Three Chinese church leaders have been sentenced to prison after being found guilty of “unfounded” charges of fraud, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).
The verdict and sentence have been condemned by supporters and church members who say the men were simply managing the church collection and that the legal process was deeply flawed.
Pastor Li Jie, Elder Han Xiadong and Elder Wang Qiang are leaders of the Linfen Covenant Home Church in Shanxi Province. Jie and Xiadong were both sentenced to three years and eight months, while Qiang received a lesser sentence of one year and 11 months.
Jie and Xiadong were arrested in August 2022, with Qiang being arrested in November, allegedly because he refused to give false evidence against the other two.
The men were later charged with obtaining “illegal income” but the trial did not start until May 2025.
Xiadong and Jie’s wives, as well as other church members, were allegedly intimidated and harassed by the authorities ahead of the trial, which was conducted in secret.
Sources for the rights group CSW claim that lawyers representing the men were told the sentences would be lower than three years if they entered the court without electronic devices, assurances that were apparently broken.
Qiang was released on bail in March 2025, although he was previously released into “Residential Surveillance in a Designated Location”, which is regarded by the UN as a form of enforced disappearance, as the suspect remains in incommunicado detention. It is believed that his shorter sentence is a reflection of time already served, meaning he has been released.
In a statement the church said, “We do not accept this unjust judgment. Our brothers did not commit fraud, and the offerings of our church are not fraud. Our church remains a house church, adhering to Christ as the sole head of the church and the principle of separation of church and state.
“We recognize that Li Jie, Han Xiaodong, and Wang Qiang are suffering for righteousness sake and are willing to take up the cross with the Lord. We receive the result of the judgment from the Lord with a heart of gratitude and obedience.”
