(Beihai, Guangxi — November 8, 2025) A group of well-known human rights lawyers from across China, together with family members of the detained pastor, jointly filed a complaint this week with the local prosecutorate and public security bureau in Beihai, Guangxi, accusing police of illegal conduct during the arrest and search process.

This collective complaint coincides with the ongoing crackdown on house churches in China. The detained pastor is Sun Cong, affiliated with the Zion Church network in Beijing. He was taken away on the evening of October 10 while leading a gathering in Huairou, Beijing. According to his family, police did not present valid identification, and his elderly mother suffered a heart attack after being shoved at the scene, but Beihai police ignored her condition.

A Collective Legal Accusation

At 3 p.m. on November 6, eight representatives of the complaint and four family members went to the Yinhai District Procuratorate in Beihai to file a formal complaint over what they described as multiple illegal acts of threats and intimidations committed by Beihai police in the “Zion Church 109 Case.” They then proceeded to the petition office of the Beihai Public Security Bureau. The following morning, ten lawyers and six family members again visited the Beihai Municipal Procuratorate and submitted complaint documents to the Municipal Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission.

The team of legal representatives includes a number of well-known figures who have long been involved in human rights cases: Sui Muqing, Wen Donghai, Wang Yu, Jiang Tianyong, Wang Quanzhang, and Ren Quanniu, among others. Most of them had their law licenses revoked or were restricted from practicing following the “709 Crackdown.”

This time, they have intervened in the case as “citizen representatives.” Lawyer Wen Donghai stated at the scene, “This is a lawful act of citizen complaint. According to Article 41 of the Constitution, any citizen has the right to report and file a complaint against illegal conduct of officials working for state organs.”

At first, staff at the procuratorate questioned the lawyers’ qualifications and requested for the family to mail the documents. After intense negotiation, the procuratorate ultimately agreed to accept the complaint materials.

Allegations of Abuse of Power

According to the complaint, the lawyers accuse the Yinhai Branch of the Beihai Public Security Bureau of multiple violations during the process of arrest:

1) An arrest and a search were conducted without presenting identification.
2) The search warrant was filled out at the last minute, after officers had already entered the home.
3) The detention notice was delivered with a delay.
4) Violent enforcement occurred on site, resulting in injury to the pastor’s mother.

Legal figure Yang Hui pointed out in his submission that the police unlawfully used handcuffs, shoved an elderly woman, and refused to provide medical assistance. This is not only a violation of due process but also, even more importantly, a lack of humanity.

Representative of the families, Gu Xiaoyu, the wife of Pastor Sun Cong, added that their two young children were also present at the scene and were frightened, causing them to cry for long periods of time, even two days afterward.

Faith and Fear

Outside the Beihai Municipal Procuratorate, the representing lawyers and family members prayed together.

Some family members traveled from other regions with their small children. One mother, who is still breastfeeding, could only accompany the group by carrying her child while submitting the complaint. One lawyer commented: “The iron fist of the state’s organs should be protecting the most vulnerable, the women and children, but instead it is being slammed towards them.”

At noon on November 7, the number of complaint representatives increased to 10 and 6 family members as they went to the Beihai Municipal Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission. Initially, staff refused to receive the documents, saying the matter was “outside of their jurisdiction” and the case was an internal matter belonging to the public security system. After a lengthy explanation from the lawyers, a female staff member finally accepted the complaint materials and said they would be “passed on to the superiors.”

This small development “is almost symbolic,” indicating that even within a closed administrative system, there may still be a minimal space for response.

A Broader Crackdown

Zion Church is one of the most closely watched house church networks in China in recent years, and its pastors and members have repeatedly faced questioning and short-term detention. Observers note that this case reflects a trend in which local governments are incorporating religious activities into the scope of criminal governance.

By tactics such as restricting legal representation, detaining individuals, and identifying “key targets,” Chinese authorities are currently forming a systematic “social punishment mechanism.”

Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai for ChinaAid

Appendix: On November 6, 2025, at 3 PM, eight representatives of the complainants (Wen Donghai, Yang Hui, Ren Zhao, Ren Quanniu, Bao Longjun, Jiang Tianyong, Wang Yu, Ma Lianshun) and four family members (Bao Sheng, Ren Zhong, Gu Xiaoyu, Tao Tingting) went to the Yinhai District Procuratorate of Beihai City. At 4:30 PM, they went together to the Petition Office of the Beihai City Public Security Bureau.

On November 7 at 9:30 AM, ten legal representatives (Sui Muqing, Wen Donghai, Yang Hui, Wang Yu, Ren Quanniu, Ren Zhao, Jiang Tianyong, Ma Lianshun, Bao Longjun, and Wang Quanzhang) and six family members (Bao Sheng, Ren Zhong, Gu Xiaoyu, Tao Tingting, Guo Caihua, and Huang Chunshi) went to the Beihai Municipal Procuratorate together. At 11:00 AM, they went to the Beihai Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

They filed a serious complaint regarding the numerous illegal threats and intimidation during the arrests in the 109 Zion Church case:

1. Sister Huang Chunzi, older sister Huang Chunshi, represented by Sui Muqing
2. Pastor Wang Cong, husband Ren Zhong, represented by Wen Donghai
3. Pastor Sun Cong, wife Gu Xiaoyu, represented by Yang Hui
4. Sister Huhetuya, husband Hasi, younger brother Bao Sheng, represented by Wang Yu
5. Pastor Lin Shucheng, wife Tao Tingting, represented by Ren Quanniu
6. Pastor Liu Zhenbin, wife Li Hongyang, represented by Ren Zhao
7. Preacher Sun Xue, mother Guo Caihua, Wife Shi Lin, represented by Jiang Tianyong
8. Sister An Mei, represented by Ma Lianshun
9. Pastor Jin Mingri (Ezra Jin), Mother-in-law Li Yan, represented by Bao Longjun
10. Pastor Gao Yingjia, Father Gao Guangjun, represented by Wang Quanzhang