Chinese police detained 11 Christians, most of them elderly, during a small gathering in Chengdu, Sichuan, according to ChinaAid and rights advocates cited by Brazilian outlets. The group was linked to the Early Rain Covenant Church, an unregistered Protestant congregation that has faced repeated official action.¹

The two accounts broadly agree on the central outcome: nine people were released the following day, but two alleged organizers remained in custody for 10 days. One report identified them as elder Wu Wuqing and Shen Xiaoqing, saying they also received fines of 500 yuan and 300 yuan respectively over accusations of “organizing illegal proselytizing activities.”²

Both reports emphasize the age and health of those detained. They say most were older than 60, with several in their 70s. He Futao, 73, was among those taken to the police station; he had previously undergone surgery involving a lung affected by cancer and has ongoing health problems.¹ The second account said relatives and church members saw an ambulance arrive outside the station late that night, raising concern that an older detainee may have required emergency care, though it did not establish who was treated or why.²

The reporting places the incident in a longer dispute between the church and Chinese authorities. Early Rain Covenant operates outside state-controlled religious bodies, and rights groups have described previous detentions and questioning of its members as pressure on independent religious activity.¹ Its founder, pastor Wang Yi, has been imprisoned since 2018 and was later sentenced to nine years on charges including inciting subversion and illegal business operations, while the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has said he was targeted for his religious leadership.¹