China Arrests Six Christians on Charge of Organizing Minors

Chinese authorities arrested six Christians in May 2026, charging them with illegally organizing minors to participate in religious activities. The arrests took place in an unregistered house church setting, according to reports from Christian Daily.

Chinese law prohibits religious education for anyone under 18 outside of state-approved institutions. Authorities have increasingly enforced this rule against Protestant and Catholic communities that operate outside the official Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

The six individuals face potential prison sentences. Their names and exact location have not been publicly disclosed, a common practice in cases involving religious persecution in China.

Open Doors, a nonprofit that tracks Christian persecution globally, ranks China among the top 20 countries where Christians face the most severe restrictions. The organization says enforcement of laws against youth religious education has intensified since 2022.

Christian advocacy groups have called on Western governments to raise the issue in diplomatic talks with Beijing. So far, official responses have been limited.

The arrests come weeks after a separate incident in which a North Korean pastor shared his escape story at an interdenominational gathering in Germany, drawing attention to the broader pattern of faith-based persecution across Asia.

Families of the arrested individuals have reportedly been warned not to speak to foreign media.