(Hefei, Anhui — January 20, 2026) In the central Chinese city of Hefei, the long-awaited verdict in a so-called “fraud case” that has drawn close attention from international human rights organizations and faith communities has been postponed once again. This further exposes the clumsiness of the Chinese authorities’ use of criminal charges to suppress unregistered “house churches,” and highlights the prolonged stagnation of legal procedures in religiously sensitive cases.
On Tuesday, family members of the two detained pastors, Wei Shudie (魏淑蝶) and Ge Yunxia (葛云霞), released a notice stating that the Hefei Municipal Court has formally informed them of the verdict in the “Hefei Ganquan Church case.” It was initially scheduled for today but was delayed by another 3 months, to April 20, 2026. This is one of multiple postponements since the case began in November 2023.
The central figures in the case have been held in detention centers for more than two years since being taken away by police on November 30, 2023. Prosecutors have accused the two of “fraud,” a charge that in recent years has been frequently used by the Chinese government to target offering practices of unregistered churches.
“This deliberate delay clearly shows that the prosecution’s charges lack a factual basis, making it difficult for the court to issue a verdict,” said a church analyst who has been following the case but requested anonymity. “But in China’s current judicial environment, prolonged pretrial detention itself has become a form of punishment.”
The case underwent a nine-day trial in July 2025. Although the trial concluded long ago, the verdict has been repeatedly postponed. Family members noted that both pastors are already in their sixties, and that more than two years of detainment has caused “irreparable damage” to their health.
The Hefei case is not an isolated incident. Since China revised its Regulations on Religious Affairs in 2018, the authorities’ suppression of house churches has shifted from administrative dispersal to criminalization. By redefining traditional church offerings and tithes as “fraud,” officials are able to legally portray religious leaders as criminal offenders, thereby dismantling church organizational structures.
More than 50 Christians have been charged with “fraud” in related cases.
“This is not merely a trial of two individuals, but an act of intimidation against an entire faith community.”
In their statement, family members called on the public to continue paying attention. During the hundreds of days of waiting, families and believers have turned to their Christian faith for comfort, praying that God would be with those detained “through the long and unjust wait.”
The relevant Hefei court has not issued an official explanation for the latest delay.
