XINJIANG, China — A Uyghur Christian pastor leading a small house church in southern Xinjiang faces the permanent closure and demolition of his congregation’s building after Chinese authorities imposed a compliance deposit deadline and escalated surveillance of church leaders and members, International Christian Concern reported.
The pastor, identified only as Pastor A for security reasons, leads a congregation composed primarily of Uyghur Christians. Local government officials ordered the church to submit extensive documentation regarding its religious activities and pay a large compliance deposit by June 25. Private email correspondence reviewed by ICC included a threat of demolition on June 29 if the church fails to comply.
The pressure extends to Pastor A’s family. His adult son was detained and questioned about his faith and church involvement; following his release, the son’s movements were restricted. Pastor A’s wife was summoned by authorities and pressured to sign documents pledging not to participate in religious activities. Several church workers have been placed under heightened surveillance, and police have questioned members of the congregation.
Authorities also designated part of the church property as non-compliant with local regulations and warned that demolition measures could follow. Worship activities have been severely restricted, and government monitoring of the property has increased significantly, according to information ICC received from an established Christian ministry serving East Asia.
Uyghurs are a predominantly Muslim Turkic ethnic minority residing primarily in Xinjiang. A small number have converted to Christianity, facing pressure from both state authorities and their surrounding communities. The targeting of Pastor A’s congregation highlights the particular vulnerability of Christian converts from Muslim backgrounds in the region, where house churches operating outside government-controlled religious organizations have long faced fines, surveillance, detention, and closure orders.
The case falls within a broader campaign by the communist regime under President Xi Jinping to “Sinicize” religion across China. During the past decade, the Chinese government has carried out what the U.S. Department of State formally determined in 2021 was genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. International organizations and independent researchers have documented the mass detention of more than one million Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities in political reeducation facilities, widespread surveillance, forced labor programs, family separation, coercive birth prevention measures, and efforts to erase Uyghur religious and cultural identity.
Religious freedom advocates argue that international attention to the rights of Uyghur Muslims should also extend to smaller religious communities, including Uyghur Christians, who face many of the same surveillance and control mechanisms imposed throughout Xinjiang. The June 29 demolition deadline looms as Pastor A’s congregation awaits word on whether it will be permitted to continue worshiping together.