(Shaanxi Province, China — July 11, 2025) On July 9, 2025, the trial over alleged “fraud” involving Xi’an Church of Abundance took place. The hearing at Baqiao District Court in Xi’an was marked by several unlawful acts, including the court’s alleged illegal disqualification of defense attorneys and their forcible removal from the courtroom.
According to sources, outside the courthouse, numerous “unidentified individuals” pushed, insulted, and yelled at the lawyers, demanding that they stop filming. Some attempted to grab lawyers’ phones. Lawyer Zhang Kai was forced to call the police. However, when officers arrived, they did not verify the identities of those harassing the lawyers; instead, they attempted to detain Zhang Kai himself. In front of the police, these unidentified individuals continued to abuse Zhang Kai verbally, telling him to “behave” and continued shoving him. One man in a black T-shirt paced back and forth, shouting at a lawyer recording the scene: “Do not film!” Police stated they would not investigate the incident. An outraged lawyer demanded, “How can people shove us in front of so many police? Are you openly being partial to the enforcement of law?”
Bizarre Proceedings Mark the Church Case’s Trial
On June 26, 2025, individuals named as “victims” in the indictment issued a public statement denying they had been defrauded and affirming that their donations were made voluntarily. The statement read: “We believe we are Christians who are giving offerings in accordance with Christian tradition, and no one deceived us.” This directly refuted the prosecution’s core allegation of “fraud” against the church pastors and coworkers. The signatories emphasized that offering and tithing are a Christian tradition, a voluntary expression of a Christian’s faith, not something coerced or deceptive.
Concerns Over Fairness Sparked by An Earlier Incident
Public concerns over the fairness of the proceedings were first raised after a pretrial meeting on June 24, 2025. Not only were the supposed “victims” barred from entering the courtroom, but six defense lawyers were deliberately delayed outside for over an hour after the hearing began. The court then attempted to unilaterally revoke their representation rights on the grounds of “tardiness.” However, Pastor Lian Changnian and Pastor Lian Xuliang quickly released public statements confirming they had not dismissed their defense attorneys and expressing their full trust in them.
Additionally, the lawyers noted that the indictment from the procuratorate did not bore an official seal, raising questions about its legal validity. During the hearing, the judge openly stated that the case had received “instructions from leadership,” seriously undermining the transparency and fairness of the judicial process
Background
Pastor Lian Changnian, a senior leader in the Henan-based house church network “China Gospel Fellowship,” founded the Church of Abundance in Xi’an thirty years ago. On August 17, 2022, the church was raided by local authorities. Shilipu Police Station in Xi’an detained Pastor Lian Changnian, Pastor Lian Xuliang, and Preacher Fu Juan under “residential surveillance at a designated location,” based on grounds of alleged “fraud.” The three were secretly held in government facilities, where they endured torture including starvation, beatings, forced ingestion of unidentified drugs, and prolonged denial of bathroom access. On August 19, 2022, the Xi’an Civil Affairs Bureau officially banned the church. Pastor Lian was later released on bail due to sickness.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Ning Meng of ChinaAid)
