Pre-Trial Conference Held for Xi’an Church Pastors Facing Fraud Charges
(Xi’an, Shaanxi province, China – March 10, 2025) On February 7, 2025, at 10 AM, a pre-trial conference was held at Xi’an Baqiao District People’s Court for Pastor Lian Changnian, Pastor Lian Xuliang, and Preacher Fu Juan of Xi’an Church of Abundance, who were charged with “fraud” due to their Christian faith.
Supporters of Detained Pastors Hold Vigil Outside the Court
At 5 AM that morning, brothers and sisters of Xi’an Church of Abundance prayed for the trial. Later, Lian Xuliang’s wife Zhang Jun, Preacher Fu Juan’s husband, and several other Christians from the church gathered outside the Baqiao District People’s Court, holding signs saying “We Miss You” while waiting for the prison van. Until today, they haven’t seen their loved ones, pastor, and preacher for two years and six months.
After defense lawyers including Zhang Kai entered the court, they finally saw the prison van transporting the three ministers pass by. Although the car windows were tinted and they couldn’t see inside, everyone still waved excitedly at the vehicle. Police went to stop them, and Lian Xuliang’s wife Zhang Jun was pushed to the ground.
Everyone waved excitedly at the passing prison van (Photo from internet)
The Persecution of Church Leaders
On August 17, 2022, Xi’an Church of Abundance was raided. Xi’an Shilipu Police Station detained Pastor Lian Changnian, his son Pastor Lian Xuliang, and Preacher Fu Juan under “residential surveillance at a designated location” on suspicion of “fraud.” The three were secretly detained at government-designated locations. During this time, they endured torture including starvation, beatings, forced administration of unknown drugs, and being denied bathroom access for extended periods. Pastor Lian Changnian spent his 70th birthday in detention.
During a meeting on September 10, 2024, defense lawyers found that Pastor Lian’s mental abnormalities, which began appearing in 2023, had worsened, showing signs of dementia and hallucinations. He was afraid to sleep day or night, constantly feeling that someone would drug or strangle him.
Police Intimidation Tactics Used Against Church Members
Meanwhile, police continued summoning and coercing Christians of the church, using both soft and hard tactics to pressure them to betray and frame their pastors, disrupting their relationships with the pastors, claiming that Christians’ routine church offerings were fraud by the pastors, and instigating Christians to accuse the pastors of fraud. They also spread rumors of corruption in the church. Many whom the police identified as “victims” stated that their money was offerings to God and they were not defrauded by the pastors.
Seeking Legal Help: Qin Wen Pursues Justice Against Police Coercion
A Christian named Qin Wen even hired a lawyer to prove she was not a victim. On the trial day, February 7, 2025, Qin Wen posted a Weibo article titled “Little Wenwen’s Amazing Journey as a ‘Victim’ (Part 1).” In the article, Qin Wen revealed that on the day the three pastors were arrested, she was summoned to Shilipu Police Station by officer Mr. Zhang for questioning. She said that as soon as she entered the station, Mr. Zhang told her she had been defrauded by Pastor Lian Changnian. He then checked her WeChat transfer records on her phone, asking her to download the records and send them to his personal QQ email. He also required her to print screenshots at her own expense, put her fingerprints on each page and sign them.
When questioning her about whether she knew the pastor’s family situation during the journey of her Christian faith, Qin Wen said she didn’t know. However, in the final transcript, she was made to put her fingerprint indicating she knew about the pastor’s family situation.
On August 2, 2022, Qin Wen was called to Shilipu Police Station again. Officer Mr. Zhang had her fill out two forms and file a case as a victim, mainly stating she was deceived by
Pastor Lian Changnian. Qin Wen stated that her money was willingly offered following Biblical teachings, given to her God (Jesus Christ), and Pastor Lian Changnian had not deceived her. So she refused to fill out the case filing materials. Mr. Zhang suddenly changed his attitude, sitting in his office chair with legs crossed, threatening Qin Wen that if she didn’t write, the consequences would be severe and she might lose her job.
Qin Wen believed that law enforcement collected evidence through threats, inducement, and deception, suspected of extorting confessions through torture. This meets the standard for filing a case of torture and should be investigated. She cited relevant legal provisions:
Article 8 of the “Public Security Organ Procedures for Handling Criminal Cases“:
“Strictly prohibits extorting confessions through torture and collecting evidence through threats, inducement, deception, or other illegal methods. No one shall be forced to prove their own guilt.”
“Regulations of the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on the Standards for Filing Cases Directly Accepted for Investigation by the People’s Procuratorates”:
“The crime of extorting confessions through torture refers to judicial officer using physical torture or disguised physical torture to extract confessions from criminal suspects or defendants. Cases should be filed if any of the following circumstances exist: torture used 3 or more times or on 3 or more people.”
Article 247 of the “Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China“:
“Any judicial officer who extorts confession from a criminal suspect or defendant by torture or extorts testimony from a witness by violence shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention.”
Based on these legal grounds, Qin Wen began seeking legal help, appointing lawyers to represent her in litigation regarding her “victim” status. Qin Wen also revealed that after being threatened and intimidated by police, her mental state and life were once on the verge of collapse. She made phone calls to report this and mailed over 60 complaint letters. She received return calls from Chanba Ecological Area Public Security Bureau, Baqiao District Letters and Visits Bureau, and Baqiao District People’s Procuratorate, briefly acknowledging receipt of her complaint letters and responding that it was a state secret. To this, Qin Wen expressed disbelief, saying: “I’m not a ‘victim’ of faith, I’m a victim of law enforcement intimidation, and this is how law enforcement simply replies to me?”
No other news about the trial has been received yet.
(Reported by special correspondent Ningmeng for China Aid)