China detains Christian pastor and Falun Gong practitioners amid crackdown on religious freedom

Chinese authorities have detained Zion Church pastor Liu Zhenbin for more than nine months. He was taken from his home in Qingdao on 11 October 2025, transferred to the Beihai City Detention Center in Guangxi, and charged with “illegal use of information networks.” His family reports that his communication rights remain severely restricted and that lawyers representing him have faced interference.

In Heilongjiang province, three Falun Gong adherents—Liu Qingfu, Zhou Yuqin and Meng Guilong—were abducted in May 2026 and later placed under illegal prosecution by the Hegang municipal procuratorate. They are being held in the Hegang detention center and allege ongoing torture, denial of legal counsel and other judicial abuses. Both cases are highlighted by families and human‑rights groups as part of what they describe as the largest recent crackdown on family churches and Falun Gong practitioners in China.