China Lifts Bail Restrictions on 4 Zion Church Members as 8 Remain Detained
Authorities removed compulsory measures from four believers in Guangxi, while church leaders face disputed financial charges.
Chinese authorities lifted bail restrictions on four members of Beijing Zion Church, a prominent unregistered Protestant congregation targeted in a sweeping crackdown last year. Eight other church leaders and workers remain detained and face trial on criminal charges contested by the congregation.
The four individuals — Yang Lijun, Sun Xue, Huang Chunzi and Tuya — completed the legal procedures at a case-handling center in Beihai, a coastal city in China's southern Guangxi region, according to a church statement. All four had been released from detention on bail a year earlier but remained subject to criminal compulsory measures that limited their freedom.
The decision means the group is no longer subject to direct penal oversight, ending restrictions that had remained in place since their prior release. Church supporters welcomed the development while renewing public calls for the immediate release of eight other Christians held for more than year.
Those still behind bars are Wang Lin, Wang Cong, Yin Huibin, Gao Yingjia, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng, Wu Qiuyu and Wang Zhong. They face allegations of fraud or illegal business operations stemming from church finances and religious instruction, charges that supporters say criminalize ordinary Christian activities.