Table of Contents

• Ⅰ. Executive Summary
• II. Overview of CCP’s Persecution of The Church of Almighty God in 2025
  • A. At Least 19,191 CAG Christians Arrested Throughout the Year—the Highest Figure Since Annual Reporting Began
    • 1. Monthly Arrests of CAG Christians in 2025
    • 2. Provinces with the Most Severe Arrests of CAG Christians in 2025
    • 3. Table of Persecution of CAG Christians by Province (Mun./Aut. Reg.) in 2025
  • B. At Least 8,996 CAG Christians Subjected to Torture or Violent Brainwashing, and at Least 23 Persecuted to Death in 2025
    • 1. Torture of CAG Christians in 2025 and Representative Cases
    • 2. Violent Brainwashing of CAG Christians in 2025 and Representative Cases
    • 3. Persecution to Death of CAG Christians in 2025 and Representative Cases
  • C. At Least 2,291 CAG Christians Sentenced Throughout the Year, 110 Over 7 Years
  • D. Large-Scale Arrests and Persecution of Elderly CAG Christians
    • 1. Arrests of Elderly CAG Christians in Selected Provinces, Municipalities, and Autonomous Regions in 2025
    • 2. Representative Cases of Arrests of Elderly CAG Christians in 2025
  • E. CAG Christians Restricted from Exiting China, Arrested and Persecuted
• III. Conclusion
• Appendices
  • Appendix A. Cases of Deprivation of Basic Human Rights of CAG Christians and Their Relatives in 2025
  • Appendix B. Cases of Plunder of Church Funds and CAG Christians’ Personal Assets in 2025
  • Appendix C. Cases of CAG Christians Heavily Sentenced in 2025 and Currently Imprisoned
    • 1. Collective Sentencing Cases of CAG Christians in Shandong Province in 2025
    • 2. Collective Sentencing Cases of CAG Christians in Guangdong Province in 2025

Notes:

1. The cover image depicts a true-to-life reconstruction of the persecution faced by Christians of The Church of Almighty God (CAG).

2. To protect the safety and privacy of CAG Christians and their family members, most individuals referenced in this report are identified by pseudonyms. Pseudonyms are marked with an asterisk (*) in the upper right corner to indicate this distinction.

3. In this report, references to elderly CAG Christians refer to Christians aged 60 and above.

Ⅰ. Executive Summary

In 2025, China’s economy deteriorated across the board. Foreign-funded enterprises withdrew in large numbers, factories and businesses closed throughout the provinces, unemployment surged, and countless ordinary citizens struggled to meet even their most basic living needs. As a result, public resentment intensified, social unrest increased, and widespread fear permeated society. Instead of addressing the suffering of the population, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) further escalated its repression and persecution of religious belief, forcefully advancing its “Party-ization of religion”¹ policy in an attempt to eradicate all religious faiths. Across China’s provinces and cities, authorities continued large-scale arrest campaigns and severe crackdowns against house churches. Among them, The Church of Almighty God² (CAG), the Zion’s Light Church in Xi’an³, Shaanxi, the Golden Lampstand Church in Linfen⁴, Shanxi, and the Yayang Church in Wenzhou⁵, Zhejiang, were subjected to particularly harsh repression. Places of worship were raided and shut down, church and personal assets were forcibly plundered, and large numbers of church leaders, co-workers, and lay believers were arrested, detained, sentenced, or imprisoned for extended periods. Among these house churches, The Church of Almighty God⁶ has endured the most severe persecution. Since the Church’s establishment in 1991, the CCP has sustained a campaign of repression and mass arrests targeting CAG members. Since Xi Jinping came to power, the CCP significantly escalated its crackdown against the CAG, with officials publicly vowing to “not stand down until the Church was completely eradicated.” Despite launching numerous large-scale arrest operations, the CCP has never succeeded in destroying The Church of Almighty God. From September 2020 to August 2023, the CCP planned and implemented a campaign known as the “Three-Year General Battle,”⁷ which caused severe disruption to The Church of Almighty God across China but failed to halt the Church’s growth overseas. With the Church’s expansion to more than 100 countries worldwide, the CCP has grown increasingly hostile and desperate, mobilizing the full apparatus of the state to further intensify its persecution. In August 2023, the CCP launched a new nationwide campaign—the “Three-Year Tough Battle”⁸ (January 2024–December 2026)—elevating the suppression, mass arrests, and ultimate eradication of The Church of Almighty God to the level of “national security” and implementing a systematic, nationwide encirclement and repression. Large-scale arrest operations were carried out across the country with high frequency, long duration, and wide geographic scope. Large numbers of CAG Christians were arrested and tortured, with some persecuted to death. The number of CAG members who have been forcibly disappeared or remain missing is difficult to determine.

2025 marked the second year of the CCP pressing ahead with its “Three-Year Tough Battle” to repress and persecute The Church of Almighty God, with nationwide “zero-out” campaigns continuing to escalate. The CCP directed governments and public security authorities at all levels to conduct dragnet-style investigations targeting CAG Christians, with explicit instructions to “err on the side of over-reporting rather than missing anyone.” Search and arrest quotas were forcibly and directly tied to the performance-based pay and evaluations of grassroots officials, while ordinary citizens were offered substantial cash rewards for reporting CAG believers. Subsequently, Domestic Security Protection units, in coordination with criminal police, special police, and armed police forces, were mobilized en masse on a massive scale to launch a nationwide “people’s war” of searches, denunciations, and arrests against CAG members. At the same time, the CCP established a vast network of brainwashing bases and facilities⁹ nationwide, subjecting detained CAG Christians to repeated rounds of ideological indoctrination. Through the forced inculcation of “Party culture,” combined with violent methods such as sleep deprivation, prolonged exposure to propaganda videos, and corporal punishment, authorities sought to compel CAG believers to sign the “Three Statements” (Statement of Guarantee, Statement of Repentance, and Statement of Severance) or the “Five Statements” (adding the Statement of Confession and Statement of Denunciation to the existing “Three Statements”). These measures were intended to achieve an ideological “zero-out” of Christians and compel them to renounce their faith. During searches and arrests, the CCP made extensive use of high-tech surveillance systems, including the “Skynet” and “Sharp Eyes” networks, facial recognition technology, big data analysis, electric bike tracking devices, and drones. Plainclothes officers and military personnel transitioning to civilian careers were also recruited or employed to carry out long-term tailing, precise positioning, covert filming, and round-the-clock surveillance of CAG Christians. Throughout 2025, arrest operations swept the country in wave after wave, subjecting The Church of Almighty God to yet another round of severe repression and persecution.

According to incomplete statistics, from 1991 to 2025, at least 520,191 CAG Christians were arrested and at least 318 were persecuted to death. Between 2011 and 2025 alone, at least 84,077 CAG Christians were subjected to torture or forced brainwashing. Between 2017 and 2025 alone, at least 13,034 CAG Christians were sentenced to prison. Due to the CCP’s strict information blockade, the enforced disappearance or loss of contact of many CAG Christians, and the fact that certain regions—such as the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region—have become a no-go area under CCP’s intensive surveillance, detailed accounts of the persecution remain inaccessible. As a result, additional data and related information cannot be fully documented.

II. Overview of CCP’s Persecution of The Church of Almighty God in 2025

According to incomplete statistics, in 2025, at least 55,649 CAG Christians were directly persecuted by the CCP for engaging in normal religious activities, such as attending gatherings and preaching the gospel. Among them, at least 36,458 were subjected to intimidation, threats, or summons; had their homes raided; were coerced into signing the “Three Statements” renouncing their faith; were forcibly photographed or videotaped; and were subjected to compulsory collection of biometric information, including fingerprints, blood samples, and hair. They were also restricted from leaving the country, their province, or their city; placed under surveillance and tracking; had their basic living allowances revoked; and were deprived of employment rights for themselves and their family members. At least 19,191 were arrested, among whom 8,996 were subjected to various forms of torture or violent brainwashing. 2,291 were sentenced to prison, including 973 sentenced to three years or more and 110 sentenced to seven years or more. At least 23 were persecuted to death. The total value of church funds and personal property of CAG Christians forcibly plundered and illegally appropriated by the CCP amounted to at least 330 million RMB (approx. USD 47 million).

A. At Least 19,191 CAG Christians Arrested Throughout the Year—the Highest Figure Since Annual Reporting Began

Throughout 2025, arrests and persecution of CAG Christians continued unabated across China. From the beginning to the end of the year, arrests occurred almost daily and month after month, characterized by large scale, high frequency, and a broad scope of impact. According to incomplete statistics, at least 19,191 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide in 2025, marking the highest¹⁰ annual figure since the publication of annual reports began in 2017¹¹. Arrest figures for CAG Christians from 2017 to 2025 are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Number of CAG Christians Arrested, 2017–2025

1. Monthly Arrests of CAG Christians in 2025

Figure 2: Number of CAG Christians Arrested, January–December 2025

The following provides a monthly overview of arrests of CAG Christians in selected regions across China in 2025. (Note: Due to the CCP’s strict information blockade, collecting information on persecution is extremely dangerous. Many specific details regarding arrests and persecution could not be obtained, and in many regions only partial arrest data has been compiled.)

In January, at least 430 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 147 in Anhui, 71 in Shandong, 40 in Inner Mongolia, 31 in Shaanxi, 26 in Shanxi, 24 in Guangdong, and 21 in Jiangsu.

From January 7 to 9, authorities in Laixi City, Shandong Province, mobilized police forces from five police stations to carry out a coordinated arrest operation. At least 17 CAG Christians were arrested, including eight key church members and nine elderly Christians over 60, with the oldest being 82. Personal assets worth about 58,000 RMB (approx. USD 7,920) were forcibly plundered.

On January 13, a total of 22 CAG Christians were arrested in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, including 2 church leaders.

On January 15, at least 11 CAG Christians were arrested in Fuyang City, Anhui Province. In one instance, a group of 10 individuals—consisting of police officers and village officials—forcibly plundered 850 kg (1,874 lbs) of wheat from a Christian’s home.

In January, 31 CAG Christians were arrested in Bengbu City, Anhui Province, and 18 of them were sent to brainwashing facilities and compelled to sign the “Three Statements.”

In February, at least 685 CAG Christians were arrested across China. Arrest figures in some provinces were as follows: 230 in Shandong, 216 in Anhui, 52 in Shanxi, 46 in Guangdong, 42 in Zhejiang, and 33 in Henan.

On February 8, a total of 49 CAG Christians were arrested in Jining City, Shandong Province. In Yanzhou District alone, at least 40 were arrested, including 12 elderly CAG Christians aged over 70.

On February 18, 30 CAG Christians were arrested in Foshan City, Guangdong Province, including 12 church leaders and key members. A large number of faith-related books were seized, and church and personal assets totaling at least 245,739 RMB (approx. USD 33,860) were forcibly plundered.

On February 19, a total of 79 CAG Christians were arrested in Tai’an City, Shandong Province. Tai’an was one of the pilot cities for the CCP’s “Three-Year Tough Battle,” where preliminary screening and investigations were carried out. A special task force targeting The Church of Almighty God was established to conduct comprehensive searches for CAG Christians, and subsequently carried out sustained, coordinated arrest operations.

On February 24, a total of 19 CAG Christians were arrested in Lixin County, Bozhou City, Anhui Province, including three church leaders and co-workers. Sixteen were subjected to forced brainwashing and coerced to sign the “Three Statements.”

In February, 33 CAG Christians were arrested in Bengbu City, Anhui Province, 23 of whom were sent to brainwashing facilities. One arrested CAG Christian’s personal cash, totaling 156,000 RMB (approx. USD 21,500), was forcibly plundered by the police.

In March, at least 980 CAG Christians were arrested across China. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 310 in Anhui, 260 in Shandong, 141 in Zhejiang, 56 in Jiangsu, 50 in Guangdong, 47 in Henan, 39 in Shanxi, and 26 in Gansu.

On March 12, a total of 49 CAG Christians were arrested in Jining City, Shandong Province.

On March 13 and 14, a total of 25 CAG Christians were arrested in Huimin County, Binzhou City, Shandong Province.

On March 19, a total of 18 CAG Christians were arrested in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province. On the same day, large-scale and sustained arrest operations were launched in Wulian County and Ju County of Rizhao City, Shandong Province, resulting in multiple CAG churches in both areas losing contact.

From March 23 to 25, a total of 64 CAG Christians were arrested in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province. In Yongkang City, at least 55 CAG Christians were arrested on March 24 alone, including two elderly Christians in their 80s and two in their 90s. After learning of the arrests, a Christian was forced to flee to a relative’s home but was still arrested. A police officer said, “There is surveillance everywhere—where can you escape?”

On March 26, a coordinated arrest operation was launched in Laixi City, Qingdao, Shandong Province, with police forces mobilized from 8 police stations. Twenty-four CAG Christians were arrested, including 16 elderly Christians, the oldest being 85. Personal assets totaling approximately 70,000 RMB (approx. USD 9,650) were plundered. On the same day, another 56 CAG Christians were arrested in Qingdao City, and church and personal assets totaling 355,200 RMB (approx. USD 48,940) were plundered.

On March 27, a large-scale arrest operation was launched in Linze County, Zhangye City, Gansu Province, with at least 24 CAG Christians arrested.

In April, at least 1,240 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 359 in Anhui, 190 in Jiangsu, 171 in Shandong, 104 in Henan, 80 in Sichuan, 78 in Shanxi, 69 in Shaanxi, 48 in Guangdong, and 44 in Zhejiang.

On April 8, a total of 25 CAG Christians were arrested in Lixin County, Bozhou City, Anhui Province, and were subsequently detained in brainwashing facilities.

