Ezra Jin’s household says the Zion Church founder arrived within the US after months in detention in China.
Revealed On 5 Jul 2026
The founding father of a outstanding underground church in China has been launched after months in detention, his household and a Christian rights group mentioned.
ChinaAid mentioned Pastor Jin Mingri, additionally identified by his English title Ezra Jin, landed in Los Angeles on July 4 after being held in detention centres within the southern Chinese language metropolis of Beihai since October.
Beneficial Tales
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“ChinaAid welcomes with profound gratitude the discharge of imprisoned Chinese language home church pastor Ezra Jin, who arrived safely in Los Angeles on July 4, 2026,” the group mentioned in a press release on Sunday.
Jin based Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 and have become one of the crucial recognisable figures in China’s underground Christian motion.
The Zion Church is among the many largest underground or home church buildings in China which might be unregistered with authorities. They defy a requirement that believers worship solely in registered congregations.
Authorities shut the church’s bodily premises in 2018, however the group continued working on-line, permitting it to succeed in hundreds of worshippers.
Chinese language authorities detained Jin and different Zion Church leaders throughout a wider crackdown final 12 months. Eighteen church leaders have been arrested and accused of “illegally utilizing data networks”.
“We actually witnessed a miracle and we’re feeling overwhelmed with pleasure,” Jin’s household mentioned in a press release. “We thank God for this large miracle. We additionally thank President Trump and his administration for his or her large management.”
Grace Jin mentioned US President Donald Trump raised her father’s case with Chinese language President Xi Jinping throughout a go to to Beijing in Might. Trump instructed reporters on the time that Xi was “critically contemplating” the discharge of the pastor.
“We all know that this might not have occurred with out the direct intervention from Chairman Xi Jinping. We hope this can be a sign of a optimistic flip for individuals of religion in China and relations between our two nations,” the household mentioned in a separate assertion.
There was no quick remark from China’s overseas ministry.
Maya Wang, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, welcomed the discharge however famous that a number of Zion Church members remained in custody.
“Not less than 8 members of Zion Church stay detained in China. They need to all be freed,” Wang wrote on X.
