SHANGHAI/XI’AN, September 24, 2026 — Pastor Jiao Yong (焦咏) of the Xi’an Light of Zion church was taken away in Shanghai on the morning of September 21 by individuals identifying themselves as officers of the Xi’an Public Security Bureau’s Beilin Branch, according to a report published September 23 by the rights outlet weiquanwang (维权网).
Family members said the officers showed no legal documents at the scene and only verbally stated that Jiao was suspected of assisting Light of Zion pastor Gao Quanfu in “fraud” (诈骗). As of publication, the family does not know where Jiao is being held or what coercive measure — summons, criminal detention, residential surveillance, or another measure — the police have taken. Chinese authorities have published no statement on the case.
The detention marks Jiao’s second encounter with the Light of Zion case. In May 2025 he was taken away alongside Gao Quanfu and other church personnel, then released on bail; his bail was lifted in July 2026. Roughly two months later he has been taken back into custody, this time with no public legal documentation accompanying the action, according to the report.
According to the Christian outlet 基督日报, Pastor Zheng Ping (郑平), also of the Light of Zion church, was taken away in Xi’an on the same day, September 21 — suggesting a synchronized operation against the church network rather than an isolated action. Public information on Zheng Ping’s legal status remains limited at publication.
The Light of Zion case has escalated over the past year. Pastor Gao Quanfu was detained at home in May 2025, followed by the detention of his wife Pang Yu; the charges against the church’s leaders have shifted from “using superstition to undermine implementation of the law” to fraud — with church offerings and donations treated as the basis for the fraud allegations. A bipartisan group of ten U.S. senators this week urged President Donald Trump to press Chinese President Xi Jinping for the release of Gao, Pang Yu, and other detained religious leaders ahead of their summit.
The report also cites a document published by the outlet 民生观察, said to be a “situation explanation” (情况说明) from the Beilin Branch’s domestic-security (国保) unit, in which investigators asked a detention center not to arrange lawyer meetings for some case participants on the grounds the case may involve crimes endangering national security — a claim deployed alongside ordinary criminal charges that further restricts lawyers’ access and procedural transparency.
Jiao’s whereabouts and legal status remain unknown at publication. This story will be updated as further information becomes available.
Sources
- chinafocus.news: “焦咏在上海被西安警方跨省带走：无法律文书、去向不明，锡安之光案再现’先控制、后说明’” (Sept. 24, 2026; citing weiquanwang Sept. 23 report)
- 基督日报 (Gospel Herald, via chinafocus.news): reports Pastor Zheng Ping of the same church was also taken in Xi’an on Sept. 21, 2026.