Chinese pastor released from prison arrives in the United States
An underground church pastor has been released from prison in China and has arrived in the United States, less than two months after President Donald Trump publicly raised his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping, reports BritPanorama.
Ezra Jin Mingri, founder of Beijing’s Zion Church, was detained in October 2022 along with 17 other church leaders during one of the largest crackdowns on a single religious congregation in decades. The U.S.-based advocacy group ChinaAid confirmed that Jin arrived in Los Angeles following his release.
The detention of Jin garnered international attention in May 2025, when Trump stated he had personally discussed the pastor’s imprisonment during a state visit to Beijing. Trump further indicated he had raised the imprisonment of Hong Kong democracy activist Jimmy Lai, urging Xi to reconsider both cases.
“I think he’s giving very serious consideration to the pastor,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on his return flight. He noted that Lai’s situation would be more difficult to resolve.
Lai, the founder of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of conspiring with foreign forces and publishing seditious material. The case has attracted widespread condemnation from Western governments and human rights organizations, who accuse Beijing of using national security laws to suppress dissent.
Jin’s family expressed gratitude for his release and thanked the Trump administration for their leadership, asserting that they believed direct intervention from Xi Jinping was instrumental in securing his freedom. “We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations,” they said in a statement.
While the release has been welcomed by human rights advocates, there are concerns for the remaining members of Zion Church still imprisoned. Brian Tronic, who directs the political prisoners program at Freedom House, cautioned against forgetting those who remain detained, emphasizing the need for continued attention to their plight.
Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid, praised U.S. officials for securing Jin’s release. He urged the U.S. to maintain religious freedom and prioritize the release of all prisoners of faith in its engagements with Beijing, highlighting the ongoing challenges faced by religious groups in China.
The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group advocating for Jin’s release, expressed joy at the news and extended best wishes to him and his family, thanking those involved in the diplomatic efforts behind the scenes.
Founded in 2007 by Jin, Zion Church grew from 20 worshippers to become one of China’s largest independent Protestant churches, operating outside the state-approved religious system. The church was banned by authorities in 2018 as part of a broader crackdown on independent religious organizations perceived as threats to the Communist Party’s control.
Many affiliated congregations have since become underground establishments as Beijing has intensified efforts to regulate religious groups. Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, testified before a U.S. congressional committee in November, noting that her father established Zion for the purpose of worshiping freely, with God as the sole head of the church.
After the authorities targeted Zion Church, Jin initially relocated his family to the U.S. for safety but chose to return to China despite the risks involved. The situation around his case underscores the ongoing complexities of religious freedom in the country.
