representation.
Once one of Beijing’s largest house churches, Zion Church has faced years of government pressure as Chinese authorities tightened restrictions on unregistered places of worship and expanded enforcement against independent Protestant congregations.
Neither the Yinhai District People’s Procuratorate nor the Yinhai District People’s Court has publicly responded to media inquiries about the decision to file the case without notifying defense counsel.
Families and defense attorneys say they will continue pursuing available legal remedies while calling on the public to monitor the proceedings.
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.