This archive preserves the documented media and case record for Li Qin (李琴), a Golden Lampstand Church leader from Linfen, Shanxi, currently serving a five-year-and-seven-month prison sentence. See also the person profile of Li Qin / 李琴.
Case chronology (as documented by the case sources)
- 2017: Li joins the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen, Shanxi.
- 2018–2019: Appointed head of the church’s fourth pastoral district (Xiguan, Nanjiao, Qiaoli, Quting zones).
- January 2018: The church’s large worship building, funded by believers’ donations, is demolished by the authorities.
- August 6, 2021: Summoned by Yaodu District police; August 7, given 15 days’ administrative detention and a 500-yuan fine for “carrying out activities in the name of an illegal social organization.”
- August 23, 2021: Placed under criminal detention on suspicion of fraud, with more than a dozen other church members.
- September 27, 2021: Arrest approved by the Yaodu District procuratorate for Li, Pastor Wang Xiaoguang, and seven others; indictment alleges the church’s collection of offerings was a fraud criminal group, attributing about 943,500 yuan to Li as district head.
- October 20, 2021: Released on bail (six months). Further bail periods follow in 2022–2024; residential surveillance for six months from April 2023.
- June 20, 2025: The Yaodu District Court sentences ten church leaders and co-workers on fraud charges; Li receives five years and seven months plus a 50,000-yuan fine. (Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and Yang Rongli are handled in a separate case.)
- August 15, 2025: The Linfen Intermediate Court upholds the verdicts; Li is taken into custody. Defense lawyers had argued the charges were politically motivated and cited procedural irregularities.
- Term recorded to: January 2031. Recorded location: Taiyuan City No.3 Prison, Taiyuan, Shanxi.
Source record
- CHRD Prisoners of Conscience database — individual record for 李琴 / “Li Qin”: born 1972-06-25; female; last taken 2025-08-15; charge 诈骗罪/Fraud; 5 years 7 months; release 2031.1; held at 太原市第三监狱 (Taiyuan City No.3 Prison); full case narrative covering her church role, the 2021 detention sequence, the 2025-06-20 sentence (5y7m + ¥50,000 fine), the 2025-08-15 appeal decision, and the prison address (No. 15 Xitaibao Street, Yingze District, Taiyuan 030000). Record entered 2025-12-13; accessed via the database’s public search (query: name=李琴; exactly one record returned; foreign_name=LI QIN returned exactly one exact match among substring matches on other names).
- Bitter Winter — “Heavy Jail Penalties in the Linfen Golden Lampstand Church Case” (June 2025): reports that ten Golden Lampstand Church members were sentenced for “fraud” on June 20, 2025, and states: “Sister Li Qin was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison, with a fine of RMB 50,000.” The article frames “fraud” as a charge used to repress independent religion and documents the church’s history (50,000+ members, 2018 demolition, August 2021 detentions, lawyer-dismissal pressure).
- Bitter Winter — “Appeal Verdict Confirms Harsh Sentences for Golden Lampstand Church Leaders” (August 2025): reports that on August 15, 2025, the Linfen Intermediate Court upheld the verdicts, naming “Sister Li Qin, who was sentenced to five years and seven months,” and noting defense lawyers’ argument that the charges were politically motivated and that defendants were targeted for their faith and leadership roles.
- ChinaAid (对华援助新闻网) — “山西’临汾教案’再起：金灯台教会众领袖再次被捕，面临刑事指控” (January 11, 2022): names 李琴 among the Christians released on bail (冯俊英、陈青兰、李琴、王闲风、杨红珍）, documenting her as one of the nine detained church leaders from the August 2021 arrests; describes the “fraud” charge as a tool used against house churches and gives the church’s background (founders Wang Xiaoguang and Yang Rongli, 2009 crackdown, 2018 demolition).
- ASSIST News — “Ten members of church falsely accused of ‘fraud’, sentenced to harsh prison terms” (July 2025): covers the same June 20, 2025 sentencing event (ten members, harshest sentence 9y2m for Li Shuangping), describing the fraud charges as baseless and resting on voluntary offerings, and procedural violations including pressure on defendants to dismiss their lawyers. Does not name Li Qin individually — cited as event corroboration, not identity evidence.
- Radio Free Asia (Mandarin) — report on the Golden Lampstand case (August 2021), referenced as a source in the CHRD record (https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/shehui/ql0809a-08092021041040.html). The page could not be opened directly during the research pass (the domain does not serve the researcher’s fetcher); cited only as a referenced item, not as an opened source.
Evidentiary limitations
- No official court judgment or state-media coverage of this case has been located; the sentencing and appeal facts rest on the CHRD record and independent-outlet reporting.
- Characterizations of the fraud charges as “baseless,” “pretextual,” or “politically motivated” are the reporting outlets’ accounts, not official findings; the person profile carries them as attributed claims.
- The exact legal theory of the indictment (943,500 yuan figure, “criminal group” characterization) comes from the CHRD case narrative, not from a published judgment.
- Li Qin’s current prison placement (Taiyuan City No.3 Prison) is recorded by CHRD; no transfer record has been independently located.
- Identity note: Li Qin (李琴) should not be confused with Li Qing (李清, male), the US-detained rights advocate Li Qing, or Jia Qin (贾芹) — they are different people.
See the person profile of Li Qin / 李琴 for the full case narrative.