美国牧师在华盛顿中国使馆外人行道抗议被捕后提审：对轻罪“非法进入”不认罪，法官下令审结前不得返回该人行道US pastor arraigned after arrest for protesting outside China's Washington embassy: pleads not guilty to misdemeanor 'unlawful entry,' barred from the sidewalk until case decided

据《基督邮报》10 月 23 日报道，基督教防卫联盟（Christian Defense Coalition）负责人、牧师帕特里克·马霍尼（Patrick Mahoney）于 10 月 21 日（周三）通过电话从爱达荷州参加哥伦比亚特区高等法院的提审，对轻罪“非法进入”（unlawful entry）指控表示不认罪。法官发出远离令（stay away order），要求他在案件审结前不得回到中国驻美使馆外的那段人行道；检方继续推进刑事指控，下次开庭日期定为 11 月 20 日。马霍尼在脸书帖文中写道：“当然，我表示不认罪，但特区法院是这样做的：第一，法官发出远离令，告诉我在案件裁决前不能回到那段公共人行道；然后，他们继续推进对我的刑事指控，并把下次开庭定在 11 月 20 日。”[1]

被捕经过（马霍尼本人陈述）：9 月 28 日，马霍尼在中国驻美使馆外的人行道上举牌、祈祷，抗议中国的人权侵害。据他陈述，使馆内的中国外交官走出来，“明显愤怒、激动、不安”，要求特勤局把他们赶走；特勤局人员与外交官交谈后回来转告：“中国政府说这段人行道属于中国”，并警告若不离开将被逮捕。马霍尼拒绝，称“这是公共人行道。在美国，每个公民都有权在公共广场和平表达观点，不受骚扰、恐吓，当然也不受逮捕……我不会放弃第一修正案权利”。随后他被铐上手铐、带上警车，关押 5 小时后以轻罪“非法进入”起诉。需要说明的是：上述“中方外交官要求驱离”“人行道属于中国”的说法，来自马霍尼本人陈述，尚未见美国特勤局或中方对此作出回应。[1][3]

代理律师与背景：美国法律正义中心（ACLJ）代理马霍尼挑战指控。ACLJ 律师乔丹·塞库洛（Jordan Sekulow）表示：“马霍尼违法了吗？没有。他骚乱了吗？没有。他破坏东西或威胁任何人了吗？没有。他只是举着牌子、牌子放在地上，站在公共人行道上。而中国人却让美国特勤局把他抓进监狱。”ACLJ 同时指出，此前也曾发生过类似情形，但经其抗辩后马霍尼多年来一直能在同一地点自由抗议；这一次，中方代表团说服了特勤局实施逮捕。马霍尼数十年 advocacy 中已被捕至少 112 次，但此前从未在中国使馆外被捕。[1][2]

核实说明：提审、不认罪、远离令与 11 月 20 日下次开庭，来自《基督邮报》对马霍尼脸书帖文的报道；“中方外交官要求驱离”“人行道属于中国”等关键说法，来自马霍尼本人陈述与 ACLJ 单方说法，截至发稿未见美国特勤局、中国使馆或美国国务院的回应；“非法进入”轻罪的法庭文件全文未公开，案件实体（该人行道是否确属使馆地产、特勤局执法依据）仍有待法庭程序澄清。本记录按归因原则记录事件本身与各方说法，不就争议事实作裁断，定性为持续核实，将继续跟进 11 月 20 日开庭与官方回应。[1][2]

According to The Christian Post on October 23, 2026, the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, leader of the Christian Defense Coalition, was arraigned on Wednesday, October 21, by phone from Idaho in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on a misdemeanor 'unlawful entry' charge, and pleaded not guilty. The judge issued a stay-away order telling him he cannot return to the public sidewalk outside the Chinese Embassy until the case is decided; prosecutors are moving forward with the criminal charge, and the next court date is November 20. Mahoney wrote in a Facebook post: 'Of course, I pled not guilty but here is what the DC court did. First, a judge issued a stay away order telling me that I cannot go back on the public sidewalk until the case is decided. Then, they proceeded to move forward with criminal charges against me and set the next court date for November 20.' [1]

The arrest, in Mahoney's own account: on September 28, Mahoney was holding signs and praying on the sidewalk outside the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., protesting China's human-rights abuses. He says Chinese diplomats inside the embassy 'came out' and were 'visibly angry, agitated, upset,' and asked the Secret Service to remove the protesters; after speaking with the diplomats, a Secret Service agent told Mahoney that 'the Chinese government has said this sidewalk belongs to China' and warned he would be arrested if he did not leave. Mahoney refused, saying: 'This is a public sidewalk. In America, every citizen has the right to peacefully air their views in the public square free from harassment, intimidation, and, of course, arrest. And so no ... I cannot abandon my First Amendment rights.' He was then handcuffed, put in a car, and held for five hours before being charged with misdemeanor 'unlawful entry.' A note: the claims that Chinese diplomats demanded the removal and that the sidewalk 'belongs to China' come from Mahoney's own account; no response from the US Secret Service or the Chinese side has been seen. [1][3]

Counsel and background: the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) represents Mahoney in challenging the charge. Its attorney, Jordan Sekulow, said: 'Was Rev. Mahoney breaking laws? No. Was he rioting? No. Was he destroying anything or threatening anyone? No. He was holding signs and had signs on the ground. On a public sidewalk. And the Chinese government had the US Secret Service haul him off to jail.' The ACLJ notes that similar incidents had occurred before, but that after its pushback Mahoney had been able to protest freely at the same location for several years; this time, it says, the Chinese delegation persuaded the Secret Service to carry out the arrest. Mahoney has been arrested at least 112 times during decades of advocacy, but never before outside the Chinese Embassy. [1][2]

Verification note: the arraignment, not-guilty plea, stay-away order and November 20 date come from The Christian Post's report of Mahoney's Facebook post; the key claims that Chinese diplomats demanded removal and that the sidewalk 'belongs to China' come from Mahoney's own account and the ACLJ's statement, with no response seen from the US Secret Service, the Chinese Embassy or the US State Department as of this record; the full text of the 'unlawful entry' court filing has not been published, and the merits (whether the sidewalk is in fact embassy property, and the legal basis for the Secret Service's action) await the court proceedings. This record documents the events and the parties' accounts on an attributed basis, makes no ruling on the disputed facts, is graded 'under ongoing verification,' and will follow the November 20 hearing and any official response. [1][2]