Families of the detained Zion Church leaders have recounted the persecution, mistreatment and inhumane conditions they have faced, as a rights group renews calls for their release ahead of a meeting between the Chinese and American presidents.
Eight leaders from the underground Beijing church remain imprisoned awaiting a delayed trial, despite the release of church founder Pastor Ezra Jin more than two months ago after the two leaders met.
A crackdown on the unregistered church by Chinese authorities in October 2025 led to the arrest of 18 people. The eight detained have been charged with illegally using information networks, illegal business operations and fraud connected to their online Christian worship; nine more leaders were released on bail but continue to face the same allegations.
Ahead of an expected summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping later this week, Fortify Rights has called for the church leaders to be released. The group, which documents human rights violations, has collected testimony from family members about the moment of arrest and conditions in detention.
Geng Pengpeng, wife of Pastor Gao Yingjia, said she had visited the “terrible” living conditions in the Beihali detention centres, where more than 30 people are kept in a cell of 40 square meters.
She said: “They are squeezed in on hard wooden benches, with no bedding, and dirt floors, full of worms and mosquitos. They can only sleep side-by-side because there are so many people. They have little fresh air, no air-conditioning, and the weather is hot and humid. Many prisoners catch skin and infectious diseases from other prisoners.
“One prisoner released on bail has been going to hospital every day for two months due to a skin disease which is severely itchy. The food is terrible—dirty, the vegetables are not washed, limited types of food … Their clothes are moldy due to the humidity. They have no proper medicine. My husband almost died from an appendix problem, and he had a fever a couple of times but could not get proper medicine or medical treatment.”
Pastor Yang Jun told Fortify Rights that the condition of his wife Wu Qiuyu is “worse than some of the others” with correspondence being restricted.
“My wife is subjected to physical mistreatment. For example, she is forced to stand guard at night, or sit on a small stool for a long time … She is also subjected to mental and psychological abuse. For example, they threaten that they will stop family letters, or threaten her family members and children”, he added.
Detained pastors were initially refused Bibles. Efforts from family members now mean they have access to scripture, although they have been limited to books about Chinese Communist Party ideology and Xi Jinping.
The family of Pastor Wang Lin had faced persecution before the raids, with their children turned away from schools. Family members also recounted authorities pulling children from the arms of parents during arrest, breaking into houses or being detained at airports.
China has continued to restrict freedom of worship: targeting online Christian services with the requirement to obtain an “Internet Religious Information License”, new rules that clergy must follow “core socialist values”, and a wider “Sinicisation of religion” under ethnic unity laws to promote Chinese Community Party values.
Benedict Rogers, Fortify Rights senior director, said: “The continued detention of eight Zion Church leaders and the impending prosecution of them and others is a flagrant violation of freedom of religion. The conditions in which they are detained are deeply concerning, as is the weaponisation of access to education for their children.
“President Trump successfully secured the release of Pastor Jin when he visited Beijing in May. When Xi Jinping visits Washington, DC this week, the release of the remaining Zion Church detainees must be a priority for the US administration. The international community must step up urgently to demand the immediate and unconditional release of the Zion eight and for all charges against them and the other nine church leaders on bail to be dropped.”