Statement by the China Human Rights Lawyers Group: Opposing the Authorities’ Use of the “Case Outside the Case” Model to Punish Defense Lawyers in the Zion Church Case

After the Beijing Zion Church “10·9” case occurred in October 2025，18 pastors and co-workers，including Pastor Jin Mingri，were criminally detained on suspicion of “the crime of illegally using an information network”，and the case is currently at the stage where the investigation is concluding and the case is about to be transferred to the procuratorate for review。To safeguard the legal right of the parties to a defense，several lawyers from Beijing Kaimen Law Firm，including Lawyer Zhang Kai，as well as other lawyers，undertook defense duties at the entrustment of the families。However，since the case progressed，the defense lawyers have successively faced intensive intervention and punishment by judicial and administrative authorities。This systematic suppression of lawyers’ professional practice not only seriously infringes on the lawyers’ lawful personal rights and interests，but directly deprives defendants of their constitutional right to effective defense and undermines the foundation of judicial fairness。We express our grave concern and call on all sectors of society to attach the highest importance to this matter。

Beijing lawyer Zhang Kai，as the defense lawyer for Pastor Jin Mingri，is also the director of Beijing Kaimen Law Firm，and has long represented numerous cases involving house churches and provided the parties with professional legal assistance。In the Zion Church case，Lawyer Zhang Kai and the defense team for the entire case basically carried out their work in accordance with the “in accordance with the law and regulations” model routinely communicated by the judicial bureau，and did not issue any lawyer’s statement or public comment。However，in December 2025，the Beijing Municipal Justice Bureau issued Lawyer Zhang Kai a notice of its intention to revoke his lawyer’s practicing certificate。In January 2026，following a so-called hearing procedure，Lawyer Zhang Kai’s lawyer’s practicing certificate was revoked。

During the defense of the Zion Church case，lawyers including Yang Yaohua、Li Chunfu、Ge Xianyang、Liu Anqiang、Tang Xianlong、and Zhao Qingshan were also punished with six-month suspensions from practice，while Lawyer Deng Qinggao was issued a “warning” after taking over Lawyer Zhang Kai’s defense and was forced to withdraw from the defense。Three of the suspended lawyers are from Beijing Kaimen Law Firm，which，because it has brought together lawyers handling a large number of Christian cases and participated in the defense of multiple religious cases，has faced administrative pressure from the judicial bureau to force its deregistration following the revocation of Lawyer Zhang Kai’s practicing certificate。

It is noteworthy that the reasons given by judicial bureaus in various locations for punishing the defense lawyers in this case ostensibly all came from complaints concerning other cases。After Kaimen Law Firm was ordered to deregister，several other lawyers who participated in the defense of this case were forced to propose terminating their retainers with the parties，leaving the 18 detained pastors and co-workers almost without professional defense support。

The China Human Rights Lawyers Group believes that the Zion Church case defense lawyers committed no violations during the defense of the case yet received severe punishment。This “case outside the case” punishment model is in essence the use of other cases as a pretext to carry out retaliatory strikes against lawyers representing sensitive religious cases，seriously violating international conventions on the protection of lawyers’ rights and the spirit of the rule of law。

The United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers (adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders in 1990)。Article 16 of the Principles expressly provides：“Governments shall ensure that lawyers (a) are able to perform all of their professional duties without intimidation，hindrance，harassment or improper interference；(b) are able to travel and to consult with their clients freely and without delay；and (c) shall not suffer，or be threatened with prosecution or administrative，economic or other sanctions for any action taken in accordance with recognized professional duties，standards and ethics”；Article 18 emphasizes：“Lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes as a result of discharging their functions”。As a member of the United Nations，China has an international obligation to comply with these Principles。Legal defense by lawyers is a core element in achieving a fair trial，and any punishment imposed on the grounds of a case outside the case，if in substance directed at a lawyer’s representation of a particular type of case，constitutes a systematic infringement on the lawyer’s independence and violates Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights concerning the “right to have competent legal counsel”。

Finally，the China Human Rights Lawyers Group strongly calls for and advocates the following：

1、The Beijing Municipal Justice Bureau and relevant authorities must immediately revoke the decision to revoke Lawyer Zhang Kai’s practicing certificate and restore his qualifications to practice；revoke the six-month suspensions imposed on the six lawyers Yang Yaohua、Li Chunfu、Ge Xianyang、Liu Anqiang、Tang Xianlong、and Zhao Qingshan，restore their normal right to practice，and cease the chain pressure on law firms；and revoke the warning imposed on Lawyer Deng Qinggao。

2、Ensure that the defense lawyers in the Zion Church case are free from any outside interference and independently perform their duties，and ensure that the 18 detained pastors and co-workers receive the right to defense by qualified lawyers。

3、Judicial and administrative authorities at all levels must strictly comply with the Lawyers Law and international conventions，stop targeting lawyers representing sensitive cases through the “case outside the case” method，effectively protect lawyers’ professional rights，and safeguard judicial fairness and the dignity of the rule of law。

4、We call on the international community，United Nations human rights mechanisms and global lawyers’ organizations to pay attention to the situation of lawyers’ rights in China and promote the Chinese government’s fulfillment of its international obligations；at the same time，we call on our fellow lawyers in China to uphold professional ethics and jointly resist any form of suppression of lawyers。

Lawyers are guardians of the rule of law，not appendages of power。Only by effectively protecting lawyers’ right to practice independently can judicial fairness and human rights protection truly be achieved。The China Human Rights Lawyers Group will continue to monitor developments concerning the rights of lawyers in the Zion Church case and work together with forces for justice in China and abroad to defend lawyers’ rights and defendants’ right to defense without respite。Any retaliatory punishment against lawyers will face the judgment of history and conscience。

Lawyers of the China Human Rights Lawyers Group

April 5, 2026, Easter