(Zhejiang – December 30, 2025) At around 1:40 p.m. on December 23, 2025, Hu Rong (胡蓉), the defense lawyer for Lin Enci (林恩慈), the last church leader arrested in the “Yayang Church Case” in Taishun County, Wenzhou, lawfully applied to meet her client at the Wenzhou Detention Center. Twenty-four hours later, the application had still not been approved.
Lawyer Hu Rong stated that she would wait the statutory 48 hours and require the detention center to arrange the meeting within the legal time limit. However, the only response she received in the meantime was: “You should head back first.”
During the process of communication, Lawyer Hu learned that Lin Enci had been designated a so-called “special person.” Among the multiple individuals arrested with Lin Enci, some were able to meet with their lawyers after varying periods of waiting, with meetings lasting from more than 10 minutes to about 20 minutes. However, Lin Enci and his elder brother Lin Enzhao (林恩兆) have still been unable to meet their defense lawyers in accordance with the law.
The Wenzhou Detention Center’s handling of the matter left Lawyer Hu deeply puzzled. She questioned what legal basis existed for denying a client, who is legally entitled to a lawyer’s meeting, without any stated reason. “In what way, exactly, is my client ‘special’?” she asked.
It is reported that 58-year-old Lin Enzhao and 54-year-old Lin Enci are core figures of the Yayang Church (Assembly) in Taishun County. Lin Enzhao enjoys considerable respect among local believers. More than ten years ago, he was imprisoned for defending church property and opposing the forced removal of crosses. In the official narrative of authorities, he has been labeled a ringleader of criminal gangs. However, in the eyes of local believers, he is regarded as a spiritual leader who defends the faith.
The large-scale arrest operation targeting the Yayang Church stemmed from the church’s opposition to hanging the national flag inside the church and to restrictions on minors entering the church. Locally, the Yayang Church has long been regarded as a “benchmark,” with its practices often emulated by other churches. As a result, it has been seen as a “hard nut to crack.” Since June 2025, the Yayang Assembly has frequently been summoned for talks and threatened; in October, police arrested a group of believers and coworkers; and in December, more people were taken away one after another.
During this period, local public security authorities issued a wanted notice, identifying brothers Lin Enzhao and Lin Enci as “principal suspects of a criminal gang” and offering rewards ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 yuan for information.
As their names suggest, Lin Enci grew up in a Christian family. All four brothers in his family are currently in custody as a result of this round of arrests. Their elderly father, who is unable to care for himself, has become physically and mentally exhausted following the crackdown on the church and is now bedridden. Lin Enci’s wife and children are struggling to adjust and cope with this sudden upheaval in the family.
The day before Lawyer Hu’s application to meet Lin Enci was denied, lawyers representing two other defendants in the same case also encountered obstruction when attempting to meet their clients at the Wenzhou Detention Center. The handling police officer explicitly told the lawyers that rejecting the meeting requests “has no legal basis,” but that he himself was “powerless.” The officer admitted that this was the first time in his more than ten years of police service that he had encountered such a situation, and said candidly that it was the first time he had ever told a lawyer “you cannot meet your client,” adding that he even “felt himself getting red when saying it.”
Since the case began in October this year, the Wenzhou Detention Center has repeatedly blocked lawyers from meeting their clients lawfully.
Relevant authorities at the Wenzhou Detention Center who communicated with the lawyers maintained a restrained attitude and gentle tone, stating that they “also hope lawyers can successfully meet their clients,” but that there was “indeed no way.” In response, lawyers questioned what kind of force could compel an institution, fully aware of the legal risks and long recognized as a “model civilized unit”, to nonetheless choose to bear such obvious legal consequences.
Multiple defense lawyers pointed out that, under the law, only in cases involving a small number of specific crimes do lawyer-client meetings require approval from the case-handling authority; in all other cases, lawyers have the legal right to meet their clients, and detention centers must arrange such meetings within 48 hours. However, in this case, the Wenzhou Detention Center has refused to fulfill its statutory obligations.
Lawyers stated that they have collected relevant evidence regarding the situation. For a long time, the Wenzhou Detention Center has enjoyed a good reputation within the national legal community, and many colleagues have previously praised its standardized services, but the conduct this time round is clearly inconsistent with its past image.
Lawyer Zhao Qingshan (赵青山) stated that he had successfully met with his client on December 5, and under normal circumstances, the detention center would have even less reason to deny subsequent meetings. However, his latest application was also rejected. He stated unequivocally that he would pursue accountability to the end for the Wenzhou Detention Center’s clearly unlawful actions.
Special Correspondent Ningmeng for ChinaAid