On April 10, a total of 93 CAG Christians were arrested in Ju County, Rizhao City, Shandong Province, including 39 church leaders and key members. The youngest was 20 years old, and the oldest was 85. During interrogations, one police officer brazenly stated, “We will turn Ju County into a ‘pure land’—with not a single believer left.” Another officer viciously said, “As long as the CCP doesn’t fall, don’t even think about believing in God—if you believe, you will be arrested immediately!” “This year and next, we must ‘zero out’ The Church of Almighty God!”

From April 16 to 20, a total of 67 CAG Christians were arrested in Sihong County, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province. On April 16 alone, at least 36 CAG Christians were arrested. During this period, police, under the pretext of “illegal fundraising,” forcibly plundered a Christian’s personal savings of 130,000 RMB (approx. USD 17,840) and took her husband and grandson, who are not believers, to a police station for interrogation.

On April 17 and 18, a total of 29 CAG Christians were arrested in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, including 16 church leaders and co-workers at different levels. According to informed sources, in order to arrest one key member, police secretly followed and surveilled her, deploying drones to monitor her for as long as three years. To coerce her into disclosing church information, police forced her to sit on a tiger bench for two days and two nights of interrogation and subjected her to electric shocks.

On April 21, at least 21 CAG Christians were arrested in Zhaoqing City, Guangdong Province, including 12 church leaders and key members. Assets totaling at least 124,156 RMB (approx. USD 17,000) were plundered. One Christian said, “The police are like bulldozers—arresting Christians church by church. After finishing with one church, they move on to the next. Nearly all CAG churches in Guangzhou, Qingyuan, and Zhaoqing have been swept up in these arrest operations.”

From April 23 to 25, in Nanchong City, Sichuan Province, a total of 74 CAG Christians were arrested within just three days, including 21 church leaders and co-workers. According to informed sources, local authorities held a secret emergency meeting for community staff, requiring each community to assign personnel for training and, after training, to take turns guarding arrested CAG Christians in shifts around the clock. One police officer showed an arrested CAG Christian surveillance photos on a phone documenting his movements, and threatened him: “We know exactly where you are and who you are with every day—we monitor everything. If you don’t transform your thoughts, you will be transferred to a detention center, and you’ll have a ‘good time’ there! If you still refuse to transform, you’ll spend years in prison!”

On April 24, a total of 12 CAG Christians were arrested in Mengcheng County, Bozhou City, Anhui Province, including six church leaders and co-workers and three key members. They were subjected to forced brainwashing and compelled to sign the “Three Statements.”

From April 26 to 28, at least 40 CAG Christians were arrested in Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province. During this period, in order to identify CAG Christians, authorities in Lianyungang used WeChat announcements and community notices to incite the public to report CAG Christians, offered rewards for such reports, and went door to door requiring residents to sign pledges rejecting religious belief.

In May, at least 1,388 CAG Christians were arrested across China. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 517 in Shandong, 289 in Anhui, 236 in Jiangsu, 75 in Guangdong, 73 in Henan, 48 in Zhejiang, 44 in Sichuan, and 37 in Shanxi.

On May 14, at least 64 CAG Christians were arrested in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province.

On May 20, at least 138 CAG Christians were arrested in Heze City, Shandong Province, including four 17-year-olds and five who were seriously ill. According to available information, police in Luxi New District, Cao County, and Dongming County of Heze City used the “Skynet” system, drones, and electronic surveillance cameras to surveil and track CAG Christians for six months; some had been under constant surveillance for as long as four years.

On May 22, a large-scale arrest operation was simultaneously launched in Changzhou City and Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, resulting in the arrest of at least 38 CAG Christians, including 13 church leaders and co-workers. During the interrogation of one Christian, police disclosed that since her arrest and release in 2018, they had continuously followed and surveilled her, and were fully aware of her movements.

On May 23, at least 30 CAG Christians were arrested in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, many of whom were subjected to torture. During the interrogation of one Christian, police attempted to force her to divulge church information by clenching a right fist and punching her chin upward with great force. Each blow caused her head to slam against the wall, loosening her teeth and causing bleeding from her mouth. Police then rolled paper into a tube and beat her face forcefully, followed by 2 consecutive slaps, leaving her head ringing. This has left her with a very poor memory.

On May 26, a total of 15 CAG Christians were arrested in Jinan City, Shandong Province. Church and personal funds totaling 343,015 RMB (approx. USD 47,690) were plundered. According to one Christian, at around 10:00 p.m. that night, more than a dozen police officers broke into her home, one of whom pointed a gun directly at her husband’s head, and they then began frantically searching the house. The scene terrified her husband and mother-in-law, and her child cried uncontrollably with fear. Police told her that they had been tracking them for more than 1 year before arresting them. Another Christian reported that at around 4:00 a.m., seven police officers pried open the lock, forced their way into the home, ransacked it, leaving it in a state of chaos, and looted 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,170) in cash, along with one computer and three mobile phones.

From May 26 to 28, a coordinated arrest operation was carried out in multiple locations across Zhangqiu District of Jinan City and Dezhou City, Shandong Province, resulting in the arrest of at least 109 CAG Christians. During interrogations, a police officer said: “This operation is based on a central directive. The provincial public security department and municipal public security bureaus jointly carried out this large-scale arrest.”

On May 29, at least 18 CAG Christians were arrested in Ganyu District, Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province.

In June, at least 2,387 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions, were as follows: 738 in Jiangsu, 442 in Shandong, 369 in Anhui, 167 in Chongqing, 166 in Henan, 164 in Guangdong, 87 in Zhejiang, 74 in Shanxi, 62 in Hubei, and 42 in Yunnan.

On June 3, at least 36 CAG Christians were arrested in Fuyang City, Anhui Province. Among them, 32 were held in hotel-based brainwashing facilities for forced brainwashing and transformation, and were forced through threats and inducements to divulge church information and sign the “Three Statements.”

On June 10, a total of 46 CAG Christians were arrested in Quzhou City, Zhejiang Province.

On June 13 and 14, a total of 13 CAG Christians were arrested in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province. To plunder church assets, police subjected one of them—a 61-year-old Christian—to torture. They kicked her, struck her in the face with a beverage bottle, twice doused her with cold water from head to toe, and forced her to remain seated for long periods in an air-conditioned room while wearing wet clothes, exposing her to severe cold. As a result, her throat became severely hoarse, leaving her unable to speak. After her release, it took three months of medical treatment for her condition to improve.

From June 16 to 27, at least 56 CAG Christians were arrested in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province. One of them was an 84-year-old Christian with limited mobility; police broke into his home under the pretext of a room inspection and forcibly took him to the police station.

From June 19 to 27, a unified large-scale arrest operation was launched in Chongqing Municipality, resulting in the arrest of at least 163 CAG Christians. On June 20 alone, 116 were arrested.

On June 20, at least 19 CAG Christians were arrested in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, including five church leaders and co-workers. To force one church leader to reveal the whereabouts of church funds, police drugged her drinking water, causing her to become drowsy and disoriented, and attempted to extract information from her in that state.

From June 21 to 24, a unified large-scale arrest operation was launched in Xinyi City, Pizhou City, Suining County, Feng County, and Pei County under Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, resulting in the arrest of at least 291 CAG Christians. On June 22 alone, at least 150 CAG Christians were arrested. Most of those detained were taken directly to hotels for forced brainwashing and secret interrogation. Those who refused to divulge church information or sign the “Three Statements” were subjected to torture and psychological abuse. In Xinyi City, all CAG Christians who refused to sign the “Three Statements” were detained at the Songshan Guesthouse (Maling Mountain Wuhua Manor), a brainwashing base guarded by several hundred police officers and armed police.

On June 23, at least 87 CAG Christians were arrested in Guangzhou City and Heyuan City, Guangdong Province, and 47 went missing. During the arrests, a police officer from a local police station in Guangzhou said: “The June mass arrests are orders from higher authorities. Public security officers and auxiliary police must remain on 24-hour standby; anyone who delays will be held accountable and directly dismissed.”

On June 24, a unified arrest operation was carried out in Xianning City, Hubei Province, resulting in the arrest of at least 53 CAG Christians.

On June 25, a unified arrest operation was launched in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, resulting in the arrest of at least 81 CAG Christians. On the same day, 151 CAG Christians were arrested in Liaocheng City, Shandong Province. A public security bureau chief involved in the operation said: “From now on, arresting fraudsters won’t be a priority anymore; we’ll keep arresting believers in Almighty God.” Another police officer stated: “There is currently a severe crackdown on The Church of Almighty God—better to wrongly surveil 10,000 than let one go.” On the same day, 15 CAG Christians were arrested in Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province.

In July, at least 1,966 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 594 in Jiangsu, 319 in Henan, 281 in Anhui, 206 in Shandong, 124 in Guangdong, 122 in Shanxi, 68 in Chongqing, 46 in Zhejiang, 35 in Sichuan, and 33 in Guangxi.

On July 1, a sudden mass arrest operation was launched in Gushi County, Xinyang City, Henan Province. Within just four hours—from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.—at least 50 CAG Christians were arrested, including one elderly Christian aged 79.

From July 1 to 10, at least 145 CAG Christians were arrested in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province.

On July 3, at least 30 CAG Christians were arrested in Laiwu District of Jinan City, Shandong Province, including 15 church leaders and co-workers. On the same day, 23 CAG Christians were arrested in Chengwu County, Heze City, Shandong Province, including 10 church leaders and co-workers.

On July 15 and 16, at least 123 CAG Christians were arrested in Suqian City, Jiangsu Province.

On July 16 and 17, a total of 40 CAG Christians were arrested in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. A large quantity of church books was seized, and personal assets totaling at least 79,650 RMB (approx. USD 11,110) were forcibly plundered.

From July 23 to 25, a total of 13 CAG Christians were arrested in Shanghai, including five church leaders and co-workers.

On July 29, at least 32 CAG Christians were arrested in Zhangdian District and Huantai County of Zibo City, Shandong Province, including 18 elderly Christians. On the same day, 46 CAG Christians were arrested in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, marking the 5th unified large-scale arrest operation targeting CAG Christians in the city since January.

On July 30 and 31, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, dispatched over 200 police officers to carry out a unified arrest operation, resulting in the arrest of 45 CAG Christians, 29 of whom were subjected to forced brainwashing. One Christian’s home was forcibly searched by four police officers, who plundered 203,800 RMB (approx. USD 28,390) in cash, and the Christian was subjected to violent brainwashing.

On July 31, a total of 11 elderly CAG Christians over the age of 65 were arrested in Shanghai, with the oldest being 81. One CAG Christian said that police used a master key to unlock her door, broke into her home, and forcibly plundered her personal cash totaling 42,200 RMB (approx. USD 5,880).

In August, at least 2,074 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 516 in Jiangsu, 368 in Anhui, 290 in Hunan, 197 in Henan, 137 in Guangdong, 120 in Guangxi, 84 in Shanxi, 81 in Yunnan, 75 in Shaanxi, and 52 in Shandong.

From August 1 to 19, at least 33 CAG Christians were arrested in Mengzi City and Luxi County, Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province.

From August 3 to 6, at least 183 CAG Christians were arrested across 10 cities in Hunan Province, including Changde, Chenzhou, and Zhangjiajie. Police stormed into one Christian’s home like bandits, ransacking the place and even searching trash bins. After the search, three police officers forcibly carried the Christian into a police vehicle.

On August 7, at least 26 CAG Christians were arrested in Zibo City, Shandong Province. According to informed sources, higher authorities forcibly imposed arrest quotas, requiring each police station to arrest at least 50 Christians by September 3, primarily targeting church leaders and co-workers.

On August 8, a unified large-scale arrest operation was launched in Luohe City, Henan Province, continuing until around September 9. Over the course of about one month, at least 26 CAG Christians were arrested. A domestic security captain involved in the arrests said, “To surveil you, we change vehicles, change personnel, and change clothing, ride shared bicycles, and disguise ourselves as people from various professions. Before making arrests, we first deploy drones to confirm people are at home, then carry out the arrests.” A village Party secretary revealed, “Every few days we have to go to the city for meetings, mainly to carry out the reporting of believers in God. If we don’t report, we get publicly criticized. If a township reports zero cases, township leaders will be removed from their posts and have their salaries withheld. We have no choice but to report.”

On August 13, at least 20 CAG Christians were arrested in Beijing. Ahead of the CCP’s “September 3 Military Parade,” Beijing authorities carried out a severe crackdown and arrest operation targeting local CAG Christians. Due to strict information blockades, the total number of arrests could not be fully compiled. On the same day, a large-scale arrest operation was also launched in Guigang City, Guangxi, resulting in the arrest of 112 CAG Christians, including 37 church leaders, co-workers, and key members, and 17 elderly Christians.

On August 14, a unified arrest operation was carried out against multiple CAG church meeting sites in Changyuan City, Henan Province, with at least 14 CAG Christians arrested. On the same day, 16 CAG Christians were arrested in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province; one Christian’s personal cash of 94,490 RMB (approx. USD 13,160) was forcibly plundered.

On August 17, at least 42 CAG Christians were arrested in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.

On August 19, at least 17 CAG Christians were suddenly arrested in Xiangyang City, Hubei Province.

On August 21 and 22, at least 43 CAG Christians were arrested in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province.

From August 24 to 31, at least 120 CAG Christians were arrested in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province.

In September, at least 2,447 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 430 in Shandong, 380 in Anhui, 287 in Henan, 287 in Jiangsu, 203 in Shaanxi, 157 in Jiangxi, 153 in Yunnan, 119 in Jilin, 116 in Sichuan, 74 in Zhejiang, and 73 in Chongqing.

On September 2, a unified arrest operation was launched in Baoding City, Hebei Province, resulting in the arrest of 36 CAG Christians. Church funds totaling 621,511 RMB (approx. USD 87,150) were forcibly plundered. Several Christians’ homes were broken into by 20 to 30 armed special police officers, who arrested them, and forcibly searched their homes. Special police were also deployed to operate drones and surveil the Christians’ residences.

