Amnesty launches global petition: end religious persecution in China, spotlight on Zion Church case
Amnesty International has launched a global petition marking one year since eight 'house church' members were arrested in China, calling for an end to the crackdown on the country's independent churches. The petition notes that around 30 Beijing Zion Church pastors and church workers were detained and 18 formally arrested; after Pastor Jin Mingri was released and joined his family in the United States in July 2026, eight church members remain detained and face prosecution. The petition will be addressed to the United Front Work Department and the National Religious Affairs Administration, with signatures to be delivered by February 1, 2027.
Why it matters
This is the first global petition by a major international human rights organisation targeting religious persecution in China on the first anniversary of the Zion Church roundup, turning an individual case into a public pressure tool. The petition also names the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Zion Light Church in Xi'an and Yayang Church in Wenzhou, indicating the crackdown is not an isolated incident. Case details are drawn from Amnesty's petition text and have not been independently verified in full by this site.
Full report
Amnesty's petition page states: 'It's been one year since eight "house church" members were arrested in China. Across the country, Chinese authorities are targeting these "underground" or independent churches and prosecuting worshippers simply for practising their faith.' It calls on the public to sign and demand an end to attacks on freedom of religion and belief. [1]
The petition highlights the Beijing Zion Church case: authorities detained around 30 pastors and church workers and formally arrested 18 people. Pastor Jin Mingri was released in July 2026 and reunited with his family in the United States, but eight church members remain detained and face prosecution. Jin's wife Su Ziming is quoted in the petition as saying that whatever charges the authorities use, 'their ultimate goal is to crush the church and make it disappear.' [1]
Amnesty says the Zion Church case is not isolated but part of a nationwide pattern of repression against independent religious communities, also naming the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Zion Light Church in Xi'an and Yayang Church in Wenzhou. The authorities' tactics include harassment, detention and criminal prosecution, designed to create fear and deter believers from exercising freedom of religion or belief — a right protected under China's Constitution. [1]
The petition is addressed to Li Ganjie, Head of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Duan Yijun, Director of the National Religious Affairs Administration (as named on Amnesty's English page), calling for an end to the targeting of independent churches and their members. Amnesty says signatures will be delivered to the relevant authorities by February 1, 2027 and that personal data will not be shared. [1]
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