Three church leaders in China have been sentenced to prison terms of up to three years on charges widely condemned as unjust by international religious freedom organizations.
Pastor Li Jie, Elder Han Xiaodong, and Elder Wang Qiang of Linfen Covenant Home Church in Shanxi Province were sentenced on June 20 for alleged fraud related to church offerings. Pastor Li and Elder Han received three years and eight months, while Elder Wang was sentenced to one year and eleven months. Wang will not return to prison, having already served time in forced detention.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) strongly criticized the convictions, calling the charges “unfounded” and urging authorities to reverse the sentences immediately.
The church leaders were initially detained in 2022. Pastor Li and Elder Han were arrested during a church retreat in August, while Elder Wang was detained later that year, reportedly for refusing to give false testimony against his fellow leaders.
The charges, issued in June 2023, accused the men of forming a criminal “clique” and collecting “illegal income.” Their trial, which did not begin until May 2025, was characterized by heavy security and tight restrictions. According to reports, church members were warned not to attend, family members were forcibly removed from the courtroom, and defense lawyers were barred from using essential legal tools.
In April, family members reported ongoing harassment. Han’s wife said she and Pastor Li’s wife had been intimidated by authorities in the lead-up to the trial.
In a public statement, Linfen Covenant Home Church defended the three leaders and described the charges as a violation of religious freedom. As an unregistered “house church,” the congregation says it follows the biblical principle of church-state separation and maintains that collecting offerings is a normal aspect of Christian worship—not a criminal act.
Similar sentences were also handed down to leaders of Golden Lampstand Church, another unregistered congregation in the same city, facing comparable charges related to church finances.
CSW President Mervyn Thomas said, “The recent sentencing of members and leaders of Linfen Covenant Home Church and Golden Lampstand Church highlights once again how easily China’s complex judicial system can be manipulated. In both cases, trials were held behind closed doors, lawyers were barred from bringing essential materials into court, and hearings took place without proper legal representation—raising serious concerns about the integrity of China’s judicial process.”
He added, “CSW condemns these unjust sentences and China’s ongoing criminalization of freedom of religion or belief. We call on the Chinese authorities to overturn these rulings immediately and to ensure transparent, fair, and open legal proceedings.”
China ranks 15th on Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List of the 50 countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.