This archive preserves dated reporting about Elder Li Yingqiang of Chengdu Early Rain Covenant Church and the January 2026 “1·6 case.”
January 9, 2026 — Chinese Human Rights Defenders
CHRD reported a coordinated January 6 operation in which at least ten people associated with Early Rain Covenant Church were detained, including Li Yingqiang and his wife Zhang Xinyue. It said six people were criminally detained at Deyang City Detention Center on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power,” while noting that it was seeking additional corroboration.
February 12, 2026 — ChinaAid
ChinaAid reported that Li Yingqiang (李英强) and preacher Dai Zhichao were formally arrested on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and held at Deyang Detention Center. The organization said families received arrest notices that day.
August 26, 2026 — Rights Defense Network
The organization reported that Li and Dai Zhichao had been transferred to the procuratorate on July 12 on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power” and “organizing an illegal gathering,” and that lawyers were subsequently notified the case had been returned for further investigation.
August 31, 2026 — Issue 131
The monthly report lists Li in the Sichuan detained-without-sentence group and provides a longer biography covering his civil-society work, church role, earlier detentions, and the January 2026 case.
Evidence limits
The sources report suspected offenses and procedural status; they do not establish guilt. CHRD’s first alert explicitly stated that it was seeking additional corroboration. No trial, verdict, sentence, or PRC official statement specific to Li’s case was located in the prepared evidence packet.