Chinese authorities have released Pastor Zhang Shaojie after he finished a 12-year prison sentence on 16 November. The 59-year-old Christian leader expressed deep gratitude upon gaining his freedom, describing his release during the season of Thanksgiving as a sign of God’s grace. He said he had sensed the Holy Spirit’s presence daily throughout his imprisonment and thanked supporters around the world, believing their advocacy may have prevented him from disappearing without trace.
Pastor Zhang’s case had attracted international concern. In 2017, senior US lawmakers Marco Rubio and Chris Smith wrote to the US State Department highlighting reports that he had been mistreated in custody. Allegations included sleep deprivation, restricted food, and constant monitoring under an especially harsh supervision order.
Zhang was detained in November 2013 following a dispute over land between his church and local officials in Henan Province. The Nanle County Christian Church, where Zhang served as pastor, had legally obtained property in order to build new facilities, but church members reported that authorities sought to seize the land and limit the church’s growth. He was later charged with offences including disrupting public order and fraud, accusations observers described as an attempt to silence his ministry. A court subsequently handed him the 12-year sentence.
Christian organisations note that the ruling Chinese Communist Party continues to maintain tight control over religious activity. Cross removals, arrests, and the pressure placed on churches to align with state ideology have been part of wider efforts to curb the influence of Christianity and other faiths.
Speaking to a congressional committee last week, former US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback warned that China’s actions represent a serious challenge to global human rights. He argued that China fears religious liberty because it competes with state authority, saying that an assault on faith in such a powerful nation undermines international commitments to freedom.
China remains listed as a “Country of Particular Concern” by the US State Department and appears in several global reports on religious persecution, including the 2025 Global Persecution Index.
Adapted from ICC.