On September 4, another unified arrest operation was launched in Huai’an City, Jiangsu Province, during which 37 CAG Christians were arrested. On the same day, at least 35 CAG Christians were arrested in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, including 16 church leaders, co-workers, and key members.

From September 5 to 10, at least 61 CAG Christians were arrested in Yan’an City, Shaanxi Province. According to incomplete statistics, church funds totaling 193,650 RMB (approx. USD 27,174) were plundered, along with 615,850 RMB (approx. USD 86,420) in personal assets.

On September 10, at least 157 CAG Christians were arrested in Dongying City, Shandong Province, where nearly all church leaders and co-workers were taken into custody. According to informed sources, authorities divided the operation into 18 task groups, with the Binhai Public Security Bureau dispatching more than 200 police officers. To bolster manpower, canteen staff from police stations, as well as personnel from public security and other related departments, were also mobilized to participate in the arrests. The following day, 10 CAG Christians were arrested in Linyi City. Two days later, 27 more CAG Christians were arrested in Binzhou City.

On September 11 and 12, a total of 84 CAG Christians were arrested in Changchun City, Jilin Province.

On September 12 and 13, a unified arrest operation was carried out in Guangfeng District, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province, resulting in the arrest of at least 76 CAG Christians, including 29 church leaders, co-workers, and key members.

On September 15, a total of 13 CAG Christians were arrested in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province, including seven church leaders and co-workers.

On September 17, a total of 34 CAG Christians were arrested in Pingdu City, Qingdao, Shandong Province. Police forcibly plundered church and personal assets totaling approximately 1,452,690 RMB (approx. USD 204,110).

On September 19, a total of 64 CAG Christians were arrested in Nankang District, Ganzhou City, Jiangxi Province. During an interrogation, a police officer said: “Especially The Church of Almighty God—the state attaches great importance to it and is determined to crack down on it.”

From September 22 to 25, a total of 77 CAG Christians were arrested in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, one of whom was persecuted to death. On September 25, a total of 13 CAG Christians were arrested in Shanghai, including three church leaders and co-workers. One elderly Christian was temporarily spared from arrest due to her serious illness. Police stated they would arrest her once her condition improved slightly and forcibly installed surveillance cameras in her home to keep her under strict, round-the-clock surveillance.

On September 25 and 26, at least 62 CAG Christians were arrested in Dong’e County, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province.

In October, at least 2,170 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 928 in Shandong, 339 in Anhui, 250 in Henan, 147 in Zhejiang, 136 in Shanxi, 115 in Chongqing, 58 in Guangdong, and 49 in Jiangsu.

On October 13, at least 75 CAG Christians were arrested in Linfen City, Shanxi Province. Among them were 34 elderly Christians, the oldest aged 80. One police officer revealed, “This was a unified operation. About 140 officers were dispatched.”

From October 14 to 16, a total of 32 CAG Christians were arrested in Donggang District, Rizhao City, Shandong Province, including 19 elderly Christians, the oldest aged 85. In Ju County, 36 CAG Christians were arrested, including 15 elderly Christians. On October 16 alone, 115 CAG Christians were arrested in Weifang City, including 62 elderly Christians, the oldest aged 82.

From October 24 to 26, at least 19 CAG Christians were arrested in Shanwei City, Guangdong Province. On October 24 alone, at least 36 CAG Christians were arrested in Dongguan City.

On October 28, at least 230 CAG Christians were arrested in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, including 114 elderly Christians, the oldest aged 85. During interrogations, a police officer stated, “China absolutely does not allow belief in Almighty God—this is Xi Jinping’s China.”

On October 29, at least 218 CAG Christians were arrested in one city and two counties under Tai’an City, Shandong Province.

On October 30, at least 44 CAG Christians were arrested in Liangshan and Wenshang Counties, Jining City, Shandong Province, including 13 church leaders and co-workers and 19 elderly Christians.

In November, at least 2,130 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 480 in Shandong, 381 in Anhui, 343 in Henan, 131 in Shanxi, 147 in Chongqing, 125 in Jiangxi, 103 in Guangxi, 77 in Jiangsu, 64 in Zhejiang, 58 in Hubei, 56 in Liaoning, and 52 in Shaanxi.

On November 5, at least 19 CAG Christians were arrested in Qixia City, Shandong Province, including 10 church leaders and co-workers. The oldest among those arrested was 87 years old.

On November 5 and 6, at least 63 CAG Christians were arrested in Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, 57 of whom were subjected to forced brainwashing.

From November 10 to 13, at least 73 CAG Christians were arrested in Heze City, Shandong Province, including 15 church leaders and co-workers and 27 elderly Christians, with the oldest aged 80. According to available information, police carried out this unified large-scale arrest operation after tracking and surveilling CAG Christians for one year using the “Skynet” system, electronic surveillance cameras, and drones.

On November 12 and 13, at least 30 CAG Christians were arrested in Xiangyang City, Hubei Province.

On November 20, at least 20 CAG Christians were arrested in Shangluo City, Shaanxi Province. On the same day, another large-scale arrest operation was carried out in Jining City, Shandong Province, with at least 105 CAG Christians arrested.

On November 25, at least 17 CAG Christians were arrested in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province. One Christian’s personal cash savings of 114,000 RMB (approx. USD 16,040) were forcibly plundered.

In December, at least 1,294 CAG Christians were arrested nationwide. Arrest figures in some provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions were as follows: 414 in Shandong, 326 in Anhui, 133 in Chongqing, 105 in Jiangsu, 96 in Henan, 66 in Jiangxi, and 41 in Hubei.

On December 4, at least 99 CAG Christians were arrested in Jining City, Shandong Province. Among them were 45 elderly Christians, with the oldest being 87 years old.

From December 11 to 13, another 21 CAG Christians were arrested in Jining City, Shandong Province, including eight elderly Christians in their 70s and two in their 80s.

2. Provinces with the Most Severe Arrests of CAG Christians in 2025

According to incomplete statistics, the number of CAG Christians arrested across various provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) in 2025 was as follows, ranked from highest to lowest: 4,201 in Shandong, 3,765 in Anhui, 2,884 in Jiangsu, 1,928 in Henan, 817 in Shanxi, 766 in Guangdong, 734 in Zhejiang, 733 in Chongqing, 609 in Shaanxi, 422 in Jiangxi, 362 in Hunan, 355 in Sichuan, 338 in Yunnan, 337 in Hubei, and 302 in Guangxi. … Based on the available statistical data, Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu were the provinces where CAG Christians suffered the most severe arrests and persecution in 2025 among all the provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China. The total number of arrests in these three provinces reached 10,850, accounting for approximately 56.5% of the nationwide total for the year (see Figure 3).

Figure 3: Shares of National CAG Christian Arrests in Shandong, Anhui, and Jiangsu Provinces

Shandong Province: In 2025, at least 4,201 CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year—an increase of 1,753 compared with 2,448 arrests in 2024, representing a year-on-year rise of approximately 72%. The monthly average exceeded 350 arrests, and five CAG Christians were persecuted to death. In the first half of 2025 alone, arrests in the province reached 1,691, nearly four times the figure for the same period in 2024. In October alone, 928 CAG Christians were arrested, accounting for 22% of the province’s annual total. To achieve the goal of “zeroing out” CAG Christians, Shandong Province invested heavily and mobilized extensive personnel and resources, fully integrating high-tech surveillance with grassroots screening. Authorities used big-data analysis to identify CAG Christians and employed facial-recognition systems, the “Skynet” and “Sharp Eyes” projects, tracking and positioning devices on electric bicycles, and monitoring of communications and payment records to conduct long-term tracking, photographing, and video surveillance. Police even deployed thermal imaging equipment originally used for military reconnaissance to monitor Christians. According to industry insiders, the cost of such equipment ranges from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of RMB (approx. USD 1,400–14,000).

Figure 4: Number of CAG Christians Arrested in Shandong Province by Month, Jan.–Dec. 2025

Anhui Province: In 2025, at least 3,765 CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, with eight months seeing over 300 arrests each, specifically: 310 in March, 359 in April, 369 in June, 368 in August, 380 in September, 339 in October, 381 in November, and 326 in December. Large-scale arrest operations continued throughout the year. The majority of arrested CAG Christians across the province were detained in brainwashing facilities; regardless of age, physical frailty, illness, or disability, they were all forced to sign the “Three Statements” to renounce their faith. Those who refused were subjected to torture and violent brainwashing.

Figure 5: Number of CAG Christians Arrested in Anhui Province by Month, Jan.–Dec. 2025

Jiangsu Province: At least 2,884 CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year—an increase of 1,080 compared to 1,801 arrests in the same period in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of approximately 59%. Looking at monthly arrest figures, the number of arrests was particularly high from June to August: 738 in June, 594 in July, and 516 in August. From June to August alone, at least 1,848 CAG Christians were arrested, accounting for 64% of the province’s total arrests for the year.

Figure 6: Number of CAG Christians Arrested in Jiangsu Province by Month, Jan.–Dec. 2025

3. Table of Persecution of CAG Christians by Province (Mun./Aut. Reg.) in 2025

Table 1: Arrests, Sentencing, Torture, Forced Brainwashing, and Deaths of CAG Christians by Province (Mun./Aut. Reg.) in 2025

(Ranked by number of arrests, from highest to lowest)

B. At Least 8,996 CAG Christians Subjected to Torture or Violent Brainwashing, and at Least 23 Persecuted to Death in 2025

To completely “zero out” and eradicate The Church of Almighty God, the CCP has continuously carried out dragnet-style investigations and large-scale arrest operations against CAG Christians across the country. Arrested CAG Christians were not only subjected to torture and abuse, but were also forcibly subjected to ideological transformation, and forced to sign the “Three Statements” (Statement of Guarantee, Statement of Repentance, and Statement of Severance) renouncing their faith, or the “Five Statements” (adding the Statement of Confession and Statement of Denunciation to the existing “Three Statements”). This caused severe physical and psychological harm to CAG Christians, with some even tortured to disability or death. According to incomplete statistics, in 2025 at least 1,644 CAG Christians were subjected to torture and at least 7,352 to violent brainwashing, totaling 8,996; at least 23 were persecuted to death.

1. Torture of CAG Christians in 2025 and Representative Cases

During interrogation or detention, to coerce CAG Christians into disclosing church information or signing the “Three Statements” renouncing their faith, police subjected them to various forms of torture, including the tiger bench¹², beatings, reverse back-handcuffing, forced splits, suspension by handcuffs, the bar-through-limbs suspension torture, smoke suffocation, sexual abuse, scalding with boiling water¹³, electric shocks, and sleep deprivation¹⁴. According to incomplete statistics, in 2025 at least 1,644 CAG Christians were subjected to torture. Given the large number of cases, only selected representative cases are presented below.

On May 20, Yang Yuxin* (female, 17), a CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested. To force her to renounce her faith, police subjected her to torture. She was forced to sit on a tiger bench for 12 days, causing her hands to become swollen and ulcerated; blood and pus stuck to the handcuffs, and her flesh felt as though it were being torn apart, with piercing pain. Police then subjected her to sleep deprivation (“exhausting the eagle”) for three consecutive days and nights. They deliberately set the air conditioning to the lowest temperature, leaving her shivering in prolonged cold and severely weakened, in an attempt to coerce her into disclosing church information, but she said nothing. Yang Yuxin endured unbearable suffering from the torture, which left her with severe physical and psychological harm.

On May 20, Deng Yaru* (female, 20), a CAG Christian, was arrested along with Yang Yuxin. In an attempt to force her to renounce her faith, police subjected her to torture, including sleep deprivation (“exhausting the eagle”) and reverse back-handcuffing. She was deprived of sleep for 12 consecutive days and nights, causing severe headaches that felt as though her head were about to burst. Her mental state deteriorated to the brink of collapse, and she began to experience hallucinations. Police also repeatedly changed the way her hands were cuffed. Within days, her hands had swollen like large loaves of bread, and her arms and hands were bruised and swollen in multiple places, causing pain whenever she moved. Although previously in good health, Deng Yaru began to suffer recurring, stabbing pain in her heart and experienced shortness of breath following the torture. In addition, she was forced to sit on a tiger bench for 12 days and was given very little food, leaving her severely weakened physically. She often fell when going to the restroom. These acts of torture and abuse caused Deng Yaru severe physical and psychological harm.

On May 22, Zhou Tingting* (female, 40), a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was arrested and subjected to torture. The head of the local special task force targeting Christians kicked her off a stool, sending her crashing to the floor, while another police officer violently slapped her face repeatedly—so many times that she lost count—causing her face to become swollen immediately and her mouth to bleed. The special task force leader roared, “Whip her with a data cable! Data cables hurt way more!” Zhou Tingting was beaten nearly to death. After 65 days of detention, her husband paid a large sum of money and used personal connections to secure her release on bail pending trial. As she was leaving, a police officer threatened her, saying, “Once you’re out, you’re not allowed to believe in God. If we catch you again, you’ll be sentenced to over 10 years in prison!” When she was released on July 26, 2025, her legs still bore distinct, linear scars left by repeated whipping with data cables.

On May 23, Liu Rui* (female, 59), a CAG Christian in Sichuan Province, was arrested. To force her to divulge church information, two police officers took turns torturing her. They repeatedly slapped both sides of her face with great force, yanked her hair and slammed her head against the wall, and struck her head violently, leaving her severely dizzy and her head ringing deafeningly. Large amounts of her hair were pulled out, her face went completely numb, and it swelled so badly that she could see it herself. Police then used a thumb-thick bamboo rod to beat her left hand and left foot with great force. Her hand and foot swelled up instantly, turned dark purple and black, and blood began to ooze out. Police continued beating her until the bamboo rod snapped. When Liu Rui said to the police, “You are torturing me to extract a confession,” they retorted, “We beat whoever we want. The Communist Party is still in power—if we want to pin a crime on you, we can always find a reason. We’ve already beaten you—so what? No one will ever know—we shut off the surveillance cameras. In the past, people like you would have been shot. Beating you is going easy on you.” To this day, Liu Rui still bears a scar on her face.

