Xi’an Zion’s Light 516 Case: Preliminary Hearing for Pastor Gao Quanfu Concluded on August 10, 2026; Prosecutor Falsely Charges Him with Fraud and Recommends 12–13 Years in Prison

（Rights Defense Network Information Center report）On August 17, 2026，this outlet learned that the case of Pastor Gao Quanfu in the Xi’an Zion’s Light 516 case concluded its preliminary hearing on August 10, 2026，and that the prosecutor, in a false fraud charge, recommended a severe sentence of 12–13 years。

Pastor Gao Quanfu’s son Gao Pu issued the following statement today：

Xi’an Zion’s Light 516 Case My father, Pastor Gao Quanfu, was arrested in Xi’an in May 2025，after which my mother was implicated and arrested in June 2025，and several pastors and fellow workers from the church were arrested。In January 2026，my father Gao Quanfu，my mother Pang Yu，and Pastor Tang Bingyi were prosecuted on charges of “fraud”。

The case has now been transferred to the Beilin District People’s Court of Xi’an，the presiding judge is Luo Yixian，and the handling prosecutor is Zhang Gaochao，In the indictment，the prosecutor handling the case, Zhang Gaochao, recommended that my father be sentenced to 12–13 years in prison，which is extremely malicious。

In the indictment，the prosecution labels my father a “fake pastor”；defines the church’s activities as “fraud”，and directly classifies the church’s offerings from 2008 to the present—nearly 20 years’ worth—as fraudulent proceeds，using this as the basis for sentencing my father. Even in other cases involving persecuted house churches，this is unprecedented and extremely malicious；the witness testimony was also fabricated. Many Christians said that they had not been deceived, yet they still appeared in the witness testimony as “victims”；the smearing of my parents is even more infuriating。

Here, we solemnly declare the following：

1. Unregistered ≠ fake church；not administratively recognized ≠ fake pastor

The Zion’s Light Church has a history of nearly 40 years. Pastor Gao Quanfu was ordained by the church community and is a real pastor。Being unregistered concerns only administrative relations and does not change the religious substance of the church。In fact, we have never refused to register as a civil organization, but the condition for registration with the Chinese government is that the organization must join the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and accept the government’s authority as superior to God’s—this violates the principle of separation of church and state and also contradicts our basic faith as Christians。

2. Religious offerings are an act of faith and do not constitute fraud

Offerings are a 2,000-year Christian tradition and are entirely voluntary。There was no deception, mistaken understanding, unlawful intent to possess, or causal relationship in this case。

3. Discrepancy in the amount: the “23.21 million yuan black hole”

The total amount was 25.52 million yuan, while the 235 complainants involved only 2.31 million yuan—the difference of 23.21 million yuan (91%) has no corresponding victims, and fraud cannot be inferred solely from bank transaction records。

4. Illegal designation of “victims”; evidence collection seriously violated regulations

Believers who clearly stated that their offerings were “voluntary and that they had not been deceived” were nevertheless forcibly classified as “victims,” violating Article 52 of the Criminal Procedure Law and allegedly constituting “padding the numbers to fabricate a case”。

5. The church’s financial transactions over 20 years ≠ the pastor’s personal income ≠ basis for individual sentencing

My father, Pastor Gao, received only a fixed preaching salary and lived a frugal and impoverished life. The church’s finances were managed by a dedicated team, while major decisions were made through prayer by the church, the council of elders, and the board of deacons。To bundle the church’s 40 years of operating transactions as the pastor’s personal fraud amount and, on that basis, recommend sentencing a man nearly 70 years old to 12–13 years in prison—this practice is unprecedented in other church cases。

6. My mother Pang Yu is likewise nearly 70 years old and was implicated and imprisoned. She never received a salary from the church, but for a long time voluntarily cooked for the church and cared for the church’s brothers and sisters, young and old. She was implicated and imprisoned merely because she is the pastor’s wife。

