(Linfen, Shanxi, China – April 12, 2025) On April 12, Ms. Chen Ying, the wife of Han Xiaodong from Linfen Covenant House Church in Linfen, Shanxi, issued a distressing urgent prayer letter. In which she publicly denounces the intense surveillance, stalking, and harassment she and her daughter have endured from authorities. In her letter, Chen Ying expressed fear and unease, worried that her and her daughter’s safety might be threatened.
Wife and Daughter of Preacher Han face stalking and harassment from authorities and local community
According to what Chen Ying stated in her letter, over the past few days, she and her daughter have been unjustly monitored and followed by a large group of unidentified individuals dressed in black clothing claiming to be community personnel. While the children played outside, they were secretly photographed by these individuals, and conversations with neighbors were recorded — the constant presence of these unidentified individuals wherever they went instilled fear in both mother and daughter.
The situation escalated on the afternoon of April 10 when Chen Ying received a phone call from the Xi’an Municipal Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau (her household registration is in Xi’an), requesting a meeting about matters concerning Linfen Covenant House Church. “There is nothing to talk about,” Chen Ying firmly expressed. The caller then implied that if she did not comply with a meeting, “then wait till the police come looking for you.”
Even more disturbing, on the afternoon of April 11 and the morning of April 12, Chen Ying received multiple phone calls from unfamiliar numbers in both Xi’an and Linfen, making her even more alarmed. One of the callers claimed to be an official from the Haihong Community in Xi’an where her household registration is registered and repeatedly urged her to travel to Xi’an for a face-to-face meeting. The caller emphasized that the community was remote, making it inconvenient for her to visit.
Terrified to leave the house in fear of abduction
In her letter, Chen Ying revealed that the surveillance and harassment have made her and her daughter too frightened to even leave their home to buy food, fearing they might be kidnapped. She and another sister, Shanshan (the wife of another imprisoned brother), now feel compelled to watch their children as they play downstairs closely, terrified that something could happen. Chen has repeatedly warned her children not to open the door to any stranger when she is not home.
Toward the end of the letter, Chen Ying sorrowfully stated that she and her daughter have begun to seriously consider who to entrust their children to in the event they are arrested or abducted. Thinking of her husband, Pastor Han Xiaodong, who has been unjustly imprisoned for his faith for two years and eight months and still has not had his case heard in court; she described their life as a mother and daughter as already difficult — and now, facing this unjust treatment and the real possibility of arrest or disappearance, they are in despair and anguish.
Public Letter from wife of Preacher Han calls for prayer
Chen Ying earnestly appealed in her letter to the public to pray for her, for Shanshan, and for their children, praying for peace and justice.
Han Xiaodong is a preacher of Linfen Covenant House Church in Linfen, Shanxi, a church that has endured ongoing suppression. Han Xiaodong was arrested on August 19, 2022, and remains in detention to this day, with slow progress to his case.
ChinaAid’s statement on Chen Ying’s situation
ChinaAid is calling on the international community to pay close attention to Chen Ying’s situation and urges the authorities in Shanxi, China, to stop these acts of intimidation:
- Cease all forms of surveillance and harassment that directly violate their personal freedom, privacy rights, and religious liberty. Cease any initiative that restricts the everyday life of believers. The harassment has instilled such fear in Chen Ying and her daughter that they are afraid to even go out to shop, severely disrupting their daily life and mental well-being.
- The government’s use of “community personnel” and “unidentified individuals dressed in black clothing” to conduct surveillance is a method that lacks transparency and legal justification, creates an atmosphere of fear, and constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental civil rights.
- The Xi’an Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau asserting pressure under the guise of a “meeting,” along with the implied threat of police involvement (“the police will come looking for you”), is a clear form of intimidation and threat meant to suppress religious activities and free expression of citizens.
- This case clearly illustrates the lack of due process and fairness in Shanxi’s judicial system. The prolonged detention and delays in the legal process appear to be deliberate tactics to suppress religion and instill fear.
ChinaAid Association calls for the immediate release of Han Xiaodong and other preachers and urges the public to pray for Pastor Han Xiaodong and his family in the hope that justice will prevail and he will soon regain his freedom.
(Reported by Special Correspondent Gao Zhensai of ChinaAid)