(Linfen, Shanxi — June 21, 2025) The cases of two house churches in Linfen City, Shanxi Province — Golden Lampstand Church and Covenant House Church — were adjudicated on June 20. Multiple church members were heavily sentenced on charges of “fraud,” with several receiving prison terms of over five years. The case has drawn serious concern over the worsening state of religious freedom and judicial fairness in China.
Golden Lampstand Church: Brother Li Shuangping Sentenced to Nine Years
Ten members of Golden Lampstand Church were sentenced, with core member Brother Li Shuangping receiving a nine-year and two-month prison sentence and a fine of 100,000 RMB, the heaviest sentence in this case. The verdict was grossly disproportionate to the facts involved.
It is reported that some defendants, under official pressure, dismissed their original Christian lawyers and accepted court-appointed local lawyers. Even so, simply because they upheld their faith and refused to confess guilt in court, they were labeled as having a “bad attitude” and given harsher sentences.
Vice President Xie Binghua of the Linfen Court reportedly visited the detention center multiple times, pressuring detained Christians to change lawyers, interfering with defense strategies, and forcibly advancing the trials of Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife Yang Rongli. Such actions gravely violated the principle of judicial independence.
Summary of sentences for Golden Lampstand Church members:
- Li Shuangping: 9 years 2 months, fine 100,000 RMB
- Li Qin: 5 years 7 months, fine 50,000 RMB
- Huo Zhuangping: 5 years 5 months, fine 50,000 RMB
- Zhao Guo’ai: 5 years 4 months, fine 50,000 RMB
- Feng Junying: 4 years 10 months, fine 40,000 RMB
- Dong Yongyong: 3 years 11 months, fine 40,000 RMB
- Yang Hongzhen: 2 years 9 months, suspended 3 years, fine 30,000 RMB
- Wang Xianfeng: 2 years 6 months, suspended 3 years, fine 20,000 RMB
- Chen Qinglan: 2 years 2 months, suspended 2.5 years, fine 20,000 RMB
- Wu Ling’e: 1 year 10 months, suspended 2 years, fine 3,000 RMB
The “fraud” charges mostly concerned church financial activities, without any formal reports from victims or evidence of financial loss made public. The verdicts generally avoided addressing key facts, instead labeling the offerings of church members as “illegal fundraising,” a legal interpretation that borders on absurdity.
Golden Lampstand Church, a mega house church, was founded by Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife, Yang Rongli. They upheld the stance of an independent house church, refused to join the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement, and declined registration with the religious affairs bureau, leading to repeated persecution and crackdown.
The well-known “9.13 Linfen Case” occurred in 2009, in which the pastoral couple were imprisoned. The church building, constructed at a cost of 17 million RMB by the congregation, was demolished by the government through massive explosives on January 9, 2018.
Covenant House Church: Plea Agreement Ignored, Verdict Procedure Breached Trust
On the same day, two members of Covenant Home Church, Li Jie and Han Xiaodong, were sentenced to three years and eight months in prison on charges of “fraud,” far exceeding the previously agreed-upon three-year sentence between the prosecution, defense, and court, demonstrating the hollow nature of “trial agreements” in China’s judicial system.
According to sources close to the case, a “victim” who was supposed to testify was forcibly taken away by unidentified men in black at the court entrance, while bailiffs stood by without intervention. This malicious act led to the forced disappearance of a key witness during trial, seriously violating basic litigation rights and judicial fairness.
Despite the church’s efforts to cooperate during trial in hopes of avoiding harsher punishment, they were still met with severe sentencing. Christians privately stated: “Those in power have no integrity, no respect for the law, nor basic humanity.”
Illegal Sentencing Procedures: Conducted Behind Closed Doors, Lawyers Excluded
The sentencing was not conducted publicly as required by law, nor were defendants or lawyers notified to attend. Most verdicts were secretly announced inside the detention center, with lawyers barred from observing or recording. This severe procedural violation raises doubts as to whether these rulings can even be called a “judicial act.”
Faced with continuous crackdowns and penalties, church members expressed deep sorrow. They said: “Even as the law fails and truth is suppressed, we firmly believe that Christ alone is our hope. Though people may be faithless, God remains faithful. (2 Timothy 2:13)”
Covenant House Church is an independent house church that has refused to join the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement and has long suffered persecution from the local government. The young preacher Li Jie supported the 2018 “A Joint Statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the Sake of the Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu’s Early Rain Covenant Church, and has since been repeatedly summoned by police.
This heavy sentencing once again highlights the systematic persecution faced by independent house churches in China. The church calls on the international community, media, and human rights organizations to give this case close attention, to pray for the imprisoned brothers and sisters and their families, and to hope for the true rule of law and religious freedom in China’s future.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)
Criminal Judgements of Yaodu District People’s Court in Linfen (includes judgements for ten individuals)