(SHAANXI, CHINA – Nov. 13, 2026) Chinese police blocked Christians and human rights lawyers from observing a house church pastor’s trial in northwestern China on Thursday, taking several attorneys into custody as the hearing ended without a verdict.
The approximately 10-hour hearing took place at the Beilin District People’s Court in Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. Pastor Gao Quanfu, 69, of Light of Zion Church faces fraud charges involving church offerings, with prosecutors seeking a 12- to 13-year prison sentence.
The prosecution has raised religious freedom concerns because authorities classify offerings from church members as fraudulently obtained funds. Advocates say such charges increasingly target unregistered Protestant congregations operating outside China’s government-sanctioned religious system.
Gao’s wife, Pang Yu, is scheduled to stand trial Nov. 17. Fellow church leader Pastor Tang Bingyi was originally scheduled for Nov. 23, but his hearing has been postponed without a new date. All three face charges stemming from the same investigation.
As previously reported by ChinaAid, Gao was detained in May 2025, initially accused of using superstition to undermine the law. Authorities later changed the charges to fraud. Light of Zion Church has operated in Xi’an for nearly 40 years.
Police block observers, take lawyers into custody
Eyewitnesses reported hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes officers outside the courthouse Thursday, barring Christians and lawyers. Those stopped included lawyers Bao Longjun, Wang Yu, Jiang Tianyong, Peng Yonghe and disbarred lawyer Lu Siwei.
Wang and Lu were reportedly taken into custody. Wang later said police stopped her for an identification check and took her to a nearby building’s lobby, where she witnessed officers dragging and kicking Lu.
Police took Wang to a station and issued an administrative summons on suspicion of “disrupting public order.” A separate police summons for Lu cited “disrupting the order of a work unit” and recorded his arrival at 9:45 a.m. and departure at 8:51 p.m.
At 1:20 p.m., Lu sent a distress message to a friend saying he was being held at the station and could not communicate normally with the outside world.
Su Yutong, an exiled Chinese journalist and human rights activist based in Germany, reported on X that an officer at the station confirmed Lu was being questioned but said he did not know Wang’s whereabouts.
Lu accused authorities of fabricating allegations to prevent the lawyers from observing the trial. He also alleged that officers struck him while taking him away.
Separate reports identified Peng Yonghe as another lawyer taken away by police. However, details of his detention and whether he remains in custody have not been independently confirmed.
Family alleges coerced testimony and missing records
On the eve of the trial, Gao Pu, the son of Gao and Pang, issued an open letter from the United States on behalf of the family, accusing local judicial authorities of serious procedural violations.
Addressed to Supreme People’s Court President Zhang Jun and Procurator-General Ying Yong, the letter alleges that authorities used threats and inducements to pressure some believers into describing their voluntary church offerings as money obtained through fraud.
The family also contends that prosecutors improperly divided a single investigation involving the same church into three cases, depriving the defendants of access to complete evidence.
Defense lawyers said prosecutors failed to provide a complete list and contact information for the 235 people identified as fraud “victims” in the indictment, despite repeated requests.
During a Nov. 6 meeting with presiding judge Luo Yixian, Pang’s lawyer discovered that her case file lacked an interview record involving Zhao Qian, a key designated “victim.” The same record appeared in Gao’s case file.
According to the family, the judge confirmed the discrepancy and promised a response by Nov. 9. However, the court had not responded by Nov. 11, one day before Gao’s trial.
On Nov. 11, Zhao Yuying, a Christian whom prosecutors listed as a “victim,” encountered similar obstacles when she and a lawyer retained by her family attempted to submit documents and review case files.
Defense attorneys also learned Nov. 10 that the court had requested officials from judicial administrative departments to attend the trial and “supervise” their courtroom conduct. Legal professionals expressed concern that the unusual oversight would pressure the defense team.
ChinaAid previously reported that police confronted lawyers working on the case during September court proceedings, including shoving one attorney from the courthouse and confiscating another’s phone.
Gao’s family has appealed to China’s highest judicial authorities to investigate the alleged procedural violations. Neither the Beilin District People’s Court nor local police had publicly addressed the allegations at the time of reporting.
Gao Zhensai is a special correspondent for ChinaAid News. Founded in 2002, ChinaAid is an international Christian human rights organization committed to promoting religious freedom and the rule of law in China through advocacy, legal support, and international awareness campaigns.