On June 27, Tao Lin* (female, 61), a CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested for her faith after being secretly followed and monitored by police for two months, and her home was forcibly searched. To coerce her into divulging church information, police subjected her to brutal torture. They handcuffed her to a stool and shocked her hands and arms with electric batons. Tao Lin screamed in agony, her right hand trembling uncontrollably. Police demanded the password to a computer seized from her home. Tao Lin managed to seize an opportunity to smash the device. Enraged, an officer jammed a shard of the broken computer into her mouth, shouting at her to eat it, and police then repeatedly shocked her chest with electric batons, causing her to shriek in unbearable pain. Her wrists were bruised purple where the handcuffs had cut into her flesh, and her arms were covered with purple welts from repeated electric shocks. During the torture, one officer snarled, “She’s not going to talk. We might just pin a charge on her and send her up for interrogation. Those people have ruthless methods—they’ll force her to talk. Or else we’ll just torture her to death and dump her body in some remote mountains, then call her family and say she ran away.” In the end, three police officers forcibly grabbed Tao Lin’s hands and pressed her fingerprints onto the interrogation records and the “Three Statements.” One officer gloated, “Now that you’ve put your fingerprints on the Statement of Severance, we’ll post it online tonight so everyone knows you’ve betrayed God and severed your ties with Him.” Tao Lin was released on July 12 but remained under police surveillance.

On July 8, Zhang Ruping* (female, 59), a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was arrested. To force her to divulge church information, police subjected her to torture. They lifted her clothing and sprayed chili water onto her upper body and genital area, then whipped her legs with two leather straps. They subsequently subjected her to the “bar-through-limbs suspension” torture, suspending her body so that it swung back and forth like a pendulum. Zhang Ruping was in excruciating pain and saw stars; unable to endure the agony, she pulled forcefully at her hair with both hands to relieve the pain caused by her head hanging backward, resulting in large amounts of hair being pulled out. Police later subjected her to reverse back-handcuffing and other forms of torture. As she cried out repeatedly in unbearable pain, police gagged her mouth with a towel to silence her screams. After the torture, she was in such pain that she could not sleep, and when going to the bathroom, she could only drag her legs forward inch by inch. After her release, Zhang Ruping’s husband attempted to seek justice for his wife, but police threatened and intimidated him, warning that if he pursued the matter, Zhang Ruping would be re-arrested and sentenced to seven or eight years in prison.

On July 10, Hao Kai* (male, 18), a CAG Christian in Guangdong Province, was forcibly arrested when four to five police officers broke into his home and was taken to a brainwashing base for secret interrogation. Police handcuffed Hao Kai to an interrogation chair and attempted to force him to divulge church information. When he refused, three police officers took turns violently shocking the right side of his body with electric batons, targeting his armpits, arms, ribs, abdomen, back, inner thighs, and groin area. Hao Kai screamed in agony and struggled desperately. While torturing him with electric shocks, the police continued to force him to divulge information and viciously slapped his face. When Hao Kai still refused to confess, the three police officers, enraged, simultaneously shocked him with electric batons, torturing him for at least seven hours, during which the batons were recharged multiple times. More brutally, to force Hao Kai to sign the “Three Statements,” police pulled down his pants and attempted to shock his genitals with electric batons. Hao Kai struggled desperately, preventing them from succeeding, after which police instead shocked his buttocks and thighs. Police then forcibly dragged his hand and made him sign the “Three Statements.” Before releasing him, police viciously slapped Hao Kai’s face twice more and threatened him, saying: “Once you’re out, you cannot believe in God anymore! Believing in God is illegal—it is opposing the Communist Party!” Due to repeated electric shocks at the hands of the police, he suffered excruciating pain. Whenever he sweated, the shocked areas felt as though they were being pierced by needles. At night, he dared not lie down to sleep and could only sit upright, suffering from insomnia for several days. The red marks left by the electric shocks and the scars caused by the handcuffs did not fade until over a month later. The torture caused severe physical and psychological harm to Hao Kai, who had just turned 18.

On July 25, Yang Cuicui* (female), a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was arrested. Police forced her to kneel on the ground for three to four hours, and viciously whipped her arms and legs. Prior to her arrest, Yang Cuicui had recently undergone surgery on her ear and had not yet fully recovered. After learning this, police deliberately slapped her hard across both sides of her face seven times and kicked her violently. Under prolonged torture, Yang Cuicui suffered a relapse of her heart condition and collapsed on the ground, with her hands and feet trembling uncontrollably. In extreme pain, she managed to gasp out a plea for her fast-acting heart rescue pills, but police ignored her request and shouted insults at her. After her release, Yang Cuicui was left deaf in both ears, and her heart condition deteriorated significantly, with attacks occurring seven to eight, or even upwards of 10 times a day. During these episodes, her hands and feet contracted uncontrollably, her chest felt severely constricted, and she was on the verge of suffocation.

On August 22, Chen Shixiang (female, 53), a CAG Christian in Shaanxi Province, was arrested. Police persistently interrogated her for church information. Chen Shixiang refused to divulge anything. Police subjected her to reverse back-handcuffing, and forced her to sit on the ground, then used a wooden stick to pry her arms and the handcuffs upward with great force, driving the metal teeth of the cuffs deep into her flesh. At the same time, a police officer weighing over 100 kg (220 lbs) stepped on her ankles and ground them back and forth with brutal force. Under this torture, Chen Shixiang experienced excruciating pain almost simultaneously in her back, arms, shoulders, and joints—as if her flesh were being torn apart. After several hours of this repeated torture, her arms and ankles became bruised and swollen; the handcuff teeth dug deeply into her wrists, which became swollen and turned black and purple; both of her hands became completely numb, with no sensation at all, leaving her feeling that life was worse than death. Afterward, police grabbed her by the hair at the forehead and yanked her head upward, and then slapped her right cheek three or four times in succession, followed by striking her face seven or eight times with a book, causing her face and mouth to swell immediately and bleed continuously. As of December 2025, Chen Shixiang still felt numb in both thumbs. Her arms remained painful and she was unable to extend them backward. Her left arm lacked the strength to lift objects weighing five kg (11 lbs). Her left ankle hurt whenever she walked and could not bear weight. Her lumbar spine was painful and she was unable to sit for long periods. Dark scars remained clearly visible on both wrists.

2. Violent Brainwashing of CAG Christians in 2025 and Representative Cases

To completely “zero out” and eradicate CAG Christians, the CCP, in addition to conducting brainwashing and ideological transformation in detention centers, has secretly established brainwashing facilities (brainwashing bases) in hotels, resorts, and other locations. These brainwashing facilities are usually disguised under names such as “Homes of Care,” but in reality function as “black jails” for illegally detaining Christians. In these brainwashing facilities, the CCP forces CAG Christians to watch videos defaming The Church of Almighty God for extended periods, repeatedly indoctrinates them with “Party culture,” or uses threats and intimidation to carry out forced ideological transformation, forcing them to sign the “Three Statements” renouncing their faith. Against CAG Christians who persist in their faith and refuse to sign the “Three Statements,” the CCP employs violent methods such as prolonged forced standing, starvation, forced squatting, water torture, beatings, exhausting the eagle (sleep deprivation), and scalding with boiling water, causing some Christians to suffer severe disabilities, mental breakdowns, or even death. Even after their release, some CAG Christians remain under strict surveillance for years. Police regularly call or visit to harass and intimidate them, continuing to pressure them to sign the “Three Statements,” and once they are found to still believe in God, they will be arrested again. In some regions, authorities not only strictly restrict CAG Christians’ personal freedom, but also require them to bear the wages and daily living expenses of the “accompanying transformation personnel.” This practice thereby has formed a mechanism of de facto detention and economic exploitation under the guise of “transforming” Christians. One CAG Christian from Xinxiang City, Henan Province, said she was detained in a “Home of Care” for 16 days. Two personnel assigned to guard and accompany her each charged 100 RMB (approx. USD 14) per day for wages and 40 RMB (approx. USD 6) per day for meals, forcing her to pay a total of 5,120 RMB (approx. USD 710). When one CAG Christian left a brainwashing center, a police officer threatened her, saying: “If we find that you disclose even half a word about what happened inside the brainwashing center, we will immediately arrest you again and send you to prison!” According to informed sources, all accompanying personnel at these brainwashing centers are required to sign confidentiality agreements.

According to incomplete statistics, at least 7,352 CAG Christians were subjected to violent brainwashing in 2025 nationwide. Given the large number of cases, only selected representative cases are presented below.

On March 23, Jiang Yufeng* (female, 65), a CAG Christian in Zhejiang Province, was arrested for her faith. After six police officers forcibly searched her home for more than two hours, she was taken away and detained in a brainwashing facility. Jiang Yufeng suffers from hypertension, lumbar disc herniation, and other illnesses. Police forced her to sit motionless and watch videos smearing and defaming The Church of Almighty God from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. every day, while forcing her to divulge church information and sign the “Three Statements.” After five or six consecutive days, Jiang Yufeng’s lower back became swollen and unbearably painful, and her feet grew numb and swollen, yet she still refused to sign the “Three Statements.” One police officer viciously threatened her, saying, “Everyone taken here must sign the ‘Three Statements.’ If you don’t sign, don’t even think about getting out!” Three police officers also forced her to identify other Christians. Jiang Yufeng would rather die than comply. She rushed into the restroom and slammed her head hard against the wall, and the police stopped her out of fear of causing a death and being held accountable. After 17 days, Jiang Yufeng was released and returned home, but was ordered not to leave the city for two years and to report to the local police station every month. Police also installed surveillance cameras in her courtyard and at nearby intersections.

On March 24, police in Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province, carried out a unified mass arrest. Three elderly CAG Christians over the age of 80—Wang Chun* (female, 93), Zeng Xin* (female, 90), and Deng Ai* (female, 83)—were also arrested. They were only released and allowed to return home after being forced to press their fingerprints on the “Three Statements.” During interrogation, a police officer told them: “People like you will never voluntarily quit the church or stop believing in God. The only way is to make you sign the ‘Three Statements.’ Even if you have a normal job and earn a living, we still don’t feel at ease. To make sure you completely break with God, only after you sign the ‘Three Statements’ will we feel at ease.”

On April 11, Li Yan* (female, 56), a CAG Christian in Zhejiang Province, was arrested by police and taken to a hotel for forced brainwashing and transformation. She was forced to watch videos smearing and defaming The Church of Almighty God, and was forced to sign the “Three Statements” and divulge church information. Police gave Li Yan only one ladle of porridge each morning, and one small spoonful of rice at noon and in the evening, leaving her in a prolonged state of starvation. After one week, Li Yan became extremely weak and fainted, and was taken to a doctor. After regaining consciousness, she was returned to detention and subjected to continued forced brainwashing. Police also terminated her son’s employment and threatened her husband and son that if Li Yan did not sign the “Three Statements,” they would be arrested and sent to prison. Later, police coerced Li Yan’s husband and son into kneeling before her, forcing her to sign the “Three Statements.” When Li Yan was released, police again threatened her husband and son: “You must strictly supervise her. If we find out that she continues to believe in God, we will arrest her along with you and send you all to prison.”

On June 25, Lin Ping* (male, 59, a disabled stroke survivor with a disability certificate), a CAG Christian in Zhejiang Province, was arrested by 10 police officers and detained in a brainwashing facility. Because he refused to divulge church information or sign the “Three Statements,” he was forced each day to watch brainwashing videos and was repeatedly punished with forced standing, each time for at least two hours, while half of his food rations were withheld. After 12 days of forced standing, police scalded his neck with a teacup full of boiling water for about 10 minutes. They then used the bottom of the teacup to press flat the blisters caused by the scalding. In unbearable pain, Lin Ping desperately slammed his head against the wall. Police later forced him to step barefoot on clothes hangers for more than two hours and repeatedly struck his face and mouth with a shoe for about five minutes, causing one of his front teeth to become loose. He did not divulge any church information and was released after 13 days of detention.

On June 25, Yang Dongmei* (female, 57), a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was arrested and detained at a local brainwashing base. During her detention, police interrogated her four times; because she refused to divulge church information or sign the “Three Statements,” she was forced to kneel on the floor each time. On July 1, police again forced her to kneel on the floor for the entire morning, causing unbearable pain in her feet and knees, with bruises appearing on both sides of her knees. A police officer then stomped hard on her thigh and threatened viciously, “I’ll make you wish you were dead! If I really beat you to death, I’ll just drag you out and bury you somewhere. If you’re beaten to death, you’ll die for nothing, and I won’t face any consequences!” Yang Dongmei was then subjected to reverse back-handcuffing and forced to continue kneeling on the floor. Unable to endure the pain, she collapsed to the ground and was unable to get up, so a police officer dragged her back up and forced her to resume kneeling. She still refused to sign the “Three Statements.” Two police officers pinned her down, forcibly pried open her fingers, and compelled her to sign the “Three Statements” and press her fingerprints. Police later interrogated Yang Dongmei again, forcing her to kneel on the floor and beating the soles of her feet with a rubber baton about one meter long. As she struggled in pain, police stepped on her calves and continued beating her. Afterward, she was forced to continue kneeling for several more hours. From her knees down to her feet, Yang Dongmei’s legs went numb and lost sensation. Her feet were swollen and unbearably painful from the beating, and a large bruise formed beneath the little toe of her left foot, remaining painful for more than half a month. On August 4, Yang Dongmei was released after 41 days of detention and torture. Upon her release, a police officer threatened her, saying, “If we find you still believe in God, we will arrest you and bring you right back!” Due to prolonged forced kneeling on the floor, the areas around Yang Dongmei’s knees were covered with bruises, the skin on her feet peeled off layer by layer, and the nerves in her feet and knees were damaged, leaving them without sensation. Doctors said it would take one to two years for her to fully recover.

