Advocates call for release of Chinese pastor Ma Yan

Religious freedom advocates last week called on the Chinese government to release Ma Yan, a 32-year-old pastor imprisoned for months in the northern Ningxia Province near Mongolia. Authorities detained Ma and three other Christians in August. The government alleges that they disrupted public order and organized an illegal gathering of fewer than 10 people, according to the U.K.-based organization Christian Solidarity Worldwide. Ma last week pleaded guilty to the charge of planning an illegal gathering because it carried a lighter sentence, according to the organization. His trial concluded without an immediate verdict. The prosecutor recommended he be sentenced to nine months in prison.

What else do we know about Ma? The young pastor became a Christian while attending college and later became a house church pastor in Yinchuan, Ningxia Province, according to ChinaAid. Ma’s family sent a letter to Christian groups across the country informing them of his arrest and asking for prayer. The Chinese constitution guarantees citizens freedom of religious belief and does not classify Christian gatherings as illegal, his family wrote in the letter. China remains one of the most oppressive countries in the world for Christians and the government has increased raids on churches in recent years, according to the U.S-based nonprofit Open Doors Organization.

Dig deeper: Read Jenny Lind Schmitt’s report about the Trump administration’s promise to end persecution abroad.