My father Pastor Gao Quanfu and my mother Pang Yu have lived frugal, thrifty, honest, and simple lives, and taught me by example. For decades, they have been like family to the brothers and sisters of the church. The accusations that they committed fraud and squandered money are not only unsupported but also absurd. Yet now, they, both nearly 70 years old, and my father’s fellow worker, Pastor Tang Bingyi (who has a wife and young daughter), have been arbitrarily detained for one year and two months simply because of their Christian faith. Where are justice and humanity? I hereby demand that the Chinese government immediately release them as innocent. The following Chinese Communist Party officials bear direct responsibility for this case：

Zhao Yide, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee

Liu Qiang, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission

Yu Ping, Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Public Security Department

Yang Zhengguo, Director of the Shaanxi Provincial Department of Justice

Gao Huijie, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee

Ma Xianping, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission

Han Deyang, President of the Shaanxi Provincial Higher People’s Court

Zhao Lei, President of the Xi’an Intermediate People’s Court

Li Shewu, President of the Beilin District People’s Court of Xi’an

Luo Yixian, judge of the Beilin District Court of Xi’an

Wang Xuguang, Secretary of the Party Committee and Procurator-General of the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Procuratorate

Li Jie, Procurator-General of the Beilin District People’s Procuratorate of Xi’an

Zhang Gaochao, prosecutor handling the case at the Beilin District People’s Procuratorate of Xi’an

At present, the Xi’an Zion’s Light 516 case has attracted worldwide attention, and it is being closely followed both inside and outside China. Since the case emerged, it has received strong unconditional support from multiple governments and numerous organizations internationally。Xi’an is a city with thousands of years of history and one of the ancient capitals of world civilization; a case of such lawlessness is completely incompatible with that legacy. I hereby demand that Zhao Yide, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Party Committee; Liu Qiang, Secretary of the Shaanxi Provincial Political and Legal Affairs Commission; Gao Huijie, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Party Committee; Ma Xianping, Secretary of the Xi’an Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission; Han Deyang, President of the Shaanxi Provincial Higher People’s Court; Li Shewu, President of the Beilin District People’s Court of Xi’an; and Luo Yixian, judge of the Beilin District Court of Xi’an, turn back before it is too late and immediately stop the religious persecution of my parents and Pastor Tang Bingyi. Immediately release Pastor Gao Quanfu, Pang Yu, and Pastor Tang Bingyi as innocent！

The following is the complete text of the indictment and sentencing recommendation in the Xi’an Zion’s Light case：

Beilin Procuratorate Criminal Indictment 〔2025〕Z12 No.

Defendant Gao Quanfu, male, born February 16, 1957, citizen identification number xxxxxx, Han Chinese, high school education, before retirement was a third-level orchestra performer with the Shaanxi Provincial Ethnic Orchestra of Radio, Film and Television, residing at xxxxxx, Changsheng Street, Beilin District, Xi’an。On suspicion of the crime of using superstition to undermine the implementation of the law, he was criminally detained by the Beilin Branch of the Xi’an Municipal Public Security Bureau in accordance with the law on May 18, 2025. On June 23 of the same year, this procuratorate approved his arrest on suspicion of fraud, and he was arrested on the same day by the Beilin Branch of the Xi’an Municipal Public Security Bureau。

The investigation in this case was concluded by the Beilin Branch of the Xi’an Municipal Public Security Bureau, which transferred the case to this procuratorate for prosecution on suspicion that defendant Gao Quanfu had committed fraud. After accepting the case, this procuratorate informed the defendant of his right to appoint a defense lawyer, interrogated the defendant in accordance with the law, heard the opinions of the defendant and his defense counsel, and examined all case materials。

Upon examination in accordance with the law, this procuratorate determined the following facts：

