Authorities initially placed the three Christians under 15 days of administrative detention on suspicion of “illegally organizing religious activities.” The escalation from administrative to criminal detention reflects Chinese authorities’ growing use of criminal charges against leaders of unregistered house churches, allowing for longer periods of detention and potentially more severe penalties. As of July 29 — three days after their transfer to criminal detention — Pastor Huang had been allowed an initial meeting with his attorney, according to the church. Like many Protestant house churches in China, the congregation operates outside the government-approved religious system rather than registering with state religious authorities. At the time of publication, Yueyang authorities had not issued a public statement or responded to media inquiries regarding the case.