Chinese Pastor Ezra Jin Freed After Trump Raised His Case With Xi Jinping

A prominent pastor detained during one of China's largest crackdowns on a single church in decades has been released, his family and rights advocates announced Saturday. The move came less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump raised the case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing.

Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri arrived in Los Angeles and "is finally reunited with his family," Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation wrote on X.

A Rapid Release Following High-Level Talks

Jin and 17 other leaders of the underground Zion Church were detained in October, an action that alarmed observers who feared an escalation in the Chinese government's restrictions on religious freedom.

A statement from Jin's family said the release happened very quickly. It thanked Trump and said the family believes the outcome could not have occurred without Xi's direct intervention.

"We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for people of faith in China and relations between our two nations," the family statement said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

How the Case Reached the Highest Levels

Jin's situation gained wider attention after Trump, returning from a state visit to Beijing, said he had raised the detentions of both the pastor and imprisoned Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai with Xi.

"He said he's gonna strongly consider the pastor," Trump told reporters aboard his flight. He added that Xi described Lai's case as "a tough one."

Lai, 78, a former clothing magnate and publisher of a Hong Kong tabloid critical of Beijing, received a 20-year sentence in February.

Concerns Remain for Other Detained Leaders

While activists welcomed Jin's release, they also pointed to other church leaders still held in custody.

"At least 8 members of Zion Church remain detained in China," Maya Wang of Human Rights Watch wrote on X. "They should all be freed."

The Zion Church is among the largest underground or house churches in China that operate without official registration. Such congregations defy a requirement that believers worship only in registered churches.

The ruling Communist Party, officially atheist, regards organized religion as a potential threat to its authority. Under Xi, Chinese authorities have pursued efforts to "Sinicize" religion by demanding loyalty to the party.

A Family Divided by Faith and Distance

"My father started Zion in order to worship freely in a church that put God as the sole head of our church, like many faithful Christians everywhere," his daughter Grace Jin Drexel, who lives in the United States, told a congressional committee in November.

Jin had brought his family to the U.S. after authorities targeted Zion Church in 2018, but he chose to return to China despite the risks. His daughter said last fall that she had not seen her father in six years.

Jin's release marks a rare positive development for advocates of religious freedom in China, even as questions remain about the fate of those still imprisoned. Share this story to keep attention on the church leaders who are still awaiting their freedom.

Source: NPR – World