CCP Rounds Up Members Of Underground Christian Church In Latest Crackdown

Chinese authorities have detained members of a prominent underground church as part of the government’s tightening control over unsanctioned religious activity in the country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Tuesday.

Six members of the Early Rain Covenant Church, an underground Protestant congregation in Sichuan province, were arrested this week, according to a church statement posted on social media that was cited by the human rights advocacy group. The arrests come just weeks after authorities arrested roughly 100 members of another unofficial “house church,” the group said.

“The Chinese government has ushered in the new year with new arrests of underground Protestant church members,” said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at HRW. “The government should immediately free those detained and let them freely practice their religion.”

Police raided the home of the church’s leader, Li Yingqiang, and took him into custody. Other key members were also reportedly detained, and two additional congregants were summoned by authorities, HRW reported.

Founded in 2008, the Early Rain Covenant Church has long been a target of Chinese authorities.

In December 2018, police detained over 100 congregants in a coordinated raid, and founding pastor Wang Yi remains in custody for “inciting subversion of state power” and running “illegal business operations,” according to HRW. In September 2024, Li Yingqiang and three others were also briefly detained.

The crackdown comes amid a broader wave of repression against Christians