Almost 30 leaders & members of underground church in China arrested

SINGAPORE: Nearly 30 people from one of the largest underground churches in China, Zion Church, were arrested on October 10 and 11, including Ezra Jin Mingri, its founder and lead pastor.

While at least five of those who were initially arrested have been released, seven pastors are still in custody.

The 56-year-old Mr Jin was arrested at his home in Beihai city, Guangxi province. The church’s other members were apprehended in Beijing, Shanghai, and Zhejiang.

Zion Church, which was founded in 2007, has congregations in many places in China, and is one of the biggest unofficial churches in the country. It gained popularity during the COVID-19 lockdowns when it held services and meetings online. According to a New York Times report, more than 1,000 people participate in the church’s weekend services.

Mr Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, is based in the United States, along with her mother and two younger brothers. She told the NYT that she has yet to hear from her father, who is being accused of illegal dissemination of religious information.

The report added that tens of millions of people are said to attend unofficial house churches such as the one led by Mr Jin. The pastor, who was surveilled heavily as well as harassed, used to live in Beijing but was forced to leave the city. After his family left China in 2018, he has not been allowed to visit them.

Surveillance against her father has increased of late. Ms Jin Drexel told NPR that the incident has been “extremely shocking and … very scary for our family.”

Sean Long, a pastor and spokesperson for Zion Church, meanwhile, said, “We strongly appeal to the global church society to hold the Chinese government accountable. They cannot do whatever they want without letting people know. Let our ministers and staff members be released as soon as possible. Stop arresting our members.”

Former United States Vice President Mike Pence has spoken up on the arrest with a post on X, calling for the immediate release of Mr Jin and the other church members.

What China is saying

NPR quoted Lin Jian, China’s Foreign Minister, as saying he did not know of the arrests.

“The Chinese government manages religious affairs in accordance with the law, protects citizens’ freedom of religious belief and normal religious activities,” he told NPR.

He also said that China “firmly” opposes interference from the United States in the country’s “internal affairs under the pretext of so-called religious issues”. /TISG

Read also: China warns UK: Brace for blowback over ‘foreign meddling’ crackdown