Source: www.csw.org.uk
Date: February 22, 2025
As we pray for Christians in China today, let’s start by reminding ourselves that God is an ever-present help:
‘So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Isaiah 41:10)
Pastor Ma Yan is a 32-year-old preacher from Yunnan Province. On 10 February he stood trial on charges of ‘organising illegal gatherings’, in relation to a gathering of no more than ten Christians.
Pastor Ma is a Hui Christian. His arrest and prosecution is yet another example of the Chinese Communist Party targeting ethnic and religious minorities.
The pastor was first detained alongside three other Christians on 9 August 2024, when police raided a gathering at a guesthouse in Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.
An administrative detention order was made the next day, and all four men were detained for ‘disrupting public order’. Two of them were released after seven days, while Pastor Ma and another Christian were held for ten days.
On 20 August he was criminally detained again on a new charge of ‘organising illegal gatherings’, and was formally arrested just over a month later.
During last week’s trial, Pastor Ma pleaded guilty to the ‘illegal gathering’ charge – despite not being guilty – because this carries a lighter sentence compared to other charges. It also does not attract moral stigmatisation.
The trial concluded without an immediate verdict, but if the court follows the prosecutor's sentencing recommendation, Pastor Ma will be sentenced to nine months in prison.
Please pray:
- That the authorities will immediately release Pastor Ma Yan and declare him not guilty.
- That Pastor Ma Yan and other Christians in China will take courage from Isaiah 41:10, knowing that God is by their side and upholding them.
- That the Chinese Communist Party would stop targeting ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians and Muslims from the Hui community.