(Guangxi, southern China – July 7, 2026) Just days after Pastor Ezra Jin was released, Chinese authorities have denied bail for another detained member of Beijing Zion Church, Wu Qiuyu—underscoring the ongoing crackdown on faith across China.
The Yinhai District People’s Procuratorate, a prosecutorial body in Beihai in southern China, formally rejected Wu’s application for bail pending trial. In a notice dated June 29, prosecutors said bail would not be granted because “some of the criminal facts in this case have not yet been fully ascertained.”
The decision has drawn criticism from Wu’s family and legal observers. Wu has remained in custody since the October 2025 crackdown on Beijing Zion Church, while her husband, Pastor Yang Jun, has remained stranded in South Korea since the arrests.
Yang argues that if investigators still cannot establish the alleged criminal facts after more than seven months, the legal basis for continued detention is increasingly difficult to justify.
Under Article 162 of China’s Criminal Procedure Law, authorities are generally required to establish clear criminal facts supported by reliable and sufficient evidence before transferring a case to prosecutors for review.
During one meeting with her lawyer, Wu also spoke about life inside the detention center, saying she gets along well with her cellmates. According to her lawyer, they often tell her she is “too gentle and does not belong in a place like this.”
Detention conditions have worsened, says family
Wu Qiuyu graduated from the Department of Life Sciences at Peking University before studying theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in the United States.
She was arrested during Chinese authorities’ large-scale crackdown on Beijing Zion Church in October 2025. The unregistered Protestant congregation has faced years of government pressure because it refuses to join the state-sanctioned church system.
At the time of the arrests, Pastor Yang Jun was visiting South Korea and has since been unable to return to China. The couple remains separated from their two children.
According to Wu’s family, her ability to communicate from detention has steadily diminished. During the first months of her detention, she was permitted to send one letter home each month.
In January 2026, detention center officials introduced a rule requiring detainees to maintain “good behavior” and receive no disciplinary actions before being allowed to write letters.
Because Wu requires long-term medication and has experienced ongoing mental health struggles, her family says staff have repeatedly determined that she failed to meet that standard, leaving her unable to correspond.
Faith amidst government repression
Since her arrest, Wu’s family has received only six letters. According to relatives, portions of those letters were censored or withheld because they referenced her Christian faith. The most recent envelope contained only a brief note asking the family to send medication.
During another meeting with her lawyer, Wu said she deeply misses her children. She explained that prayer, meditation on Scripture and singing hymns have become her primary sources of spiritual strength while in detention.
Despite Pastor Ezra Jin’s newfound freedom, Wu remains among several Zion Church members who continue to face prosecution. The release of the clergyman followed sustained advocacy by family members overseas, support from American political leaders, and renewed diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and China.
Wu’s denied bail application underscores that the broader crackdown has not ended, despite the hopes raised by Jin’s widely publicized release.
ChinaAid will continue to monitor developments in Wu Qiuyu’s case and the ongoing prosecution of other members of Beijing Zion Church.
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.