Zion Church: Zion case faces procedural transition, defense lawyer team suffers major setbacks
【Date】 March 27, 2026
【Topic】 Update on the legal proceedings in the Zion case and the professional status of the lawyers
Core factual summary
“Zion case” has lasted nearly half a year， and the investigation phase of the case is now nearing its end。 Recently， the defense lawyer team in the case has faced a wave of administrative penalties and interference with the practice of law， several core lawyers have been forced to withdraw or terminate their representation agreements， and the defense rights of the 18 individuals involved in the case face major obstacles。
Fact list
I、Progress of the case proceedings
• Conclusion of investigation： At the end of March 2026， the individuals detained at the Beihai Detention Center underwent concentrated interrogations， and were told by the case handlers“this is the last interrogation”。
• Procedural transfer： In accordance with legal procedures， the case is expected to be formally transferred from the public security investigation stage to the procuratorate for review and prosecution。
II、Facts concerning pressure on the lawyer team and law firm
• Law firm facing deregistration： Beijing Kaimen Law Firm（which previously had 17 lawyers participate in the defense of this case） is facing administrative pressure to deregister。
• Law firm head and lawyers penalized： * Lawyer Zhang Kai, head of the law firm： had his lawyer’s license revoked in January 2026。
• Three other lawyers： were punished with a six-month suspension from practice。
III、Statistics on changes in specific representatives
At present， several lead defense lawyers have been forced to terminate or request termination of their representation for reasons including administrative penalties and changes at the law firm：
• Jin Mingri： Lawyer Zhang Kai（license revoked） and Lawyer Deng Qinggao（penalized）
• Gao Yingjia： Lawyer Yang Yaohua（suspended from practice） and Lawyer Li Chunfu（suspended from practice）
• Wang Lin： Lawyer Ge Xianyang（suspended from practice）
• Li Shengjuan： Lawyer Liu Anqiang（suspended from practice）
• Wu Qiuyu： Lawyer Zhou Fangyu（requested termination of the agreement due to changes at the law firm）
• Zhan Ge： Lawyer Feng Xinyu（requested termination of the agreement due to changes at the law firm）
We call on friends who love justice and uphold integrity to stand with us！ Because these names are only the beginning…
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