The Case of the “Wheat Seed Reformed Church” in Fuyang, Anhui, Has Been Postponed Again

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On July 16, 2026, this outlet learned that the case of the “Wheat Seed Reformed Church” in Fuyang, Anhui, has been postponed again.

Xu Chao, the wife of Zhang Sen, announced today: “The trial has already been completed, so what is there still to investigate? After the case was twice returned for supplementary investigation, the procuratorate had already decided to prosecute. Why has it now entered “supplementary investigation” again? Because “supplementary investigation” has postponed the case for three months, what is the legal basis for this? The procedure keeps getting longer, while the questions keep increasing!”

Biography of Zhang Sen: A native of Anhui Province, a Christian, pastor of the “Wheat Seed Reformed Church” in the Economic and Technological Development Zone of Fuyang City, Anhui Province, a victim of religious persecution, and a detained prisoner of conscience in China.

A devout believer in Jesus Christ; because his church is a Presbyterian church and maintains the house-church position in its faith, he openly refused to join the “Three-Self” churches controlled by the Chinese Communist government and was therefore subjected to stability-maintenance surveillance;

In 2018, he participated in signing the “Joint Statement by Pastors: A Declaration of Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church;

In August 2021, his church was raided for the first time by police from Yingzhou District, Fuyang City. It was subjected to frequent repression thereafter. During this period, he was beaten, became a key target of stability-maintenance efforts, was frequently summoned by police to “drink tea,” and was subjected to long-term surveillance;

In 2023, as the persecution faced by his church escalated, some Christians willing to jointly provide education at home attracted the close attention of the local government. As a result, many Christian families were harassed; some were even forced to relocate, while others had their homes illegally broken into or were followed, and tracking devices and surveillance equipment were installed, among other measures. Soon afterward, the Wheat Seed Reformed Church was officially banned by the government, and nearly 20 people were arrested and detained;

On March 24, 2024, after eight church Christians were approved for release, he and other believers went to the entrance of the detention center to welcome them and prayed together nearby. He was consequently summoned for questioning and was later placed under 15 days of administrative detention by police from the local police station on March 28 on the grounds that “the prayer had not been reported”;

On June 29, 2025, his church was raided by police again while worship was taking place. Pastor Chang Shun and Elder Ma Tao were taken away and placed under criminal detention on suspicion of “illegal assembly.” Although he was not present at the church worship service at the time, on July 9 of the same year he was likewise arrested and placed under criminal detention by Fuyang police, who crossed provincial lines to seize him at a friend’s home in Xuzhou, Jiangsu. The specific alleged offense is unclear, but it is certain to be related to his faith; in an interview on May 28, 2025, with the online prayer program “China at Five in the Afternoon” run by a house church, he said that having signed the “Joint Statement by Pastors” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi was the main reason the Wheat Seed Reformed Church had repeatedly suffered persecution. Since he was one of its signatories, the possibility that he was subjected to a severe crackdown is extremely high; he has remained detained to this day and has not been released. He is currently held at the Fuyang City Detention Center (Lukan Road, Yingquan District, Fuyang City, Anhui Province; postal code: 236050).