(Beihai – March 18, 2026) Amid a months-long crackdown on unregistered churches, police in Beihai, Guangxi, have recently intensified pressure on members of Beijing Zion Church (北京锡安教会) and the legal aid team supporting them. According to a statement released on Tuesday by the church and the families of the detainees, the case has now entered its 159th day of judicial proceedings, and legal defense efforts are facing unprecedented obstacles.
The operation began in October 2025 with coordinated arrests in several provinces. Police detained 27 pastors and church workers. Now, 18 remain held in Beihai’s detention centers for allegedly “illegal use of information networks.”
For these 18 detainees, legal justice is growing less possible. The statement said that in five months, the lawyers assisting the case have faced systematic suppression.
According to informed sources, several defense attorneys have been summoned and warned by local judicial authorities. The pressure has gone beyond verbal admonitions: some lawyers have been forced to suspend their practice, and more severely, some have had their licenses formally revoked, effectively stripping them of the right to perform their professional duties.
This strategy targeting defense lawyers has raised concern among human rights observers about the state of the rule of law in China. “This is not only a deprivation of individual rights,” said an analyst who has long followed religious freedom in China, “but also an open contempt for legal procedures.”
Beijing Zion Church was once one of the largest house churches in the capital. Since being banned in 2018, it has remained under intense surveillance by the authorities. The Beihai case is widely regarded as another significant blow to the church.
In their latest public statement, families and fellow church members expressed deep anger and prayer:
“We deeply feel that this is a blatant contempt for and trampling of justice and the rule of law. We earnestly ask brothers and sisters to offer intercessory prayers for the legal team. May the Lord’s gracious hand strengthen every lawyer and their families, grant justice, enable them to normally fulfill their professional duties and rights, and restore their qualifications to practice in accordance with national law.”
At present, the Beihai Municipal Public Security Bureau has not responded to the latest developments in the case or to allegations that lawyers have been pressured. Because such cases often involve vague definitions such as “national security” or “social stability,” it is difficult for outsiders to obtain detailed case files.
Despite the risks to their professional licenses, some legal professionals continue to support the case quietly, trying to find cracks of justice within a tightly controlled judicial system. As the church’s statement said, they are praying that “justice will roll on like mighty waters,” seeking peace and wisdom in a contest of vastly unequal power.
As the trial deadline approaches, international human rights organizations and Christian communities are closely monitoring developments at the Beihai detention centers, watching whether the 18 members will receive a fair trial.
In response to this escalating campaign of persecution, Dr. Bob Fu, President of ChinaAid, issued the following statement:
“The Zion Church case clearly demonstrates that the Chinese Communist authorities are systematically dismantling the final safeguards of religious freedom and the rule of law. This is not only a persecution of believers from Beijing Zion Church, but an organized assault on the entire legal system. On the one hand, authorities are arbitrarily detaining innocent citizens; on the other, they are using threats, punishment, and even disbarment to eliminate lawyers who dare to provide legal defense in accordance with the law. This is no longer mere misconduct in an isolated case—it is institutionalized repression at the state level.
We strongly call on the international community to take concrete action, including imposing sanctions and visa restrictions on responsible officials under global human rights accountability mechanisms, and holding them accountable for severe violations of religious freedom and legal rights. At the same time, we urge the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release all detained church members, restore the licenses of affected lawyers, and cease all forms of repression against religious communities and legal professionals. Any continued silence will be seen as acquiescence to this persecution.”
