Zion Church’s Open Prayer Letter Urging the Beihai Yinhai District Court to Immediately Release Wang Zhong and Wu Qiuyu

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord and friends from all walks of life, peace to you!

The “10·9” Zion case has now lasted 323 days. On July 17, 2026, the Beihai Yinhai District Procuratorate indicted the case in the court of the same district. The court had originally planned to hold a pretrial conference on August 10 and open the trial on August 14, but because the schedule was too rushed, the proceedings were postponed following a collective protest by the lawyers. The court has not yet notified the parties of a new time for the pretrial conference or trial.

We hereby earnestly ask everyone to continue praying for the eight Zion pastors and co-workers who have been imprisoned for nearly 11 months because of their faith: Gao Yingjia, Yin Huibin, Wang Lin, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng, Wang Zhong, and Wu Qiuyu. In particular, we earnestly pray and call out for Elder Wang Zhong and Sister Wu Qiuyu to be released on bail as soon as possible!

During the procuratorate’s review for prosecution, Wang Zhong and Wu Qiuyu respectively stated to the procuratorate on July 17 and August 6 that they confessed and accepted punishment, and the procuratorate therefore recommended to the court that the two be given suspended sentences. According to Deputy Prosecutor General Pan and court staff, the procuratorate has already recommended to the court that their compulsory measures be changed to release on bail pending trial.

Release on bail pending trial is a non-custodial compulsory measure. According to Articles 12 and 17 of the Provisions on the Review and Evaluation of the Necessity of Detention by the People’s Procuratorates and Public Security Organs, under circumstances including recommended suspended sentences, no prior criminal record, and being an accessory, Wang Zhong and Wu Qiuyu should be assessed as not requiring detention, and their compulsory measures should be changed to release on bail pending trial. In ordinary cases meeting the above conditions, the relevant individuals would be released immediately. However, the Yinhai Court has abused its power of detention and still refuses to release them. We hereby express our strong protest!

On August 8, Wang Zhong’s father was critically ill. His family immediately applied to the court for release on bail pending trial and submitted a critical-illness notice. The court, however, refused on the grounds that it “needed to conduct an investigation into social dangerousness” and was “concerned that he would be unable to attend the originally scheduled trial from August 14 to 18,” while making the family wait from the afternoon until midnight without taking action or providing an answer. The trial was subsequently postponed, with the specific date yet to be determined. The original reason that he “would not be able to return in time for the trial” was no longer valid, but the court changed its explanation, saying it was “concerned that he might suffer a heart attack and be hospitalized en route, making him unable to appear in court,” while continuing to refuse his release on the grounds that the “social dangerousness investigation had not been completed.” The court treats various hypothetical possibilities as grounds for refusal, while ignoring the risk that the person concerned could likewise suffer an illness in the detention center and be unable to receive necessary medical examinations during detention. This is clearly an abuse of the power of detention.

After struggling in the ICU for 11 days, Wang Zhong’s father died on August 18. Wang Zhong suffers from severe coronary heart disease—he previously underwent stent placement, has severe blood-vessel blockage, and needs regular comprehensive examinations and treatment as directed by doctors—and has been detained for nearly 11 months. His multiple lawful applications for release on bail have all been rejected. Despite the fact that he clearly meets the conditions for release on bail, the court has irrationally refused on various hypothetical grounds, continuously disregarded the risks to his life and health, and caused Wang Zhong to lose the opportunity to bid farewell to his father, resulting in a massive humanitarian disaster and family tragedy. On the one hand, we ask God to have mercy on and comfort Elder Wang Zhong and his family; on the other hand, we ask God to carry out righteous judgment, and we call on the international community to jointly condemn the case-handling authorities that have abused their powers!

On October 10, 2025, Wu Qiuyu was taken away by police from her home in front of her two young children. Her husband, Pastor Yang Jun, was not in the country at the time and has remained stranded overseas to this day. The older brother is now 3 years and 10 months old, and the younger sister is 2 years and 5 months old. Since Wu Qiuyu’s arrest, the two children have been cared for by their maternal grandfather, aged 64, and maternal grandmother, aged 63. Because they have been without their parents’ company for such a long time, the younger sister has become indifferent toward her parents and cannot express that she misses them. The older brother has only scattered memories of his parents and sometimes clings tightly to his grandmother’s legs, asking for his father and mother. Wu Qiuyu’s decision to confess and accept punishment was made mainly out of consideration for the fact that the two children are young and neither parent is by their side; she hoped to be released as soon as possible to care for and accompany them. Despite this, the court has repeatedly rejected her application for release on bail pending trial on various unreasonable pretexts.

When the family pressed the procuratorate about why the court would not grant release on bail, the reason given by the procuratorate was shocking: “We only make recommendations; the decision-making power lies with the court.” When the procuratorate carries out the procedure for the persons concerned to confess and accept punishment, it never says that it is merely making a recommendation and has no decision-making power. Why, when it comes time to hold it accountable, is the procuratorate’s statutory authority weakened into “only making recommendations”? The court should generally follow the sentencing recommendations reached by the procuratorate on the basis of the persons concerned confessing and accepting punishment. A recommendation for a suspended sentence means that continued detention is unnecessary. As a legal supervision organ, the procuratorate’s recommendation of suspended sentences and its procuratorial recommendation to change compulsory measures itself carry legal authority. In judicial practice, the court has no reason to reject the procuratorate’s lawful recommendation; otherwise, it constitutes an abuse of the power of detention and also violates the original intention behind the two persons concerned confessing and accepting punishment.

At present, Sister Wu Qiuyu and Elder Wang Zhong, together with the six other pastors and co-workers of Zion Church, remain detained in Beihai First and Second Detention Centers, facing the false charges of “fraud” and/or “illegal business operations.” We have heard fellow believers who have experienced imprisonment share that inside the detention center, not only does each day feel like a year—even each second feels like a year!

In recent years, the authorities have often used the criminal charges of fraud and illegal business operations to harshly suppress China’s house churches. If this is the bitter cup God has apportioned to us, we are willing to bear the cross and continue following Christ. But we must also issue a clear warning and advise China’s governing authorities not to play the role of Pontius Pilate and be nailed to the pillar of historical shame!

Here, we strongly appeal: Faith is not a crime! Church offerings are not fraud! Bible training is not illegal business operations! Release the eight Zion co-workers! Our most urgent appeals: The elder’s heart urgently needs treatment; the burial of his deceased father cannot wait—release Wang Zhong immediately! The sister is frail and frequently ill; young children longing for their mother cannot wait—release Wu Qiuyu immediately!

The Pastoral Team, Council of Elders, Church Affairs Committee, and Families of Zion Church

August 28, 2026