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# Ding Zhongfu — House-Church Elder Imprisoned in Anhui
Ding Zhongfu is an elder of Ganquan Church, an unregistered Protestant house church in Hefei, Anhui Province. On November 30, 2023, police raided the homes of Pastor Zhou Songlin, Elder Ding, and several church co-workers; Ding and Zhou were taken into custody, while three others — Mao Junma, Pei Defei, and Yang Peiyun — were detained, interrogated, and later released on bail.
Ganquan Church had existed for roughly twenty years with more than 400 believers. Like many house churches that refuse to join the state-controlled Three-Self Patriotic Movement, it never obtained legal status; its properties, purchased openly through member donations, were registered under the names of its pastor and elders. That administrative arrangement later became the basis for criminal charges: Ding and Zhou were charged with “fraud,” reportedly tied to the church’s collection of tithes and donations used to buy meeting space. Both men pleaded not guilty, and their wives and congregation members publicly maintained that no fraud had occurred and all church funds had been used transparently.
On February 13, 2026, the Shushan District Court in Hefei sentenced Ding Zhongfu to four years’ imprisonment and fined him 28,000 yuan; Pastor Zhou Songlin received four years and six months with a 30,000-yuan fine. The court also ordered confiscation of more than 366,000 yuan deemed “illegal income.” Both men had been held at the Hefei (Male) Detention Center in Changfeng County since their 2023 arrest. On May 7, 2026, Ding’s appeal was rejected without a hearing. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom lists Ding Zhongfu as a prisoner of conscience, detained for his religious leadership role, with current status “Not Released” (record current as of mid-2026).
Ding is reported to be over 60 years old and to suffer from poorly controlled high blood pressure.
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Media Profile & Archive: Ding Zhongfu — Media Archive & Case Record