Freed Chinese Pastor to Receive Human Rights Prize as Eight Believers Stay Jailed

Worthy News reports that a Chinese pastor who spent 266 days in detention for leading one of China's largest underground Protestant churches will receive the 2026 Lantos Human Rights Prize. The award will be presented on December 10 in Washington, D.C. The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice said the prize recognizes his courage in defending religious freedom despite sustained government pressure.

According to the report, written by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News chief international correspondent, Chinese authorities detained the pastor during a crackdown on his Beijing-based congregation in October 2025. After nearly nine months behind bars, he was released to the United States on July 3, 2026, following diplomatic intervention by President Trump. The crackdown led to nearly 30 pastors, preachers and church members being detained across more than 10 locations.

Eight fellow believers from the same congregation remain imprisoned. Worthy News reports that the pastor has publicly identified all eight by name, and he says his main work now is pressing for their release. He has also warned that Chinese authorities have targeted multiple faith communities, not only his own.

Hebrews 13:3 asks us to remember those in prison as though we were bound with them. Put China on your prayer list this week. Pray by name, if you can learn their names, for the eight who remain behind bars, for the families who wait for them, and for the pastor as he speaks for them from across the ocean. Pray for the officials who hold the keys, that God would soften their hearts. Pray too for the church in China, that it would keep meeting and keep its faith under pressure. Ask God to open those eight cell doors.

Read Hebrews 13:3