Across the globe, countless religious leaders face violence, imprisonment, and even death due to their beliefs. Yet, many of the most notable figures often end up behind bars with barely a notice.
As 2026 unfolds, a number of these leaders remain incarcerated with little hope of release. One prominent case is Pastor Mingli “Ezra” Jin, the founder of China’s influential house church, who was detained in October along with about 30 fellow pastors. This incident marks the Chinese Communist Party’s most significant crackdown on Christianity in nearly ten years.
Ezra’s detention came with significant disruptions at church services and the questioning of over 150 congregants. While several pastors were released, Ezra’s daughter has stated that her father, age 56 and suffering from diabetes, was charged with “unlawful use of an information network.” His offense allegedly stemmed from using Zoom during the pandemic to grow his congregation to approximately 5,000 regular attendees across 50 cities, as reported by Reuters. If found guilty, he could face up to seven years behind bars, according to his daughter. In a November hearing regarding religious freedom violations in China, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for his release back in October.
In Ukraine, members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are facing potential arrests due to supposed connections with the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). However, the Ukrainian government insists they exert no control over the church.
Metropolitan Arseny, the head of the Svyatohirsk Lavra, has been held without bail since April 2024 following a sermon he delivered during a significant holiday in 2023. He expressed concerns about Ukrainian checkpoints that unjustly prevent UOC pilgrims from accessing areas for prayer. Arseny is expected to be charged for “disseminating information about the positions of Ukrainian troops,” which reportedly included the locations of three barricades.
This respected 57-year-old monk is currently held in Dnipro, facing severe conditions that his lawyer describes as “degrading and inhuman.” He often endures 15-hour journeys for legal hearings, frequently in handcuffs and without adequate food or rest. Despite his hardships, Arseny emphasized his commitment to faith, stating from prison, “Banning our church will not bring us closer to peace or security. It will only sow division.”
In contrast, in Russia, Pastor Nikolai Romanyuk, a Pentecostal leader, was sentenced to four years in a labor camp after he spoke critically about the war, arguing that “murder is a sin” regardless of the circumstances. This directly opposed the rhetoric from Patriarch Kirill, who suggested that military sacrifice absolves all sins. Romanyuk’s appeal was denied, and he awaits transfer to a penal facility.
Moving to Eritrea, Haile Naizge, president of the Eritrean Full Gospel Church, has already spent 21 years in prison without ever facing trial. This situation makes him one of the world’s longest-serving prisoners of conscience. He remains detained in a maximum-security prison alongside six other pastors, all accused under a regime that recognizes few Christian denominations. Conditions for those in unrecognized churches are dire—ranging from raids to imprisonment in inhumane settings.
In a separate case, in Vietnam, Kusol Luk, a Montagnard Christian missionary, was arrested in 2018 under allegations of “undermining national unity.” This marked his second imprisonment, having previously served six years after an earlier arrest in 2007. Accusations against him include connections to exiled separatists and attempts to revive a particular form of evangelical Christianity associated with the Montagnards.
Meanwhile, in Cuba, Loreto Hernández García and his wife, Donaida Pérez Paceiro, remain imprisoned, separated from their two children. García was sentenced to seven years for participating in peaceful protests, while his wife received an eight-year sentence with additional charges. Reports indicate that guards attempted to coerce the couple into renouncing their faith, with García subjected to solitary confinement and abuse due to his medical conditions. After a temporary release, Paceiro was rearrested for continuing to speak against the government.