On July 2, Zhang Yong* (male, 62), a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was arrested by police¹⁵. In the early morning of July 11, police arrested his wife, Song Yanmei* (female, 66), conducted a frenzied search of their home, and then took Song Yanmei to a hotel for forced brainwashing. The “accompanying personnel” watched her in three shifts around the clock, subjecting her to high-pressure surveillance and ideological transformation. Because she refused to divulge church information, she was punished with prolonged forced standing—from after 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.—causing swelling in her legs. Police later forced her to sit for an entire day watching brainwashing videos. When she still refused to renounce her faith, they threatened to confiscate her farmland and cancel her pension, among other measures. At night, she was deprived of sleep, and at each meal she was given only a small amount of food. Under prolonged high-pressure brainwashing and severe sleep deprivation, Song Yanmei’s blood pressure surged to 200 mmHg. Police then forcibly made her take so-called antihypertensive medication. After taking the medication for several days, her hands and face became swollen. When she requested to stop taking the medication, police refused on the grounds that her blood pressure was high and switched her to another drug. After taking the new medication, she suffered persistent hiccups and wanted to drink some hot water, but the accompanying personnel denied her requests under various excuses. Three days later, Song Yanmei threw the medication away. When police questioned her about it, she replied, “It’s not good for my health, so I won’t take it.” Police then contacted her son, asking him to apply pressure and persuade her to continue taking the medication. Song Yanmei told her son, “They are not treating people’s illnesses at all—they just want to control people.” An accompanying staff member threatened her, saying, “You have no human rights here!” Police then coerced and incited Song Yanmei’s two sons to jointly pressure her to renounce her faith, threatening that if she did not give up believing in God, her sons would lose their jobs. Song Yanmei consistently refused to divulge church information or sign the “Three Statements.” She was detained and subjected to forced brainwashing for 48 days, during which her weight dropped by more than five kg (11 lbs) and became extremely weak. Her husband, Zhang Yong*, was detained for as long as 84 days.

On July 30, Li Li* (female, 52), a CAG Christian in Shanxi Province, had her home forcibly searched by police and was forced to strip naked for a body search. Li Li was so frightened that her heart condition relapsed; she began trembling violently. Only after repeated demands from her family was she taken to a hospital for emergency treatment. While Li Li was still in life-threatening condition at the hospital, police pressured her to identify other CAG members. When she refused, police falsely accused her son of assaulting police officers in an attempt to coerce her into divulging church information, but Li Li did not compromise. Police subsequently removed Li Li from the hospital and detained her for 15 days; her son was also detained for five days. During her detention, Li Li suffered another heart attack, and her condition worsened. Despite this, the transformation personnel continued to pressure her to sign the “Three Statements,” threatening that if she refused, she would be directly sentenced. On August 17, after her detention term expired, police escorted Li Li to a so-called “Care Center” for forced brainwashing and ideological transformation. At the brainwashing center, Li Li was forced to watch brainwashing videos and compelled to answer questions and write reflections according to their demands. When she refused to comply, a brainwashing instructor harshly reprimanded her, and further threatened her by using her father, who also believes in God, as leverage. Li Li lived under constant high tension, was unable to sleep at night, and her heart condition relapsed again, with her condition worsening. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment on August 21. After being discharged from the hospital, while Li Li was still recovering, local police and grid management personnel repeatedly came to her home to harass her, demanded that she go to the brainwashing center for further study, and threatened her not to continue believing in God. This had a severe impact on Li Li’s physical and mental health, as well as her normal life.

On October 13, Wang Xiaojiao* (female, 71), a CAG Christian in Shanxi Province, was reported for her faith and arrested by police, then detained in a detention center. During the first 7 days, she and other detainees were forced each day to strip naked, turn around in a circle, do several squats, insert their hands into their hair three times, and shake their heads three times, suffering humiliation. On November 12, Wang Xiaojiao was transferred to the municipal “Care Center” for forced ideological transformation. On November 21, Zhao, the person in charge of the brainwashing center, forced Wang Xiaojiao to write blasphemous words against God. When she refused, Zhao ordered two officers to forcibly grab her hand and make her write. When this failed, Zhao viciously slapped Wang Xiaojiao twice, leaving bloody welts on her face, and she was denied dinner that night. From November 22 to 25, because Wang Xiaojiao did not comply with the brainwashing instructors and refused to sign the “Three Statements,” she was beaten every day, denied lunch, and punished with sweeping the courtyard, pulling weeds, and cleaning toilets. On November 26, when Wang Xiaojiao’s family went to visit her, the brainwashing instructors denied the visit because there were blood welts on her face, and threatened her, saying, “If you don’t cooperate properly, your grandson and maternal grandson will not be allowed to attend college, join the military, or become civil servants. Your family’s shop will be shut down, your home will be sealed, and you’ll be left wandering the streets!” On November 28, Wang Xiaojiao continued to uphold her faith. Zhao viciously slapped her twice; another male police officer forcefully jabbed her head with his fingers, causing it to hit the wall and form three large bumps, and then violently struck her chest seven or eight times, causing unbearable heart pain. The male officer then tightly strangled Wang Xiaojiao’s throat for more than 10 minutes, leaving her neck dark purple and swollen. She was unable to eat for 2 consecutive days, and it took more than 10 days for the swelling in her neck to subside. During this period, after Zhao learned that Wang Xiaojiao had encouraged other detained Christians to persist in believing in God, she subjected Wang to another brutal beating, viciously slapping her and striking her legs and buttocks with a bamboo pole. Wang Xiaojiao was beaten for nearly two hours; her legs and buttocks were beaten black and purple and swollen, leaving her unable to stand and requiring assistance just to stand. She was detained for nearly two months, during which she suffered humiliation, abuse, beatings, and coercion to sign the “Three Statements,” causing severe physical and psychological harm.

3. Persecution to Death of CAG Christians in 2025 and Representative Cases

According to incomplete statistics, at least 23 CAG Christians were persecuted to death by the CCP in 2025. Some were tortured to death after being arrested. Some suffered abuse and humiliation during detention, resulting in severe physical and psychological harm and ultimately dying from serious illness. Some fell ill during detention or imprisonment but were denied medical treatment, while also being forced into long hours of labor and having their food rations withheld, leading to worsening conditions and death. Some were subjected to violent brainwashing during detention, forced to watch brainwashing videos for long periods, deprived of sleep, and given only minimal food, ultimately dying from sudden illness. Some were forced to divulge church information and to sign the “Three Statements” or “Five Statements,” and were even threatened with the implication of their family members, becoming unable to endure the persecution and committing suicide. Still others, after being released, continued to suffer long-term surveillance, harassment, and intimidation, and were repeatedly coerced to sign the “Three Statements,” with the persecution continuing without end, ultimately dying from serious illness or suicide due to prolonged mental and psychological torment.

Table 2: Representative Cases of CAG Christians Persecuted to Death in 2025 (12 Selected Cases)

C. At Least 2,291 CAG Christians Sentenced Throughout the Year, 110 Over 7 Years

In 2025, the CCP’s “Three-Year Tough Battle” against The Church of Almighty God entered its second year. Nationwide unified mass arrest operations continued to escalate, leading to a sharp increase in the number of arrests. Many Christians were illegally sentenced on the charge of “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” merely for engaging in normal religious activities or possessing faith-related materials. According to incomplete statistics, at least 2,291 CAG Christians were sentenced in 2025—the highest annual total in recent years (see Figure 7). Among them, 973 received sentences of over 3 years, and 110 were sentenced to over 7 years. The youngest person sentenced was 21 years old, the longest sentence reached 10 years and 6 months, and the highest fine imposed reached RMB 100,000 (approx. USD 14,000). Due to the CCP’s strict information blockade, the actual sentencing situation is far more severe.

Figure 7: Number of CAG Christians Sentenced, 2020–2025

According to incomplete statistics, Shandong Province had the highest number of CAG Christians sentenced in 2025, with 683 individuals, including 247 sentenced to over 3 years and 26 to over 7 years; Guangdong Province had 257 sentenced, including 144 to over 3 years and 30 to over 7 years; Jiangsu Province had 222 sentenced, including 84 to over 3 years and 5 to over 7 years. In Shandong, Guangdong, and Jiangsu alone, at least 1,162 CAG Christians were sentenced, accounting for approximately 50.7% of the total number sentenced nationwide in 2025 (see Figure 8).

Figure 8: Proportion of CAG Christians Sentenced in Shandong, Guangdong, and Jiangsu Provinces

The following are selected representative cases of CAG Christians who received heavy sentences and fines:

Lin Nan* (female, 53), Weng Qingning* (female, 51), and Geng Yehua* (male, 35) were all key members of The Church of Almighty God in Shandong Province. Shortly after midnight on July 16, 2024, the three were discussing church work in their rented residence when a group of special police officers broke in and arrested them. According to informed sources, Geng Yehua had been targeted by police as early as June 2023, when he applied for a passport, and had been under surveillance and tracking for more than a year. In order to “set a long line to catch big fish,” police even rented the adjacent unit for long-term stakeouts, deployed thermal imaging equipment originally designed for battlefield reconnaissance to monitor their movements inside the residence, and used the “Skynet” system along with tailing methods to track all their activities. Through this, police obtained information on multiple CAG gathering locations in the area and subsequently carried out coordinated arrests. On July 1, 2025, all three were charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law.” Lin Nan and Weng Qingning were each heavily sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison, while Geng Yehua was heavily sentenced to 8 years. Each of the three was fined 40,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,580).

He Shufang* (female, 55) and Han Ying* (female, 27) were both key members of The Church of Almighty God in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. On May 10, 2023, they were arrested during a coordinated arrest operation launched in Chengdu and subsequently detained in a detention center for as long as 20 months. On April 3, 2025, both were charged by the CCP with “organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” and heavily sentenced to 10 years in prison. He Shufang was also fined 100,000 RMB (approx. USD 13,760).

Lin Qing* (female, 35), a CAG Christian in Linyi City, Shandong Province, was arrested for her faith on November 26, 2024. On June 26, 2025, she was charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law,” heavily sentenced to 9 years in prison, and fined 40,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,580). Lin Qing’s husband questioned the presiding judge: “What kind of crime deserves a 9-year heavy sentence? It was just a few women gathering together—no killing, no arson, nothing bad.” The presiding judge replied, “That’s how the state has stipulated it.”

Li Feiyang* (male, 44) and Fu Jianhua* (male, 36) were both CAG Christians in Zhejiang Province. On June 15, 2023, Zhejiang Province launched a province-wide coordinated mass arrest operation, during which at least 1,043 CAG Christians were arrested in a single day. Li Feiyang and Fu Jianhua, both key members of the local church, were also arrested that day and subsequently subjected to extended arbitrary detention for nearly 2 years. On May 14, 2025, both were charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law.” Li Feiyang was heavily sentenced to 8 years and 6 months in prison and fined 80,000 RMB (approx. USD 11,110), while Fu Jianhua was heavily sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison and fined 60,000 RMB (approx. USD 8,330).

Lu Qing* (female, 52), a CAG Christian in Weihai City, Shandong Province, was arrested for her faith on December 3, 2024. According to informed sources, at her first trial on May 28, 2025, the judge asked whether she pleaded guilty. Lu Qing insisted that believing in God is not a crime and entered a plea of not guilty, whereupon 2 years were immediately added to her sentence in court. The judge then asked whether she accepted the punishment; she replied that she had not broken the law and therefore did not accept it, and another 2 years were added to her sentence. On June 24, 2025, Lu Qing was charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” and heavily sentenced to 8 years in prison. She was also fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,180).

Xue Fei* (female, 21), a CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested for her faith on February 19, 2025. During interrogation, she made no confession. At trial, she insisted that believing in God is not a crime and refused to accept punishment. On October 15, she was charged by the CCP with “organizing and using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law,” heavily sentenced to 7 years and 6 months in prison, and fined 15,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,100).

Qi Lu* (female, 56), a CAG Christian in Linhai City, Zhejiang Province, was arrested for her faith on August 22, 2024. On October 28 of the same year, she was released on bail pending trial and required to report whenever summoned. On April 9, 2025, the Linhai City Procuratorate issued a sentencing recommendation of 3 years’ imprisonment, suspended for 3 years and 6 months, and a fine of RMB 5,000 (approx. USD 680). On May 27, the procuratorate required Qi Lu to repeat blasphemous words against God, which she refused. Thereafter, during the trial, Qi Lu consistently refused to say blasphemous words against God and refused to sign the “Three Statements,” and her sentence was increased by 4 years as a result. In the end, she was charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” and heavily sentenced to 7 years in prison.

Li Dasheng* (male, 69), a CAG Christian in Ankang City, Shaanxi Province, was arrested by police during a gathering on November 5, 2022. Because the detention center refused to accept him due to epidemic prevention measures at the time, he was placed under house arrest. In August 2024, Li Dasheng suddenly suffered a cerebral infarction, resulting in hemiplegia, numbness and weakness in his right arm and leg, and difficulty caring for himself. On September 27 of the same year, police came to his home to arrest him again, but because he was seriously ill, he was released on bail pending trial. Thereafter, police frequently harassed Li Dasheng and pressured him to identify other CAG Christians, but he consistently refused. Police once threatened him, saying: “If you keep resisting and refuse to say anything, you’ll lose your pension and elderly high-age subsidies, and you could even be sentenced to prison!” Li Dasheng continued to refuse to identify other CAG Christians. On March 20, 2025, he was charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” and heavily sentenced to 7 years in prison. Around late November 2025, police disregarded the fact that Li Dasheng was an elderly person with serious illness and forcibly sent him to prison.

