Religious persecution and issues – Bimonthly Digest October 15-31
General
23.10.2025 – China courts Taiwanese worshippers in religious charm offensive, study shows
Reuters – More than 10,000 Taiwanese people participated in religious activities in China in 2024 with support from the government in Beijing, a study showed, which Taipei views as part of a campaign by China to win hearts and minds on the island.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to the island, subjecting it to almost daily military drills while reaching out to those it believes are receptive to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwan’s government says the Republic of China is a sovereign state and Beijing has no right to speak for or represent it.
16.10.2025 – USCIRF Condemns Nationwide Detention of Church Leaders across China
Uscirf – Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) condemns in the strongest possible terms the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) detention of Zion Church founder Pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin as well as the brutal arrest of dozens of other religious leaders and church staff in multiple regions across China.
“With these arrests, the CCP once again has demonstrated its utter contempt for religious freedom,” said USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler.“We call upon the US government to pressure China on this horrendous violation until it releases Ezra Jin and of all those who have been detained for practicing their faith.”
This nationwide crackdown adds to ongoing assaults on freedom of religion or belief within China. Under President Xi Jinping’s “sinicization of religion” policy, CCP authorities have escalated efforts to coerce and to enact retribution on religious groups refusing to join state-controlled religious organizations.
15.10.2025 – Taiwan scholars accuse China of using festivals to push unification
Ucanews – Academics in Taiwan have accused Chinese authorities of politicizing traditional festivals by linking family reunions and cultural observances with Beijing’s message of political unification.
Their remarks came after local authorities in China invited Taiwanese citizens to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations framed around the themes of “family and nation,” the Taipei Times reported on Oct. 6.
Buddhists
23.10.2025 – China conducts Dalai Lama pictures-raid at top monastery outside Tibet Autonomous Region
Bitter Winter – Chinese authorities recently launched a surprise raid in the biggest Tibetan Buddhist monastery and surrounding religious places and villages in Sangchu (Chinese: Xiahe) County of Gansu province with a specific agenda to confiscate pictures of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said the Tibetan-language tibettimes.orgOct 21, citing ‘reliable information’. From one village alone, the raiding officials were stated to have carted away four large bags of confiscated items.
The raid was stated to have been carried out by three ethnic Tibetan officials of the Chinese government who arrived at Labrang Tashi Khyil Monastery on Oct 16. The have carried out their search at the monastery as well as other religious places and homes in surrounding areas that included the villages of Thangnag, Ngonchag, L’edrug, Sangkhog, and Marteng and so forth.
18.10.2025 – Humkar Dorje Rinpoche: UN demands truth behind suspicious death of Tibetan Lama in Vietnam
Bitter Winter – The United Nations has issued a stark and urgent demand to the governments of Vietnam and China: explain the suspicious death of Tibetan spiritual leader Tulku Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, or face international scrutiny for possible human rights violations.
Tulku Hungkar Dorje, revered abbot of the Tibetan Buddhist Longen Monastery in Qinghai, died in Vietnamese custody on March 28 or 29, 2025, under circumstances so opaque and troubling that four UN human rights bodies—including the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions and on minority issues—formally intervened. Their joint communications, sent to Hanoi and Beijing on August 8, cite “grave concern” over his detention, disappearance, and death, warning that both governments may have breached international law.
Protestants
24.10.2025 – Beijing Zion Church: The Dramatic Arrest of Brother Sun Xue
Bitter Winter – On October 22, the wife of Brother Sun Xue, one of the Christian activists arrested during the crackdown on the Beijing Zion Church, sent to human rights organizations, including “Bitter Winter,” the letter we translated and reproduce.
“My family is safe—for now. I am Sister Shilin, wife of Brother Sun Xue. I apologize for the delay in sharing our story; it has taken time to gather the strength.
We returned to Henan during the National Day holiday to visit relatives. At 10 p.m. on October 12, police officers from the Fengyasong neighborhood in Zhengzhou came to our door, claiming they were conducting a census. When I asked to see a search warrant, they couldn’t produce one, so we refused to let them in. We even put our one-year-and-nine-month-old child to sleep, hoping to shield him from witnessing his father being taken away.
24.10.2025 – Why Beijing is looking to exert tighter control over Chinese Christians
Theconversation.com – Chinese authorities detained Ezra Jin, the leader of the Zion Church, on October 10 alongside more than 30 church staff and pastors. The arrests come amid the largest crackdown on Christian churches in China in recent years, and have put renewed light on Beijing’s attempts to curb religious activities in China.
The Zion Church, a large unregistered church with congregations across China, has been on the authorities’ radar for many years. So the question is not why the crackdown is happening, but why it is happening now. China’s tense relations with the US have as much to do with this as domestic religious policy.
