China releases underground church pastor after months in detention

Ezra Jin, founder of the unregistered Zion Church in China, has been released after being detained since October. He arrived in Los Angeles on July 4th, according to his family and the Christian rights group ChinaAid. Jin, a prominent figure in China's underground Christian movement, was among several Zion Church leaders arrested during a crackdown last year, accused of "illegally using information networks." The Zion Church, founded in 2007, had its physical premises shut down in 2018 but continued operating online. Jin's family expressed joy at his release, attributing it in part to US President Donald Trump raising his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Ezra Jin, founder of the prominent underground Zion Church in China, has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Jin was among dozens of church members detained in an October crackdown on Christians. His family expressed overwhelming joy and thanked President Trump and his administration for their leadership. Jin's release, a rare instance of China releasing a citizen, reportedly followed lobbying from the US, with his case having been raised by President Trump with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Zion Church, founded in 2007, was forced to close its physical location in 2018 but continued with online sermons. Despite Christianity being legal in China, worship is restricted to government-controlled churches, leading many to form unregistered "house churches" like Zion. Several Zion Church members remain detained.

Underground church leader Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church, has been released from prison in China and has traveled to the United States. His release occurred less than two months after his incarceration, which followed widespread raids on religious activities in China. The Zion Church family attributed his freedom to a direct plea made by Donald Trump to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Jin Mingri's family expressed gratitude for the intervention, calling it a miracle and a sign of potential positive changes for people of faith in China. While Jin Mingri has arrived in the US, rights groups note that numerous other religious practitioners remain imprisoned in China.