Hou Sheng* (male, 76), a CAG Christian in Tianjin City, was arrested on February 24, 2025, by five to six plainclothes police officers for providing his home for a Christian gathering. At the time of his arrest, Hou Sheng was already 76 years old and suffered from severe leg disease, with both legs bent and deformed. He relied on daily painkillers to relieve the pain and needed a cane to walk. He was subsequently released on bail pending trial. On August 25, 2025, Hou Sheng was charged by the CCP with “using a cult organization to undermine the implementation of the law” and sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in prison, and fined 15,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,090). On August 27, 2025, police forcibly arrested Hou Sheng and sent him to prison.

D. Large-Scale Arrests and Persecution of Elderly CAG Christians

In 2025, the CCP adopted various measures to completely “zero out” CAG Christians, including forcibly linking quotas for searching and arresting Christians directly to the performance-based salary assessments of grassroots personnel, while implementing a reward-based reporting mechanism. According to internal sources, rewards for reporting clues about Christians ranged from 500 to 10,000 RMB (approx. USD 70 to 1,420), depending on the importance of the information provided. In some regions, rewards for arresting key church personnel reached as high as 50,000 to 100,000 RMB (approx. USD 7,100 to 14,200). For police officers at local police stations, each arrested Christian brought rewards of 2,000 to 5,000 RMB (approx. USD 280 to 710), with even higher bonuses for exceeding quotas, along with opportunities for promotion and salary increases. Driven by these high rewards and interest incentives, members of the public, grassroots personnel, and police participated widely, further fueling a “people’s war” of investigation and arrest targeting Christians. Regardless of age, frailty, illness, or disability, anyone who believed in Almighty God became a target of the CCP’s “zeroing out.” Many CAG Christians were arrested multiple times and subjected to repeated rounds of forced brainwashing and compelled to re-sign the “Three Statements.” Against this backdrop, elderly CAG Christians nationwide (aged 60 and above) faced large-scale arrests and persecution.

According to incomplete statistics, in 2025 the proportion of elderly CAG Christians among those arrested was significantly higher than in previous years. In 10 provinces and municipalities where arrests were particularly severe—Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Henan, Zhejiang, Chongqing, Shaanxi, Hunan, Sichuan, and Guangdong—6,952 elderly CAG Christians were arrested, accounting for 42.6% of the total arrests in these 10 provinces and municipalities (16,337) and 36.2% of the nationwide total arrests (19,191). They were generally subjected to threats and intimidation by CCP police, forcibly detained, subjected to brainwashing and transformation, pressured to sign the “Three Statements” to renounce their faith, and coerced to disclose church information and information about other Christians. Many elderly Christians suffered torture and abuse for persisting in their faith, and some were even persecuted to death. Judging from the arrests of CAG Christians in 2025, the arrest of elderly Christians aged 60 and above has become routine; those in their 70s and 80s were also sentenced, and even elderly Christians with serious illnesses were forcibly imprisoned. The oldest known elderly Christian arrested was 93 years old.

1. Arrests of Elderly CAG Christians in Selected Provinces, Municipalities, and Autonomous Regions in 2025

Figure 9: Number of Elderly CAG Christians Arrested in 10 Provinces (Muns. & Aut. Regs.) in 2025

Shandong Province: At least 1,950 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 46.4% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 159 were aged over 80, with the oldest being 88. In Zibo City alone, at least 165 elderly Christians were arrested over the year, including 57 aged over 70; in Heze City, at least 137 elderly Christians were arrested throughout the year; and in Rizhao City, at least 216 elderly Christians were arrested throughout the year. During interrogation, an elderly CAG Christian stated that believing in God was not breaking the law, but police shouted, “You could kill people or commit arson and it wouldn’t matter, but believing in Almighty God is not allowed! Believing in God is a crime! This is called ‘subverting state power’!” A police station director in Liaocheng City said, “We arrest people regardless of age—even those in their 80s are in prison. This time it is a document issued by the central authorities ordering mass arrests of those who believe in Almighty God.”

Anhui Province: At least 1,618 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 43% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 87 were aged over 80, with the oldest being 91. At least 125 suffered torture and abuse, and 613 were subjected to forced brainwashing.

Jiangsu Province: At least 1,181 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 41% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 43 were aged over 80. At least 45 suffered torture and abuse, and 187 were subjected to forced brainwashing.

Henan Province: At least 651 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 33.8% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 28 were aged over 80, with the oldest being 91.

Zhejiang Province: At least 395 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 53.8% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 17 were aged over 80, including a 93-year-old Christian. Multiple elderly Christians were detained in brainwashing facilities, subjected to forced brainwashing, and suffered torture. In addition, 2 elderly Christians in their 80s were sentenced: 1 was sentenced to 1 year in prison with a 2-year suspended sentence and fined RMB 4,000 (approx. USD 570), while the other was sentenced to 2 years in prison with a 2-year-and-6-month suspended sentence and fined RMB 20,000 (approx. USD 2,840). In February alone, 29 elderly Christians in Xianju County, Taizhou City, were arrested, including 13 aged over 70.

Chongqing Municipality: At least 394 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 53.8% of the municipality’s total arrests. Among them, 18 were aged over 80, with the oldest being 89.

Shaanxi Province: At least 234 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 38.4% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 6 were aged over 80.

Hunan Province: At least 207 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 57.2% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 12 were aged over 80.

Sichuan Province: At least 168 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 47.3% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 6 were aged over 80.

Guangdong Province: At least 154 elderly CAG Christians were arrested throughout the year, accounting for 20.1% of the province’s total arrests. Among them, 31 were aged over 70.

2. Representative Cases of Arrests of Elderly CAG Christians in 2025

On February 26, Li Zhen* (female, 70), an elderly CAG Christian in Shandong Province, had her home forcibly searched by police. Cash savings of 121,700 RMB (approx. USD 16,780), which she had accumulated over a lifetime as retirement funds, were forcibly plundered. When Li Zhen pursued the police to demand the return of her retirement money, she was instead taken to a police station and later transferred to a hotel secretly used to detain Christians for forced brainwashing and ideological transformation. During her detention, despite repeatedly explaining that the money had been saved bit by bit over more than 20 years for her retirement, police refused to return it and illegally detained her for over 2 months. After her retirement savings were plundered by the CCP, Li Zhen was unable to afford the medical treatment, leaving her life in extreme hardship.

On June 5, Liu Ying* (female, 74), an elderly CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was released from prison after completing her sentence for her faith. Upon release, she was emaciated, had lost consciousness, and was in critical condition. Liu Ying was arrested by CCP police in 2019 for her faith and sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined 10,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,390). However, she suffered from severe hypertension and was unable to serve her sentence until December 2024, when police forcibly sent her to prison. By the time of her release, Liu Ying was on the verge of death. After several months of treatment, she remains bedridden, with impaired consciousness, and unable to care for herself. Nevertheless, police have not relaxed their surveillance, ordering village cadres to keep watch at her home. When village cadres asked, “She can’t even move anymore—why keep watching her?” personnel from the police station replied, “To see if anyone comes.” They used Liu Ying as bait to lure and arrest any other CAG Christians who came to visit her.

On June 25, more than 10 police officers from a police station in Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, forcibly broke into the home of elderly CAG Christian couple Zhang Yi* (female, 75) and Li Wei* (male, 77) and arrested them, taking them to the police station¹⁷. Police then forcibly seized 175 kg of rice (386.5 lbs) and 2 barrels of cooking oil from their home. During interrogation, both refused to disclose church information and were subsequently taken to a hotel-based “brainwashing facility,” where they were subjected to violent brainwashing. Police continued to pressure Zhang Yi to divulge church information; when she refused, police used a plastic-covered notebook about 1 cm (0.4 inches) thick to strike her face from all directions—up, down, left, and right, and repeatedly struck upward under her chin, beating her dozens of times in succession. Zhang Yi’s face became hot and numb with burning pain; blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, and she felt dizzy. She was then forced to stand as punishment for 3 consecutive days, at least 4 hours each day, each time leaving her with severe back and waist pain and numb feet. Li Wei was also forced to stand as punishment more than 10 times, for 2 hours each time. Later, 2 police officers beat Li Wei and poured cold water over his head, causing water to enter both his eyes and ears. After being detained in the brainwashing facility for 20 days, Li Wei lost more than 10 jin (11 lbs) and became so weak and thin that even his neighbors could not recognize him. After their release, police continued to surveil the movements of their entire family, ordered community personnel to watch their home, and forced the couple to report to the community at the beginning of every month.

On July 2, Jin Ju* (female, 65), an elderly CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested by police. After her release, police continued to surveil her and repeatedly pressured her to sign the “Three Statements.” Police threatened and intimidated her, saying, “This is an order from above—you must sign. If you don’t sign, you’ll be taken back to the police station for re-interrogation, and after signing the ‘Three Statements,’ you’ll be sentenced.” Police also frequently harassed Jin Ju’s husband and children, preventing them from working normally at their workplaces and coercing them into pressuring Jin Ju to sign the “Three Statements.” Under long-term coercion by police, Jin Ju suffered a mental breakdown and was driven to ingest poison in a suicide attempt, but was rescued. After her discharge from the hospital, police still did not relax their surveillance, continued to force her to sign the “Three Statements,” and threatened that if she refused, she would again be taken to the police station for re-interrogation.

On July 29, Tian Hua* (female, 73), an elderly CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested by police while shopping for groceries. Her husband (74), who was seriously ill and hospitalized at the time, became so distressed after learning of her arrest that his abdomen became distended and his condition rapidly deteriorated. Tian Hua suffers from heart disease and has very low platelet levels. After being detained for 25 days, she was released in a state of extreme weakness and had to be supported by her family to return home. On the morning of August 23, Tian Hua’s husband passed away after medical treatment failed. Overwhelmed with grief, Tian Hua was also hospitalized.

On August 4, Li Renzhi* (female, 80), an elderly CAG Christian in Hunan Province, was forcibly pushed into a police vehicle by 2 police officers and taken to a police station. Police made her sit on a tiger bench and harshly berated her, saying, “You’re 80 years old and still committing crimes!” An officer then slammed his fist hard onto the tiger bench, startling Li Renzhi and causing her heart to race. Li Renzhi said, “I didn’t commit murder or arson—what crime did I commit?” Police roared, “Believing in God is a crime!” After the interrogation, police forced her to sign the “Three Statements” and forcibly collected her biometric information, including her height, fingerprints, and footprints.

On August 19, at least 13 Christians from a CAG church in Xiangyang City, Hubei Province, were arrested. Among them, elderly Christian Shen Bin* (male, 71) and his wife Song Ying* (female, 70) were arrested by multiple plainclothes police officers immediately after returning home from a gathering, and their home was forcibly searched. During interrogation, Shen Bin said, “Doesn’t the law clearly state freedom of religious belief?” Police replied, “Religious belief is not protected by law.” Shen Bin then said, “We believe in God and do not do bad things—we do good things.” Police responded, “What you say is true, but the state does not allow belief in God.” After more than half an hour of interrogation, Shen Bin developed difficulty breathing. Only after police learned that he suffered from hypertension and heart disease did they stop the interrogation, but they still forced him to sign the “Three Statements” and released him around 2:00 a.m. the following day.

On September 4, a total of 7 CAG Christians were arrested in Lushan County, Pingdingshan City, Henan Province. Among them, the elderly couple Xia Yu* and Zhang Hui*, both in their 70s, were taken to a police station for interrogation and forced to sign the “Three Statements.” Their daughter found an acquaintance and spent more than 1,000 RMB (approx. USD 140) to buy 5 cartons of cigarettes as gifts to secure favors, and only then did police release the 2 elderly parents. On the same day, elderly CAG Christian Liu Xin* (female, 72) was also arrested. Police took Liu Xin to the police station for repeated interrogations in shifts and, when these yielded no results, detained her in a basement overnight. The next day, Liu Xin’s hypertension flared up, and she fell twice in succession while going to the restroom. Fearing she might die, police released her. Before letting her go, 2 male police officers forced Liu Xin to sign the “Three Statements.” When she refused, 1 officer held her arm while the other grabbed her hand and forcibly pressed her fingerprint onto the “Three Statements.”

On October 11, Wang Ying* (female, 78), an elderly CAG Christian in Shandong Province, had her home forcibly searched by police. Overwhelmed with anxiety, anger, and fright, her heart disease relapsed and she collapsed to the ground unconscious. After she regained consciousness, police still took her to a police station for interrogation and pressured her to identify other Christians. When Wang Ying refused, police detained her in a brainwashing facility for 4 days of forced brainwashing and transformation before releasing her and allowing her to return home.

On October 16, Xu Ming* (male, 79), an elderly CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested. After police forcibly searched his home, they took him to a police station for interrogation and told him, “Killing people, committing arson, or stealing are not as serious as believing in God.” Xu Ming suffers from diabetes. While at the police station, his urinary catheter bag broke and urine continued to leak, causing him great discomfort. At the same time, frightened by the police, his heart disease relapsed and he became unsteady on his feet. Due to the severity of his condition, he was later released on bail pending trial. Before he left, police threatened him, saying, “If you continue to believe in God, we’ll arrest you and send you to prison, and your son will go to prison with you.”

E. CAG Christians Restricted from Exiting China, Arrested and Persecuted

The CCP subjects CAG Christians and related individuals who apply for exit procedures to strict screening, control, arrest, and persecution, strictly preventing Christians from leaving China and escaping its grip. The following are selected cases of Christians arrested while applying for exit procedures.

