September 18, 2026
Criminal cases involving three leaders of Xi’an’s Light of Zion Church are moving toward trial while lawyers representing their families have alleged procedural violations and obstruction at court.
ChinaAid reported on September 17 that Pastor Tang Bingyi’s fraud case was advancing following a September 15 pretrial conference. Tang is one of three church leaders facing fraud charges, together with church founder Pastor Gao Quanfu and Gao’s wife, Pang Yu.
ChinaAid previously published details from an indictment alleging that Gao and other church leaders fraudulently obtained church offerings. It reported that prosecutors are seeking a prison term of 12 to 13 years for Gao. Gao’s family and supporters dispute the allegations and argue that legitimate voluntary church offerings are being criminalized.
ChinaAid reported that the indictment is dated December 31, 2025. The indictment, as published by ChinaAid, alleges that Gao and other church leaders fraudulently obtained RMB 25.5 million in offerings. ChinaAid reported that Gao was detained in May 2025.
Lawyers report confrontation at court
Separately, the Weiquan Information Center reported on September 17, citing a church notice, that a group of rights lawyers went to court concerning the cases. The report alleges that lawyers were obstructed, that Bao Longjun was shoved by court police and that Wang Yu’s mobile phone was seized. Free China Movement has not independently verified those specific allegations, and they are presented here with attribution.
The lawyers named in the report include Wang Quanzhang, Bao Longjun, Lu Siwei, Peng Yonghe, Jiang Tianyong, Chang Weiping and Wang Yu.
Sources
ChinaAid, September 14 and September 17, 2026; Weiquan Information Center/China Truth, September 17, 2026. Allegations concerning courtroom conduct remain attributed to the lawyers and reporting organizations unless independently confirmed.
Related: Tang Bingyi case update.