A pastor who has been in a Chinese prison since 2014 has reportedly been transferred to serve the remainder of his 12-year sentence at a prison, where part of his time will be spent under 'concentrated education.'

Pastor Zhang Shaojie had been the leader of the Nanle County Christian Church in Henan, Voice of the Martyrs reports.

He was sentenced in July 2014 to 12 years in prison "for alleged fraud and disrupting social order."

"Three years later, it was reported that Pastor Zhang was barely alive after suffering various forms of torture, and his daughter expressed concern for his mental and physical health," VOTM says. "When family members saw him in December 2019, they reported dramatic changes to his personality and that his mental state was failing. The family also raised suspicions about the medication he had been prescribed."

Shaojie's family fled to the United States in 2014 to avoid further persecution.

The first two months in the new prison will be for "treatment misleadingly referred to as 'concentrated education,'" VOTM says.

After those two months he will be allowed only one visitor per month will be permitted, as long as they have proof of their relationship with him.

VOTM is asking that Christian "intercede on behalf of Pastor Zhang, specifically for his need of mental, emotional and physical healing. Pray that the treatment he receives in prison will notably improve, and that he will get the medical attention and care he needs. Ask God to provide comfort, strength and hope not only to Pastor Zhang, but also to the concerned members of his family and church. Miraculously, may there be a way for him to be released from imprisonment earlier than the initial term."