Overview
- Police carried out a coordinated October sweep detaining Zion Church founder Ezra Jin and nearly 30 leaders and members across at least eight cities, with at least 18 now formally arrested or charged.
- Charges cited by authorities include the "illegal use of information networks" and fraud, escalating a legal strategy that targets how unregistered churches communicate and raise funds.
- Rights groups and local reports describe continued pressure through December, including police breaking up private gatherings, questioning members at home, and forcing Christmas services online from hiding.
- Human Rights in China reported that more than 100 people were detained in Wenzhou following a raid on Christian groups, as other Zhejiang towns saw pastors and worshippers seized by large police deployments.
- U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have condemned the detentions and urged Beijing to release church leaders, highlighting growing international scrutiny of the crackdown.