On February 14, a CAG Christian couple in Guangxi, Zhang Hao* and Wu Na*, were flagged by the computer system as believers in Almighty God while applying for passports. They were subsequently followed by police. After being forced to return to their hometown, village committee personnel went to their home to monitor them under the pretext of “poverty alleviation,” and drones appeared over their house to conduct surveillance. More than 3 months later, police went directly to their home and arrested them.

In mid-May, Li Lin*, a CAG Christian in Henan Province, completed exit procedures. Shortly before her scheduled departure date, she suddenly went missing. It was not until the end of the month that her family received a notification from police and learned that she had been arrested. On August 12, Li Lin was released, but she remained under close police surveillance and was required to report to a police station once a week.

On May 26, Wang Liang*, a CAG Christian in Guangdong Province, applied for a passport. When staff checked his ID, the computer system displayed a record indicating that he believes in Almighty God, and he was informed that the application could not be processed. One month later, Wang Liang was suddenly arrested, and his subsequent situation remains unknown.

On July 3, Li Jie*, a CAG Christian in Guangzhou City, was restricted by police while attempting to leave China. Meng Fei*, a CAG Christian who applied for visas together with her, was arrested by police on July 4, and his whereabouts have remained unknown since. According to informed sources, police also attempted to arrest Li Jie. Li Jie escaped in time and avoided capture, after which she had no choice but to flee and live in hiding.

In mid-July, Zhang Shan*, a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was arrested by police after applying for a passport. The airline ticket she had purchased and more than 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,190) were both plundered.

On August 14, Liu Bin*, a CAG Christian in Henan Province, had her home forcibly searched by 11 police officers. Her personal cash of 21,400 RMB (approx. USD 2,980) was plundered, and her ID card, household registration booklet, passport, and other documents were confiscated. Liu Bin was not at home at the time. Police forced her husband to disclose her whereabouts and explain why she had applied for an exit visa, and then arrested him. The next day, police went to the home of Liu Bin’s relative in an attempt to arrest her. Liu Bin was not there and narrowly escaped arrest. From then on, she was forced to flee her home and live in hiding.

In late October, 4 CAG Christians in Hebei Province who had obtained exit visas were arrested by the CCP just before leaving China. Among them, 2 were arrested en route to the airport, while the other 2 were arrested at the airport 15 minutes before boarding.

III. Conclusion

Since taking power, the CCP has relentlessly suppressed and persecuted Christians, never once relenting—and the repression has only intensified over time. No matter how the CCP seeks to whitewash its image on the international stage, no matter how “noble” or “righteous” its self-glorifying rhetoric may sound, and no matter how performative its pledges were when signing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights¹⁸ at the United Nations, none of this can conceal the fact that for more than 70 years it has continuously suppressed, persecuted, and brutalized Christians. The CCP’s brutal suppression of The Church of Almighty God is not an isolated case. Rather, it is a typical example of its long-standing, systematic persecution of religious belief, and represents a concentrated manifestation of its grave violations of fundamental human rights and its commission of crimes against humanity. The CCP regards Christ’s Church and Christians as enemies. It mobilizes the entire apparatus of the state, incites public hatred against Christ’s Church, launches a “people’s war” with rewards for reporting. It carries out large-scale arrests, and implements systematic persecution in an attempt to turn China into a godless land. Even the elderly, the frail, the sick, and the disabled Christians are not spared. Violent brainwashing, agonizing torture, draconian sentencing, and harsh penalties are imposed in escalating layers, leaving countless people maimed, killed, forcibly disappeared, or unaccounted for. Vast numbers of Christians have been forced into displacement and homelessness, living on the run for years on end. All of this fully exposes the CCP regime’s inherently evil nature of extreme hostility toward religious beliefs.

To enable all sectors to continue learning the facts and the truth, we are releasing selected data and materials concerning the CCP’s persecution of CAG Christians in 2025. We hope the international community and governments around the world will continue to pay close attention to the human rights situation in China and provide protection and assistance to persecuted Christians.

Appendices

Appendix A. Cases of Deprivation of Basic Human Rights of CAG Christians and Their Relatives in 2025

Li Si* (female, 65), a CAG Christian from Henan Province, was arrested in January 2019 for her faith. After her release, in order to persist in her belief, she was forced to leave her home and move to Zhejiang Province to make a living as a migrant worker. On March 13, 2025, Li Si was arrested by local police in Zhejiang Province and taken to a hotel, where she was subjected to forced brainwashing and interrogation. On March 21, police subjected her to starvation torture in an attempt to force her to sign the “Three Statements,” giving her only a minimal amount of food for six consecutive days, leaving her dizzy, weak, and physically debilitated. On the afternoon of March 23, three people from the local neighborhood committee went specifically to pressure Li Si, saying: “You are welcome here to work and earn money, but your belief in Almighty God is absolutely not welcome and must be banned. We are specifically targeting believers in Almighty God and must eradicate them completely—‘as long as it is not eradicated, we will not withdraw.’ If you confess and sign the ‘Three Statements,’ you can leave.” Li Si refused to sign the “Three Statements” and was not released by the police until March 26. The following day, Li Si received a phone call from her store manager, who told her that the police station would not allow her to continue working and that she was not permitted to remain in the locality. Li Si was dismissed and forced to return to her hometown.

Bai Jie* (female, 62), a CAG Christian from Shanxi Province, was arrested in December 2020 for her faith. At the time of her arrest, she was suffering from cancer and hypertension, yet she was still sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 3,060). During her imprisonment, Bai Jie was denied timely access to medication. She was required to get up at around 4:00 a.m. each day to perform forced labor and was also assigned to stand night watch. The prolonged, high-intensity labor caused her to develop heart disease and gastric conditions. On June 20, 2025, Bai Jie was finally released upon completion of her sentence. Only after her release did she learn that after being sentenced by the CCP, her work unit had dismissed her and stripped her of all post-retirement benefits, including a monthly pension of 4,500 RMB (approx. USD 630), an annual bonus of 7,090 RMB (approx. USD 1,000), and annual medical reimbursements of 3,000 RMB (approx. USD 420). During her 4 years and 6 months of imprisonment alone, the total amount of pension and benefits she lost reached 288,405 RMB (approx. USD 40,120). Because she was arrested and sentenced for her faith, Bai Jie was deprived by the CCP of her basic right to subsistence. Her husband suffered severe psychological trauma, and her son, who endured prolonged psychological strain from constant worry over his mother’s safety, developed thyroid cancer. The CCP’s persecution has brought profound physical and psychological devastation to Bai Jie and her family. Today, the family lacks even the most basic means of livelihood and has fallen into deep hardship.

Zhang Guojuan* (female, 64), a CAG Christian in Henan Province, was reported for her faith in 2002, and her information was recorded by the public security authorities. In July 2025, Zhang Guojuan’s grandson applied to a police academy and was required to obtain a political clearance certificate from the village Party secretary. Because of Zhang Guojuan’s belief in God, the village Party secretary did not dare to issue the certificate. He consulted the local police station twice and was told each time: “Computers are now linked nationwide. Once you turn on the computer, the record [of Zhang Guojuan’s faith] appears immediately.” As a result, the village Party secretary refused to issue the clearance certificate, and Zhang Guojuan’s grandson was thereby deprived of his right to attend a police academy.

Su Yang* (female, 69), a CAG Christian in Zhejiang Province. On September 8, 2025, police discovered faith-related materials in her dormitory and immediately arrested her, taking her to a police station for interrogation. They pressured her to identify other Christians and sign a Statement of Guarantee to renounce her faith, threatening, “We have been tracking you for 2 to 3 months. If you remain stubborn, we will sentence you to 3 years.” The following day, Su Yang was taken to a brainwashing base. Only because her blood pressure had reached 180 mmHg and the base refused to admit her did the police finally release her. Afterward, the local Health Bureau leaders demanded that the Health Center where Su Yang worked dismiss her. The director told the Health Bureau leaders that Su Yang and her husband were both people of good character and that such people were hard to find, but the Health Bureau leaders stated, “People who believe in Almighty God cannot be retained.” In the end, both Su Yang and her husband were dismissed and lost their livelihood.

Li Lan* (female, 31) and Li Qing* (female, 30) are both CAG Christians in Jiangxi Province. Both worked in government departments and were arrested at their respective homes on September 13, 2025, for their faith. During Li Lan’s interrogation, police stated: “In recent years, both you and Li Qing have been key targets of our attention.” During Li Qing’s interrogation, police stated: “When we discovered that you believed in God, we secretly assigned members of the special task force to monitor you.” Li Lan and Li Qing refused to divulge church information, and the interrogations yielded no results; both were subsequently dismissed from public office for their faith.

Li Jun* (female, 58), a CAG Christian in Jilin Province, was arrested on October 11, 2024, for her faith and subsequently sentenced to 2 years in prison. On September 29, 2025, prison authorities notified Li Jun’s husband that she had developed lung cancer and that a notice of critical condition had been issued. When Li Jun’s family asked whether she could be granted medical parole, prison officials replied: “Those who believe in Almighty God are not eligible for medical parole. Prisoners convicted of other crimes who develop cancer can all apply for it.” After repeated requests, Li Jun’s husband was permitted to see his wife only once a month through the prison’s internal video system. Later, Li Jun’s husband saw from the video that she had become emaciated beyond recognition and was visibly in excruciating pain. Simply because Li Jun believed in God, prison authorities deprived her of the basic human right to receive medical treatment.

Appendix B. Cases of Plunder of Church Funds and CAG Christians’ Personal Assets in 2025

According to incomplete statistics, in 2025 the CCP illegally plundered and seized at least 310 million RMB (approx. USD 44 million) in church funds and at least 20 million RMB (approx. USD 3 million) in Christians’ personal assets, totaling at least 330 million RMB (approx. USD 47 million). The following are selected cases:

On March 3, Xue Rong* (female, 72), an elderly CAG Christian from Shandong Province, was arrested for her faith. During the arrest, four police officers forcibly searched her home and plundered 17,800 RMB (approx. USD 2,440) of her personal funds. On March 11, police arrested Xue Rong’s husband, who is not a believer. After the interrogation yielded no results, officers again forcibly searched Xue Rong’s home and plundered her husband’s entire life savings of 250,000 RMB (approx. USD 34,480)—money he had accumulated through a lifetime of hard work. Across the two home searches, police plundered a total of 267,800 RMB (approx. USD 36,930) in personal assets.

On March 6, in Liaoning Province, an elderly CAG Christian couple—Li Xiuying* (female, 76) and Wang Kai* (male, 77)—had their home forcibly searched by police because of their faith. Police plundered their personal savings of 32,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,410), as well as 45 sacks of flour, 1,300 kg (2,866 lbs) of wheat, and 130 kg (286.6 lbs) of peanut oil from their home.

On March 13, the home of a CAG Christian couple in Shandong Province—Xiaojing* (50) and Xiaobing*—was subjected to a frenzied and forcible police search. Officers ransacked the residence, overturning everything in sight—even searching through the chickens’ watering crocks one by one. Police plundered nearly 200,000 RMB (approx. USD 27,600) in personal cash. Despite the couple’s repeated explanations that the money was their hard-earned savings and funds set aside for their parents’ elderly care, police still forcibly seized it and declared: “The state requires people to deposit money in banks. Keeping it at home means opposing the state. Storing large sums of cash at home is illegal!”

On March 26, Liu Yan* and her husband, CAG Christians in Shandong Province, were arrested for their faith. Police climbed over walls to break into their home, carried out a forcible search, and plundered 29,490 RMB (approx. USD 4,060) in personal cash. At 6:00 a.m. the same morning, Christian Li Ming* and his elder sister Xue Yuxiang* were also arrested. Police plundered 83,000 RMB (approx. USD 11,440) in personal cash, along with gold and silver jewelry, and sealed off their house. The total value of church and personal assets plundered amounted to approximately 355,200 RMB (approx. USD 48,940).

Between April 17 and 18, in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, a total of 29 CAG Christians were arrested within two days, and church funds totaling approximately 1,038,878 RMB (approx. USD 142,270) were plundered.

On July 30, authorities in Shanxi Province deployed more than 200 police officers, resulting in the arrest of at least 27 CAG Christians. During the operation, police plundered approximately 17,740 RMB (approx. USD 2,480) in church funds and 457,600 RMB (approx. USD 63,830) in personal assets.

On September 2, authorities in Baoding City, Hebei Province, launched a coordinated arrest operation targeting CAG Christians, resulting in the arrest of at least 36 individuals. During the operation, police plundered approximately 680,540 RMB (approx. USD 95,430) in church assets and 359,893 RMB (approx. USD 50,470) in personal assets.

On September 17, Liu Yuling* (female, 55), a CAG Christian in Shandong Province, was arrested for her faith. Police forcibly searched her home and plundered 51,100 RMB (approx. USD 7,180) in personal cash and deposits in bank passbooks totaling 600,000 RMB (approx. USD 84,300). On the same day, five plainclothes police officers pried open the door and broke into the home of Wang Yulan* (female, 73), an elderly CAG Christian, plundering church funds and personal cash, along with bank cards, totaling 236,290 RMB (approx. USD 33,200). CAG Christian Liu Jianjun* (male, 55) and his wife were also arrested that day, and police forcibly plundered 200,000 RMB (approx. USD 28,100) in their personal assets. A police station chief who participated in the mass arrest operation said, “We’ve hit the jackpot this time—we’ve caught a big fish. There’s two hundred thousand (approx. USD 28,100) in cash alone.” At around 7:00 a.m. the same morning, CAG Christian Liu Rui* (female, 45) was also arrested at home, and police plundered 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,810) in personal cash and two grams of gold jewelry. CAG Christian Zhao Guosheng* (male, 55) was also arrested that day, and police plundered 90,000 RMB (approx. USD 12,650) in his personal cash. The total value of church and personal assets plundered was at least 1,458,790 RMB (approx. USD 204,970).

