WASHINGTON (OSV News) – Ezra Jin Mingri, founder and pastor of an underground church in China and a prisoner of conscience in that country, was released from imprisonment and reunited with his family in the U.S. shortly before Independence Day, U.S. officials said.
At a May summit in China, President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to release political prisoners of interest to the U.S., including Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong's prominent Catholic and pro-democracy campaigner, and Jin, founder and pastor of Zion Church. Both cases presented grave religious freedom concerns from U.S. officials. Lai remains in prison, where he is serving a 20-year sentence.
In 2018, Jin, the founder of Zion Church, and his family moved to the U.S. amid pressure on the church from Chinese officials. But Jin later returned and was prohibited from leaving the country. He was among dozens of members imprisoned in a crackdown by Chinese authorities on his Church in October 2025.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., a Catholic, who is a longtime lawmaker and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, said in a July 5 statement, “Pastor Jin should never have spent a single day behind bars for peacefully living out his Christian faith."
"His release is a joyous answer to countless prayers, and an important reminder that sustained and principled American engagement on behalf of religious and political prisoners can make a difference – including for the eight additional leaders of the Zion Church and the many others detained from across China's diverse religious communities, such as Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and Falun Gong practitioners," Smith said.
Smith thanked Trump and other U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, for their efforts to secure Jin's release.
"Today, we celebrate Pastor Jin's freedom, and tomorrow, we renew our commitment to securing the release of every prisoner of conscience still suffering under the cruel hands of the Chinese Communist Party – including and especially Jimmy Lai," Smith said.
In its 2026 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said Chinese officials detained "more than 20 members of Zion Church, including its pastor Ezra Jin, for 'unlawfully using online information.'” That report also cited pressure faced by underground Catholic clergy in that country.
As of July 6, USCIRF listed 896 total victims of China on its Frank R. Wolf Freedom of Religion or Belief Victims List for violations against people of multiple faith traditions.
Before his departure from the U.S. for his visit to China in May, religious freedom advocates urged Trump to seek the release of Chinese political prisoners during the trip. Trump told reporters at the White House that he planned to mention both Lai and Jin to Xi.
However, on his return trip to the U.S., Trump on May 15 told reporters that Lai's case was a "tough one."
"(Xi) said he's gonna strongly consider the pastor," Trump said at the time, in apparent reference to Jin.
