Fuyang church elder Ma Tao released after 16 months in Anhui; pastors Chang Shun and Zhang Sen remain in prison
ChinaAid reported on October 30 that Ma Tao, an elder of Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui Province, was released on Wednesday, October 28 after serving a 16-month prison sentence for organizing religious gatherings outside the government-approved church system; the Rights Defense Network, a Chinese human rights monitoring organization, reported his return home. Two pastors convicted in the same case — Chang Shun (18 months) and senior Pastor Zhang Sen (19 months) — remain behind bars. [1]
Why it matters
Three features make this case worth recording. First, it is a complete specimen of the 'organizing illegal gatherings' charge applied to purely worship activities: the conduct at the heart of the prosecution included private worship gatherings at home, conducting weddings, welcoming Christians released from detention, and allowing minors to participate in religious activities and receive religious instruction at home — everyday church life itemized as evidence of crime. Second, the sentence and release schedule gives the case checkable milestones: Chang is scheduled for release on November 18, 2026 and Zhang on January 24, 2027, and this site will check whether both are in fact released on time. Third, the case drew an unusually complete record of the defendants' own position: before the June 2026 trial, the three leaders' wives appealed to U.S. and European diplomats to observe the proceedings, and Zhang acknowledged in court that the gatherings occurred while rejecting that they were criminal, saying that regardless of the verdict he would not hate anyone. Whether Ma faces restrictions after release is unclear, and families associated with the church have previously reported continued surveillance and harassment, so this record is marked as under ongoing verification. [1]
Full report
According to ChinaAid, Ma Tao, an elder of Maizhong Reformed Church in Fuyang, Anhui, returned home on Wednesday, October 28 after serving his sentence. On August 10 the Yingzhou District People's Court sentenced Ma to one year and four months in prison for 'organizing illegal gatherings'; Pastor Chang Shun received an 18-month sentence and is scheduled for release on November 18, while senior Pastor Zhang Sen was sentenced to one year and seven months and is expected to be released on January 24, 2027. Both pastors remain in custody. The release report came from the Rights Defense Network. [1]
The case began on June 29, 2025, when police raided Maizhong Reformed Church and its affiliated Covenant Chapel during Sunday worship services, detaining 19 congregants, including four children, and taking them to a police station. Most were released the following day, but Ma and Chang were placed under criminal detention on suspicion of organizing illegal gatherings; on July 9 police arrested Zhang in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, and returned him to Fuyang. [1]
The prosecution's case: according to court records and the indictment issued by the Yingzhou District People's Procuratorate, the three church leaders were accused of repeatedly organizing religious gatherings without government approval since 2021, and prosecutors claimed their activities had disrupted public order. The allegations included allowing minors to participate in religious activities and receive religious instruction at home, as well as private worship gatherings, conducting weddings, and welcoming Christians released from detention, as previously reported by ChinaAid. Maizhong Reformed Church is an independent Protestant congregation that has refused to join the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement; it has faced repeated police raids and government pressure since 2021, with authorities eventually ordering its closure, after which congregants continued meeting in smaller groups in private homes while leaders and their families reported surveillance, threats, and pressure to relocate. [1]
Trial and the defendants' position: the prosecution drew international attention; before the June 2026 trial, the wives of the three church leaders appealed to U.S. and European diplomats to observe the proceedings, arguing their husbands were being prosecuted for peaceful expressions of Christian faith. During the trial, Zhang acknowledged that the religious gatherings had occurred but rejected the prosecution's assertion that they constituted criminal offenses: 'Although I acknowledge that these events actually occurred, my conscience does not allow me to admit that they were criminal.' He maintained the gatherings are a fundamental practice of Christianity protected by China's Constitution, which formally guarantees freedom of religious belief, and said: 'Regardless of the court's ruling, I will not hate anyone. I believe that ultimate justice rests in the hands of Almighty God.' [1]
Verification note: the release, the sentences and release dates, the June 2025 raid and the indictment's contents all come from ChinaAid's October 30 report, with the release itself sourced to the Rights Defense Network. It remains unclear whether Ma faces restrictions following his release, and the surveillance and harassment previously reported by families associated with the church has drawn no official response. This site cannot independently verify every detail; attribution is preserved throughout, the record is marked as under ongoing verification, and we will check the scheduled releases of Chang Shun (November 18, 2026) and Zhang Sen (January 24, 2027). [1]
Links above point to the original publishers of the cited reports or articles. Their conclusions are attributed in the text and do not imply that this site has independently verified every factual claim.