(Suizhou, Hubei – December 27, 2025) In Suizhou City, in central China’s Hubei Province, a case involving a Christian faith group has once again drawn attention. The case originated from a coordinated police operation in 2023, during which the Suizhou Public Security Bureau detained nearly 30 Christians, 28 of whom were subsequently prosecuted. Among the defendants is 72-year-old Christian Song Yude, regarded as a key organizer in the area.
According to family members and defense lawyers, when Song Yude recently appeared in court, he was suffering from severe discomfort due to a serious hernia. Because he had not received adequate treatment for an extended period, he was no longer able to walk on his own. During the hearing, the court arranged for medical personnel to be present, and court police carried him into the courtroom. The defense lawyer stated in court that the defendant’s current health condition rendered him unfit to continue with the trial, requested a suspension of the proceedings, and called for priority medical treatment, emphasizing that humanitarian principles should be observed.
The court ultimately decided to separate Song Yude’s case from those of the other defendants and returned him to the detention center. Family members later went to the court to raise concerns, and a judge stated that the matter would be reported to higher authorities.
China’s judicial personnel lack independence, with senior officials directing these matters.
Song Yude’s side stated that doctors at the detention center had previously indicated that medication would be ineffective and recommended surgery. However, during more than two years of detention, the necessary treatment arrangements were never implemented.
All defendants in this case are accused of “organizing and using a cult to undermine the implementation of the law,” a charge in China’s Criminal Law that has long been controversial and notorious and is often wrongly used to handle religious activities not recognized by the government.
According to the indictment materials, religious activities within the church system, such as teachings, sermons, and discipleship training, were characterized as promoting “heretical fallacies.” Everyday religious practices, including parent-child activities, fellowship gatherings, Easter services, small group meetings, communion, prayer meetings, and believers’ testimonies, were all listed as evidence and defined by prosecutors as “propagating cult ideology.”
The case remains under further handling, and Song Yude’s health condition and the direction of the case continue to draw close attention from his family and the public.
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