Zhao Hongliang (赵宏亮)
Zhao Hongliang (赵宏亮) is a Christian pastor from Huainan, Anhui Province, who was formerly imprisoned and was released on March 21, 2026, after completing his sentence. He lived in Tianji Subdistrict, Panji District, Huainan, where he led the Covenant Church (圣约堂) in Xinyi Village as its head and pastor. According to the Prisoners of Conscience database, the church was founded on January 21, 1995, and later joined the state-recognized Three-Self church system.
In February 2025, around the time of the annual “Two Sessions” political meetings in Beijing, authorities detained nine Christians from the Xinyi Village church, including Pastor Zhao. On March 5, 2025, Zhao and three others were placed under criminal detention, while the other five were released on bail. The four were accused of “intentional destruction of property” (故意毁坏财物罪) over the alleged removal of surveillance cameras installed at the church entrance, and were formally placed under arrest by the Panji District Procuratorate.
On June 12, 2025, police transferred the case to the Panji District Procuratorate for prosecution; the number of defendants grew from four to six. In November 2025 the case was tried at the Panji District Court. On November 6, Zhao was sentenced to one year and one month in prison; three fellow church members received sentences ranging from one year to a suspended detention term. According to the Prisoners of Conscience database, Zhao was released on March 21, 2026, after completing his sentence.
Radio Free Asia reported that the local religious-affairs authorities revoked Zhao’s pastoral qualification after his arrest, and that on February 26, 2025, the Panji District government and its ethnic and religious affairs bureau issued a public notice stating that personnel connected with the Xinyi Village church had been placed under coercive measures on suspicion of violating the law. The church building was taken over by the authorities, who stationed street-office and religious-affairs personnel there to manage it.
In April 2025, China Aid, a U.S.-based Christian advocacy organization, published a letter written by Zhao’s 15-year-old daughter to her imprisoned father.