Open Letter from Families of 18 Detained Co-workers in Beijing Zion Church’s “10·9 Case” / Liu Chunli, Yang Jun, Geng Pengpeng, Su Ziming and Gu Xiaoyu to Comrade Yang Zhenggen, Procurator-General of the People’s Procuratorate of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and Other Leaders

To Comrade Yang Zhenggen, Procurator-General of the People’s Procuratorate of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and other leaders:

Dear Procurator-General Yang:

We are the family members of the 18 detained co-workers in Beijing Zion Church’s “10·9 case.” Today, we are writing this letter to you with heavy yet hopeful hearts. As wives, husbands, children and parents, we miss our loved ones, from whom we have been separated, day and night. Every brief message after a visit leaves us both heartbroken and grateful.

In October 2025, our loved ones—including Pastor Jin Mingri—18 pastors and co-workers in all, were criminally detained because of the church’s normal religious activities, and were subsequently approved for arrest on suspicion of “the crime of illegally using information networks.” The crime carries a maximum sentence of only three years, yet they have been detained for more than 200 days. Notices informing us of multiple extensions to the investigation period have actually cited “the possibility of a sentence of 10 years or more” as the basis. As ordinary family members, we find this extremely difficult to understand and are deeply anxious.

Procurator-General, you have repeatedly stressed “handling every case with high quality and efficiency” and “administering justice for the people and taking responsibility for the rule of law.” These words have given us hope. We believe that you and your colleagues at the procuratorate will, based on the facts and with the law as the criterion, safeguard the legitimate rights of every citizen. Our loved ones are all kind and peaceable church workers who have devoted their lives to spreading love and hope and have never done anything to harm society. Now, some of them suffer from diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure. In the detention center, we are most worried about their physical and emotional well-being, yet we cannot accompany or care for them at any time…

As family members, what we do most often every day is pray for them, and also pray for you and the case-handling personnel. We hope that during these difficult days, they can feel justice and warmth; we also hope that our children can see their fathers and mothers soon, and that the elderly can see their sons and daughters soon. Family reunification is our simplest and most heartfelt wish.

Therefore, we earnestly request:

1. Please have your procuratorate conduct a review of the necessity of detention in this case and change the compulsory measures in accordance with the law, so that our loved ones may be released on bail pending trial or released and return home soon.

2. Correct the extension decisions that are inconsistent with the current charge, handle the case strictly in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Law, and restore the procedural rights to which they are entitled.

3. Guarantee lawyers’ normal meetings with and defense of the detainees, improve the medical care and living conditions of those detained, and allow them to feel the humane warmth of the justice system.

4. Publicize periodic information about the case, so that family members like us, who worry about them day and night, can have a little more peace of mind.

Procurator-General Yang, we understand deeply that procuratorial work carries enormous responsibility, and we also believe that under your leadership, the Guangxi procuratorial authorities will certainly put “administering justice for the people” into practice through concrete actions. Our loved ones and our families look forward to your attention and assistance. Whatever the outcome, we will remember this justice and compassion with grateful hearts.

Thank you for reading this letter despite your busy schedule. We are ready at any time to provide any materials required and to maintain communication with your procuratorate through our lawyers.

Respectfully,

Families of the 18 detained co-workers in Beijing Zion Church’s “10·9 case” / Liu Chunli, Yang Jun, Geng Pengpeng, Su Ziming and Gu Xiaoyu

Contact: hpcc109@gmail.com