On October 15, Zheng Huiling* (female, 54), a CAG Christian in Shanxi Province, was arrested for her faith. Police ransacked her home like bandits for over two hours, plundering 90,000 RMB (approx. USD 12,610) in her personal assets. During her first arrest in 2014, police had already plundered 260,000 RMB (approx. USD 42,250) of her personal assets. The total amount plundered across both arrests reached 350,000 RMB (approx. USD 49,030), dealing a devastating blow to her family. Zheng Huiling is in poor health, and her husband suffers from uremia. With their savings now plundered, their already difficult living conditions have further deteriorated.

On October 29, 10 plainclothes police officers suddenly broke into the home of Wang Xiulian* (female, 52), a CAG Christian in Guangdong Province. They forcibly restrained and handcuffed her, her daughter, and her son-in-law, and even ordered her 76-year-old mother-in-law not to move. Police forcibly searched the home, plundering 376,000 RMB (approx. USD 52,940) in cash; together with other assets, the total value seized amounted to nearly 390,000 RMB (approx. USD 54,910). When Wang Xiulian explained that the cash was the family’s savings, police forcibly took it anyway, claiming that “no one uses cash nowadays.” After the three were taken to the police station, one officer remarked, “This time we got a good haul.” Wang Xiulian and her daughter repeatedly explained that the cash kept at home was lawful family property, including the daughter’s bride price and wedding gifts, as well as the husband’s wages and bonuses accumulated over many years. Wang Xiulian’s husband later presented bank account transaction records to prove the lawful source of the cash, but police still refused to return it. Wang Xiulian and her husband’s lifetime savings were completely plundered, dealing them a severe blow both mentally and physically.

Appendix C. Cases of CAG Christians Heavily Sentenced in 2025 and Currently Imprisoned

According to incomplete statistics, in 2025 at least 683 CAG Christians in Shandong Province and at least 257 in Guangdong Province were sentenced, making them the two provinces with the highest numbers of sentenced Christians, as well as those with relatively more cases of collective sentencing. The following are selected cases.

1. Collective Sentencing Cases of CAG Christians in Shandong Province in 2025

On February 22, a total of 15 CAG Christians in Laiyang City, Yantai, were collectively sentenced, all receiving prison terms of more than three years, with total fines amounting to 103,500 RMB (approx. USD 14,270).

On April 3, two CAG Christians in Linyi City were collectively sentenced; both received heavy sentences of seven years and six months.

On May 23, a total of 12 CAG Christians in Weihai City were collectively sentenced¹⁹. Among them, four were sentenced to five years each and fined 50,000 RMB (approx. USD 6,940) per person.

On June 18, a total of three CAG Christians in Linyi City were collectively sentenced. Among them, two received heavy sentences of eight years each and were fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,180) per person; one received a sentence of five years and was fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,780).

On June 24, a total of 10 CAG Christians in Weihai City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one received a heavy sentence of eight years and was fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,180); one received a sentence of seven years and six months and was fined 30,000 RMB; and six others were sentenced to more than three years.

On June 25, a total of 18 CAG Christians in Qingdao City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to five years, three to three years and six months, and another to three years. The 18 Christians were fined a total of 114,000 RMB (approx. USD 15,890).

On June 26, a total of six CAG Christians in Linyi City were collectively sentenced²⁰. Among them, 1 received a heavy sentence of nine years and was fined 40,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,580); two received heavy sentences of seven years and six months each and were fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,180) per person; and three received heavy sentences of seven years each and were fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,180) per person.

On July 1, a total of four key church members in Linyi City were collectively sentenced. Among them, two received heavy sentences of 10 years and six months, one received a heavy sentence of eight years, and one was sentenced to three years with a five-year probation period. All four were fined 40,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,580) per person.

On August 13, a total of 25 CAG Christians in Qingdao City were collectively sentenced. Among them, three were sentenced to four years and two months each and fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,180) per person. The 25 Christians were fined a total of 316,000 RMB (approx. USD 43,970).

On September 5, a total of nine CAG Christians in Rizhao City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to three years and six months, one to three years and two months, one to three years, and one elderly CAG Christian aged 71 was sentenced to one year and four months with a two-year probation period. The nine Christians were fined a total of 115,000 RMB (approx. USD 16,100).

On September 15, a total of six CAG Christians in Weihai City were collectively sentenced. Among them, two received heavy sentences of eight years, and two received heavy sentences of seven years and six months. Four were fined 30,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,210) per person.

On September 25, a total of 11 CAG Christians in the Weihai Economic and Technological Development Zone were collectively sentenced. Among them, six were sentenced to prison terms ranging from two years and six months to three years and six months.

On October 28, a total of 24 CAG Christians in Weihai City were collectively sentenced. Among them, seven church leaders and co-workers were sentenced to more than three years.

On December 16, a total of 16 CAG Christians in Rizhao City were collectively sentenced in three batches. Among them, one key church member who refused to plead guilty or accept punishment received a heavy sentence of seven years and was fined 40,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,670); two were sentenced to three years and six months each and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,840) per person. The 16 individuals were fined a total of 211,000 RMB (approx. USD 29,920).

On December 22, a total of seven CAG Christians in Rizhao City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to three years and six months and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,840); one was sentenced to three years and two months and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,840). The seven were fined a total of 97,000 RMB (approx. USD 13,770).

2. Collective Sentencing Cases of CAG Christians in Guangdong Province in 2025

On April 11, a total of 12 CAG Christians in Yunfu City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to six years and fined 25,000 RMB (approx. USD 3,410); one was sentenced to five years and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,730); three of them, all in their 60s and suffering from serious illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension, were sentenced to one year each and fined 3,000 RMB (approx. USD 410) per person; and another, aged over 70 and with mobility difficulties, was sentenced to 10 months and fined 3,000 RMB (approx. USD 410). The 12 Christians were fined a total of 83,000 RMB (approx. USD 11,320).

On June 10, seven CAG Christians in Jiangmen City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to six years and six months and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,780); one was sentenced to six years and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,780); and two were sentenced to five years each and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,780) per person. The seven Christians were fined a total of 95,000 RMB (approx. USD 13,220).

On June 13, a total of five CAG Christians in Shunde District, Foshan City, were collectively sentenced. Among them, one received a heavy sentence of seven years and six months and was fined 80,000 RMB (approx. USD 11,130). The five Christians were fined a total of 230,000 RMB (approx. USD 32,010).

On July 16, seven CAG Christians in Huizhou City were collectively sentenced. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine months to one year and two months, with total fines amounting to 48,000 RMB (approx. USD 6,690).

On September 28, seven CAG Christians in Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, were collectively sentenced. Among them, one received a heavy sentence of nine years and six months and was fined 36,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,050); two received heavy sentences of eight years and five months each and were fined 32,000 RMB (approx. USD 4,490) per person; one received a heavy sentence of seven years and six months and was fined 27,000 RMB (approx. USD 3,780); one received a heavy sentence of seven years and three months and was fined 26,000 RMB (approx. USD 3,640); one received a heavy sentence of five years and three months and was fined 17,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,380); and one received a heavy sentence of four years and five months and was fined 14,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,960).

On September 29, four CAG Christians in Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to four years and three months, two to three years and three months, and one to two years and two months. The four Christians were fined a total of 39,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,470).

On September 30, five more CAG Christians in Haizhu District, Guangzhou City, were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to six years, two to three years and two months, one to two years and one month, and another to one year and nine months. The five Christians were fined a total of 52,000 RMB (approx. USD 7,300).

On October 28, eight key CAG members in Liwan District, Guangzhou City, were collectively and heavily sentenced. Among them, one received a heavy sentence of seven years and five months and was fined 25,000 RMB (approx. USD 3,510); the other seven each received heavy sentences of seven years and two months and were fined 24,000 RMB (approx. USD 3,370) per person. The eight Christians were fined a total of 193,000 RMB (approx. USD 27,130).

On October 29, ten CAG Christians in Guangzhou City were collectively sentenced. Among them, two were sentenced to four years and two months each and fined 14,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,970) per person; one was sentenced to four years and fined 14,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,970); one was sentenced to three years and five months and fined 12,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,690); two were sentenced to three years and three months and fined 11,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,550) and 12,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,690), respectively; and two were sentenced to two years and two months each and fined 7,000 RMB (approx. USD 990) per person. The 10 Christians were fined a total of 104,000 RMB (approx. USD 14,620).

On November 28, nine CAG Christians in Liwan District, Guangzhou City, were collectively sentenced. Among them, one was sentenced to six years and two months and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,820); two were sentenced to four years and two months each and fined 14,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,980) per person; one was sentenced to three years and 10 months and fined 13,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,840); two were sentenced to three years and six months each and fined 12,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,690) per person; and two were sentenced to three years and two months each and fined 10,000 RMB (approx. USD 1,410) per person. The nine Christians were fined a total of 113,000 RMB (approx. USD 15,950).

On December 5, a total of 24 CAG Christians in Qingyuan City were collectively sentenced. Among them, one received a heavy sentence of nine years and was fined 150,000 RMB (approx. USD 21,220); one received a heavy sentence of seven years and was fined 100,000 RMB (approx. USD 14,150); one was sentenced to six years and fined 80,000 RMB (approx. USD 11,320); one was sentenced to four years and six months and fined 50,000 RMB (approx. USD 7,070); two were sentenced to four years (including one aged 74) and each fined 40,000 RMB (approx. USD 5,660) per person; and three were sentenced to three years each and fined 20,000 RMB (approx. USD 2,830) per person. The 24 Christians were fined a total of 1,110,000 RMB (approx. USD 157,010).

Table 3: CAG Christians Heavily Sentenced and Imprisoned (108 Selected Cases)

References:

1 The Facts of the CCP's Tyrannical Persecution of Christians, Ep. 2 A Factual Record of the CCP's Tyrannical Persecution of Christians (Part 2)

https://en.godfootsteps.org/news/facts-of-ccp-persecution-of-christians-2.html

2 Documentary of The Church of Almighty God | The Appearance and Work of Almighty God (Part 1)

https://en.godfootsteps.org/videos/appearance-and-work-of-Almighty-God-part-1.html

3 Xi'an: Crackdown on Zion's Light Church, Ten Pastors and Co-Workers Arrested, Bitter Winter, 05/30/2025

https://bitterwinter.org/xian-crackdown-on-zions-light-church-ten-pastors-and-co-workers-arrested

4 Linfen Golden Lampstand Church: Preacher Yang Rongli Sentenced to 15 Years, Bitter Winter, 07/28/2025

https://bitterwinter.org/linfen-golden-lampstand-church-preacher-yang-rongli-sentenced-to-15-years

5 Over a Thousand Police Suppress Christians in Wenzhou, Zhejiang; More Than a Hundred Detained, 12/13–18/2025

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i1qNvJeASZd4yw3vgMrjGLgvUN4wMf4C/view

6 China, “Bitter Winter” Obtains a Secret Document on the Repression of The Church of Almighty God, Bitter Winter, 7/29/2024

https://bitterwinter.org/china-bitter-winter-obtains-a-secret-document-on-the-repression-of-the-church-of-almighty-god/

7 The Facts of the CCP's Tyrannical Persecution of Christians, Ep. 4 In 2020, the CCP Launched a Three-Year "Total War" in an Attempt to Completely Destroy The Church of Almighty God

https://en.godfootsteps.org/news/facts-of-ccp-persecution-of-christians-4.html

8 CCP Launches 3-Year “Tough Battle” Against The Church of Almighty God, Bitter Winter, 4/2/2024

https://bitterwinter.org/ccp-launches-3-year-tough-battle-against-the-church-of-almighty-god/

9 Full Christian Movie "The Lies of Communism" (English Dubbed)

https://en.godfootsteps.org/videos/the-lies-of-communism.html

10 The Church of Almighty God Publishes Yearly Report of Persecution, Bitter Winter, 2/26/2025

https://bitterwinter.org/the-church-of-almighty-god-publishes-yearly-report-of-persecution/

11 2017 Annual Report on the Chinese Communist Government’s Persecution of The Church of Almighty God, 8/3/2018

https://en.godfootsteps.org/persecution/annual-report-2017.html

12 Report details widespread Chinese torture in police detention, BBC News, 11/12/2015

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-34786336

13 Memories of My Youth, The Church of Almighty God, 11/5/2021

https://en.godfootsteps.org/videos/memories-of-my-youth-movie.html

14 “Exhausting an Eagle”: Torture by Sleep Deprivation, Bitter Winter, 8/16/2018

https://bitterwinter.org/torture-by-sleep-deprivation/

15 An elderly Christian couple secretly detained and subjected to forced brainwashing for nearly three months. Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Religious Freedom, 08/01/2025

https://www.adhrrf.org/persecution-cases/arbitrary-detention/223787.html

16 Christian Yu Xiaomei Arrested and Abused; Dies Following Medical Neglect and Condition Deterioration in Custody, Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Religious Freedom， 2/25/2025

https://en.adhrrf.org/christian-yu-xiaomei-death-in-custody.html

17 Nearly 500 Christians arrested in Zhejiang; multiple elderly Christians subjected to forced brainwashing and physical punishment. Association for the Defense of Human Rights and Religious Freedom, 10/01/2025

https://www.adhrrf.org/persecution-cases/arbitrary-detention/223794.html

18 United Nations,International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-covenant-civil-and-political-rights

19 Zero-Out Campaign: The Ordeal of The Church of Almighty God Members in Shandong, Bitter Winter, 1/7/2026

https://bitterwinter.org/zero-out-campaign-the-ordeal-of-the-church-of-almighty-god-members-in-shandong/

20 Eight CAG Christians in Shandong Receive Severe Prison Sentences of 7 to 9 Years, The Church of Almighty God, 8/10/2025

https://en.godfootsteps.org/persecution/comprehensive-report-1.html