As the year 2025 draws to a close, numerous Christian leaders remain incarcerated globally due to their faith and activities. Among them, Pastor Mingri “Ezra” Jin, the founder of one of China’s most significant house churches, was arrested in October, marking a notable crackdown on Christianity by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Alongside Jin, approximately 30 other pastors faced similar fates, and reports indicate harassment during church services and the questioning of over 150 church members. Jin, who has diabetes, faces charges of “illegal use of information networks” related to his use of Zoom for sermons that attracted around 5,000 members across nearly 50 cities. If convicted, he could serve up to seven years in prison.
In Ukraine, the situation is similarly dire for leaders of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). Metropolitan Arseniy, abbot of the Sviatohirsk Lavra monastery, has been in detention without bail since April 2024. He faces charges stemming from a sermon delivered during a significant feast day in 2023, in which he criticized Ukrainian checkpoints that hindered pilgrims’ access to worship. Arseniy’s health has been reported as deteriorating, and his lawyers assert he is subjected to inhumane treatment, including lengthy transfers for court hearings without food or rest. “Banning our church brings us no nearer to peace or security. It only sows division,” he stated from prison, highlighting the religious strife in the region.
In stark contrast, Russian Pentecostal pastor Nikolay Romanyuk was sentenced in September to four years in a labor camp for a sermon in which he condemned violence and called killing a sin, regardless of who commands it. His remarks directly opposed those of Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church, who had framed military service as a noble sacrifice. Romanyuk’s appeal was denied, and he is now awaiting transfer to a prison colony to begin his sentence.
In Eritrea, Haile Naizghe, chairman of the Full Gospel Church, reached a staggering 21 years in detention without trial in May 2025. This places him among the longest-serving religious prisoners globally. Naizghe, along with six other pastors, is held in a maximum-security facility that has been likened to a dungeon. Eritrea’s government does not recognize Christian denominations outside the Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran faiths, leading to widespread harassment and imprisonment of unrecognized churches. Naizghe was arrested in 2004 after he sought national recognition for a network of 150 house churches.
Vietnam’s Ksor Ruk, an ethnic minority Protestant missionary, is currently serving a 10-year sentence for allegedly undermining state unity. His arrest in 2018 marked his second imprisonment, having previously served six years beginning in 2007. The allegations against Ruk include connections to a former resistance movement and promoting a form of evangelical Christianity among the Montagnard ethnic minorities.
In Cuba, Loreto Hernández García and his wife, Donaida Pérez Paseiro, remain imprisoned, separated from their children. García received a seven-year sentence for “public disorder” and “contempt” after participating in a peaceful protest advocating for human rights. Pérez was sentenced to eight years with an additional charge of “attacking.” Reports from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom indicate that both have faced coercion to renounce their faith while in custody, with García suffering from solitary confinement and medical neglect.
These stories reflect a troubling trend of religious persecution that spans the globe. As these leaders continue to fight for their faith and freedom, their experiences underscore the ongoing challenges faced by many Christians in various countries, highlighting the need for international attention and intervention.
