Imprisonment Nearing Completion for Detained Christians

An Yankui's son, An Yankui, his daughter, and his wife
Pastor An Yankui and his family
Photo: ChinaAid

In January 2020, Pastor An Yankui and Zhang Chenghao, along with five other Christians, travelled from China to attend a conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The conference speaker was highly critical of the Chinese Communist Party, which led to multiple arrests of all seven believers who were subsequently charged for "illegally crossing the national border" (see this page).

Since the conference, the five other Christians were tried and sentenced in January 2022 to terms ranging from six to eight months' imprisonment. These believers have since completed serving their sentences (read more). Pastor An and Zhang, however, have been detained since November 22nd, 2021, even though the outcome of their cases were not determined until recently.

On November 3rd, the Fenyang City People's Court ruled that the two Christians were each sentenced to one year in prison, along with fines to be paid within ten days of the verdict. Pastor An was required to pay 5,000 yuan (the equivalent of about $942 CAD) and Zhang was fined 4,000 yuan (approximately $754 CAD). Thankfully, the prison sentences of these Christians included the time they have already served since the day of their arrests and, therefore, they are both scheduled to be released on November 21st.

Pray for these two believers as they approach the end of their incarceration terms. May the testimonies they've shared remain in the hearts and minds of all those with whom they have interacted throughout the legal process. Furthermore, pray that the country's governing authorities will realize the importance of permitting religious freedom, and thus take necessary steps to ensure the oppression presently inflicting Christians in China will subside.

  • Current Ministry Projects

    The Voice of the Martyrs Canada continues to help distribute Bibles to Christians in the country, making it possible for them to have their own printed version of God's Word. Additionally, VOMC works with various mission partners to facilitate a Biblical understanding of persecution and discipleship, while presenting ways to effectively respond and minister within the context of hostility.

    Project Funds: Underground Church, Bible, Relief & Development

  • Country Information

    Population
    1,413,142,846 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Han Chinese (91.1), ethnic minorities (8.9 - includes Zhang, Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) (2021 est.)

    Religion (%)
    Folk religion (21.9), Buddhist (18.2), Christian (5.1), Muslim (1.8), Hindu (< 0.1), Jewish (< 0.1), other (0.7 - includes Daoist [Taoist]), unaffiliated (52.1) (2021 est.)

    Leader
    President Xi Jinping (2013)

    Government type
    Communist party-led state

    Legal system
    Based on civil law system; influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems

    Sources: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for China

    Pray that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout China without government interference so many more names can be added to the Lamb's "Book of Life." May there also be a spirit of unity demonstrated among the country's growing churches, further strengthening existing believers and spurring them on in their ministry service and evangelistic outreach within the country's numerous communities.

China News