Ding Zhongfu
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Religion or Belief: Christian – Protestant
Date of Detainment: November/30/2023
Current Status: Not Released
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Figure & Religious Leadership Role Unregistered Religious Activity
Nature of Charges: Embezzlement & Fraud
Ding Zhongfu
Extra Bio Info:
Ding Zhongfu is detained for his religious leadership role.
In November 2023, law enforcement authorities in Hefei city, Anhui province, arrested Ding, an elder of the unregistered house church Ganquan Church, after raiding the homes of several church members. Ding was charged with “fraud”—a spurious charge Chinese authorities frequently use to target house church Protestants—reportedly tied to the church's collection of tithes and donations.
In February 2026, authorities sentenced Ding to 4 years' imprisonment and fined him 28,000 yuan.
Publicly Available Information:
- USCIRF Commissioners David Curry and Nury Turkel, Tweet, April 17, 2024
- “Hefei’s Ganquan Church: Three Released, Two Remain in Jail” Bitter Winter
- "Christian group and family raise outcry over detention of another ‘house church’ elder in China" Associated Press (AP)
- "HOME » UNCENSORED NEWS » GANQUAN CHURCH MEMBERS FACE POSSIBLE ARREST AND PROSECUTION" ChinaAid