20.10.2025 – Four generations of faith: A century of Christian witness in Northern China
China Christian daily – In northern China, there is a big family that has followed Christ for nearly a century and has given birth to preachers for four consecutive generations. They have persevered through recurrent poverty, wars, and social upheavals. For nearly a century, they have constantly committed themselves to gatherings and ministry.
The Christian family’s story of faith began over a century ago, from the conversion of a young man who deeply indulged in gambling. From his severe gambling addiction to his salvation by the gospel, from illiteracy to proficiency in teaching the Bible, his complete and entire change so moved the most educated elder gentleman in his village that even he came to Christ. His son, the father of Pastor Tianming, was born on a Christmas Day and had quietly held to his faith through the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution.
17.10.2025 – Experienced Pastor urges churches to reform outdated concepts and practices
China Christian Daily – Amid the ever-changing tides of the times, should the church also adapt to keep pace? Pastor Chen, who has long served in an urban church in northern China, candidly noted that many traditional church practices once regarded as “spiritual” have become outdated and, in some cases, obstacles to the church’s healthy development.
In the late 1970s, churches across China reopened and entered a period of rapid growth. However, much like Chinese society at the time, the nation remained poor, and the churches even more so. Many congregations, pastors, and believers frequently traveled by bicycle, car, train, or even on foot to attend local trainings, gatherings, lectures, and worship services.
16.10.2025 – Chinese police detain 22 Church members as Zion Church steps up its legal response
China Aid – Since October 9, 2025, the Yinhai Branch of the Beihai Public Security Bureau in Guangxi has detained at least 22 pastors and co-workers from an active local Christian group, Zion Church, sparking a round of renewed international concern over the state of religious freedom in China.
According to a statement released by the church on October 16, with the church’s assistance, families of 16 detained individuals have hired lawyers to participate in the defense process. According to arrangements, each detained individual is represented by two lawyers; so far, 32 attorneys have formally joined the case, with 13 having completed initial meetings with their clients.
Falun Gong
28.10.2025 – Two women in their 70s face trial for practicing Falun Gong
Minghui – Two women in Pingdu City, Shandong Province, are scheduled to appear in the Pingdu City Court on November 12, 2025 for their shared faith in Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline that has been persecuted by the Chinese communist regime since 1999.
Ms. Zhang Yuemei, 70, and Ms. Yu Hongzhi, in her 70s, were arrested on June 3, 2025, after police spotted them putting up posters about Falun Gong. They were taken to the Pudong Detention Center the next day.
The Zhugou Town Police Station submitted both women’s cases to the Pingdu City Procuratorateon August 26, 2025. The prosecutor indicted them on September 26, 2025 and their trial was scheduled to take place at the detention center on November 12.
23.10.2025 – Small business owner beaten and sentenced to 2.5 Years for talking to people about his faith
Minghui – A man in Bin County, Heilongjiang Province, was sentenced to prison to serve a 2.5-year term for practicing Falun Gong.
Mr. Guo Haicheng, a father of two college girls, went to nearby Fangzheng County to purchase produce for his small business on September 4, 2024. He talked to the farmers about Falun Gong’s health benefits. While some were receptive, others reported him to the police.
The police arrested Mr. Guo on his way home and took him to the Fangzheng County Detention Center. His car and the produce he just bought were impounded. A relative of his later used his connection to get the car and produce. But due to improper storage, the produce was about to rot and the relative was forced to relinquish it at significant financial loss.
22.10.2025 – Two Guangdong women sentenced to 3 years for their faith in Falun Gong
Minghui – The Chikan District Court in Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province sentenced two local women to three years in prison for their faith in Falun Gong, Minghui.org learned recently.
The wrongful conviction of Ms. Yu Mei, 58, and Ms. Wu Shaochuan, 62, stemmed from their arrests on May 14, 2023. They talked to people about Falun Gong that day and were reported by a college student. The police arrested them at 5 p.m. and took them to the Cunjin Police Station.
During the interrogation, both women were handcuffed, body-searched, and had their pictures and fingerprints taken against their will. Ms. Yu refused to comply and was held down by several officers. They slit her finger and pressed her fingerprints.
17.10.2025 – 68-Year-Old Liaoning woman unrecognizable after just one month in prison to serve a 4-year term for practicing Falun Gong
Minghui – A 68-year-old woman in Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, was sent to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison on September 16, 2025 to serve a four-year term for practicing Falun Gong. Her family was not allowed to visit her until October 10. They were shocked to see she was reduced to just skin and bones after just one month in prison.
Ms. Wang Wei was arrested on July 12, 2024. She was sentenced to four years and fined 2,000 yuan on December 26, 2024. Her appeal was rejected on April 15, 2025. She submitted a motion to the Shenyang City Intermediate Court on June 5, requesting a revocation of the appeals ruling and that her case be retried, but her request was denied.