In 2008, defendant Gao Quanfu, without approval from the relevant departments, impersonated a religious cleric and privately established the illegal religious organization “Zion’s Light,” fabricating the fact that the religious organization was a legitimate religious organization. He successively established illegal religious activity venues in the conference room on the eighth floor of the Huarong International Building on South Second Ring Road in Beilin District, Xi’an, and Room 301, Building 1, No. 33 Huoj u Road, Beilin District, Xi’an, among other locations, where he conducted illegal religious activities. Under the planning and organization of defendant Gao Quanfu, Shuai Zheng (deceased), Tang Bingyi (handled in a separate case), Pang Yu (handled in a separate case), and others successively joined the illegal church and impersonated religious clerics such as “pastors” and “elders,” concealing the nature of the illegal religious organization and causing victims including Zhao Qian to develop an erroneous understanding, thereby defrauding the victims of “offering money” and using the proceeds of the fraud for personal division and squandering, purchasing real estate, and other purposes. On September 17, 2016, defendant Gao Quanfu and others organized a gathering of the illegal religious organization “Zion’s Light” in Room 301, Building 1, No. 33 Huoj u Road, Beilin District, Xi’an. They were investigated and dealt with by the relevant departments and ordered to stop the illegal conduct. After the illegal religious organization “Zion’s Light” was ordered to stop its illegal conduct and was subsequently banned, defendant Gao Quanfu and others nevertheless continued to impersonate religious clerics such as “pastors” and “elders” and continued to carry out the aforementioned fraudulent activities。

From 2008 until the case came to light, defendant Gao Quanfu, together with Shuai Zheng, Tang Bingyi, Pang Yu, and others, cumulatively defrauded a total of RMB 25,526,250.95 in “offering money,” including RMB 2,315,176.65 in “offering money” from 235 reported victims, including Zhao Qian。

The evidence establishing the above facts is as follows：

1. Case-reception registration form and decision to open a case for investigation；

2. Record of the arrest；

3. Defendant’s household registration information and cadre résumé；

4. Notice ordering the cessation of illegal conduct and decision to ban the organization；

5. WeChat and Alipay transfer records, bank-account transaction records, cash accounts, and judicial expert opinion；

6. Records of extraction and seizure, seizure inventory, and photographs identifying the scene；

7. Real-estate purchase subscription agreement；

8. Witness testimony；

9. Victim statements；

10. Defendant’s statements and other evidence。

This procuratorate holds that defendant Gao Quanfu defrauded others of property in an especially large amount. His conduct violated the provisions of Article 266 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. The criminal facts are clear and the evidence is reliable and sufficient. He should be held criminally liable for fraud. Pursuant to Article 176 of the Criminal Procedure Law of the People’s Republic of China, a public prosecution is hereby initiated and the court is requested to impose a lawful sentence。

Respectfully submitted to

Beilin District People’s Court of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

Prosecutor Zhang Gaochao

Assistant Prosecutor Ding Ling

Assistant Prosecutor Wang Mengwei

December 31, 2025

Attachments: 1. Defendant Gao Quanfu is currently detained at the Beilin Detention Center; 2. Forty-seven case files and thirteen discs; 3. Five copies of the Sentencing Recommendation; 4. One set of evidentiary materials and one audit report

Beilin District People’s Procuratorate of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province Sentencing Recommendation

Beilin Procuratorate Sentencing Recommendation 〔2025〕Z12 No.

Regarding the case in which this procuratorate initiated a public prosecution against defendant Gao Quanfu for suspected fraud through Indictment Beilin Procuratorate Criminal Indictment 〔2025〕Z12, upon examination, this procuratorate believes that defendant Gao Quanfu’s conduct violated the provisions of Article 266 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China. The criminal facts are clear and the evidence is reliable and sufficient. He should be held criminally liable for fraud. The statutory penalty is imprisonment of ten years or more, or life imprisonment, together with a fine or confiscation of property。

Because he has the following sentencing circumstance：

1. Confession

In accordance with the Opinions on Sentencing Guidance for Common Crimes (Trial), it is recommended that defendant Gao Quanfu be sentenced to 12–13 years’ imprisonment and fined。

Respectfully submitted to

Beilin District People’s Court of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province

Prosecutor Zhang Gaochao

Assistant Prosecutor Ding Ling

Assistant Prosecutor Wang Mengwei

December 31, 2025