Li Jie and Han Xiaodong in the Linfen Covenant Home Church case, sentenced to 3 years and 8 months, completed their sentences on April 18, 2026

(Rights Defense Network Information Center report) On April 19, 2026, this website learned that Li Jie and Han Xiaodong, in the Linfen Covenant Home Church case and sentenced to 3 years and 8 months, completed their sentences on April 18, 2026.

Because it refused to join the authorities’ Three-Self Church, the Linfen Covenant Home Church was suppressed by the Chinese Communist authorities; on August 19, 2022, the church was raided by the authorities, and Li Jie, Han Xiaodong and many others were arrested; on June 20, 2025, both were sentenced to 3 years and 8 months for fraud.

Li Jie’s biography: Born on March 7, 1988, a native of Linfen City, Shanxi Province, a Christian, a preacher at the Linfen Christian Covenant Home Church, and a prisoner of conscience.

Because his church is a sister church of the Xuncheng Church in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, and because he and other church workers and many church believers refused to join the “Three-Self” Church under the control of the Chinese Communist Party, since the implementation of the new Regulations on Religious Affairs, it has become one of the frequently persecuted house churches; in October 2018, he was regarded by the Shanxi authorities as a key target for maintaining stability because he participated in and signed “A Joint Statement by Pastors: A Declaration for the Christian Faith” initiated by Pastor Wang Yi of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church (the statement called on the Chinese authorities to stop all suppression and persecution targeting Christian churches and to respect freedom of human belief and conscience); he was repeatedly subjected to being summoned for talks, warnings, and having his water, electricity and gas cut off, and was even forcibly made to move during the cold winter; his church was also frequently harassed, threatened and raided by officials from the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs accompanied by many others, who attempted to pressure his fellow church workers and believers into accepting control; on August 19, 2022, because his church held an outdoor “parent-child camp” attended by 70 people, it was suddenly surrounded and raided by more than 100 local police officers, who took everyone at the scene away and confiscated everyone’s mobile phones, computers, hard drives, projectors, stools, cars and other property; although some of the children were later sent home, all the adults were detained, and his residence was searched; on August 23, he, his wife Li Shanshan, and church co-worker and preacher Han Xiaodong (three people in total) were all placed under residential surveillance at a designated location by Linfen City police on suspicion of “fraud”; on September 2 of the same year, his wife was finally released on bail, but he and preacher Han Xiaodong remained detained and were formally criminally detained by Linfen City police, Shanxi Province, on suspicion of “fraud”; on September 30, 2022, he and Han Xiaodong were formally arrested by the Linfen City Procuratorate on the same charge; on March 26, 2023, their case was transferred by local police to the Linfen City Procuratorate for review and prosecution, but was later returned for supplementary investigation; on May 23, their case was again returned by the Linfen City Procuratorate to the Yaodu District Procuratorate for continued review and prosecution; after being seriously held beyond the legal detention period for nearly three years, on June 20, 2025, he and Han Xiaodong were ultimately wrongfully sentenced by the Yaodu District Court of Linfen City to 3 years and 8 months in prison for “fraud,” with their sentences running until April 18, 2026.

He was previously detained at the Yaodu District Detention Center in Shanxi Province. At the end of October 2025, Li Jie was also sent to Taiyuan No. 2 Prison to serve his sentence.

Han Xiaodong’s biography: Born on August 8, 1989, a native of Linfen City, Shanxi Province, a Christian, formerly a computer teacher, robotics coach and computer olympiad coach at Linfen No. 1 Middle School, and later a preacher at the Linfen Christian Covenant Home Church and a prisoner of conscience.

Earlier, when he was a computer teacher, robotics coach and computer olympiad coach at Linfen No. 1 Middle School, he guided students to win countless awards, including repeated provincial first prizes and national awards, and was therefore highly praised by the school, teachers, students and parents; because of his joyful personality and his honest treatment of others, acquaintances often regarded him as a trustworthy person who was willing to help others and did not covet money; he later began, for the sake of his faith, to devote himself to spreading the Gospel and serving in the church; because his church belonged to the Christian Reformed house church, and because he, Li Jie and other church workers and many church believers refused to accept the control of the Chinese Communist Party’s “Three-Self” Church, since the implementation of the new Regulations on Religious Affairs, it has become one of the frequently persecuted house churches; amid the persecution, the church was often harassed, threatened and raided by officials from the Bureau of Ethnic and Religious Affairs accompanied by many others, and he and other church preachers and co-workers also became targets for the Shanxi authorities to suppress whenever an opportunity arose; on August 19, 2022, because his church held an outdoor “parent-child camp” attended by 70 people, it was suddenly surrounded and raided by more than 100 local police officers, who took away all the participants present and simultaneously confiscated everyone’s mobile phones, computers, hard drives, projectors, stools, cars and other property; although some of the children were later sent home, all the adults were detained, and his residence was searched, with some private books, data and other items taken; on August 22, he, preacher Li Jie and one other person, three people in total, were placed under residential surveillance at a designated location by police from the directly administered branch of the Linfen Municipal Public Security Bureau in Shanxi Province on suspicion of “fraud”; on September 2 of the same year, he and preacher Li Jie were criminally detained by Linfen City police on the same charge; on September 30, 2022, he was arrested by the Linfen City Procuratorate on suspicion of “fraud,” with the authorities alleging that the people involved had violated relevant national religious administration laws because their church: 1. had not been formally registered and was therefore an illegal church; 2. their preachers or pastors were fake pastors; and 3. the offerings collected from believers at the church constituted fraud or fraudulent conduct, and that they should therefore be arrested and prosecuted; it is understood that while he was under residential surveillance at a designated location, his lawyer was refused a meeting with him; at the same time, in order to force a confession from him, police deprived him of sleep for three days and forcibly threatened several church believers into fabricating charges against him; on March 26, 2023, his case was transferred by local police to the Linfen City Procuratorate for review and prosecution, but was later returned for supplementary investigation; on May 23, it was learned that his case was again returned by the Linfen City Procuratorate to the Yaodu District Procuratorate for continued review and prosecution; after being seriously held beyond the legal detention period for nearly three years, on June 20, 2025, he and preacher Li Jie were ultimately wrongfully sentenced by the Yaodu District Court of Linfen City to 3 years and 8 months in prison for “fraud,” with their sentences running until April 18, 2026.

He was previously detained at the Yaodu District Detention Center in Shanxi Province. At the end of October 2025, Han Xiaodong was sent to Yuncheng Yongji Prison to serve his sentence.