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Chinese underground church figure Jin Mingri freed from prison The Zion Church founder's release comes after a direct plea to Xi Jinping from Donald Trump.

China Frees Pastor Detained in Crackdown on Religion After Trump’s Urging Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri at the Zion Church in Beijing in 2018. He was detained as part of a wider campaign against religious groups in China.

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his release A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his ... A pastor of a prominent underground church detained in China in October has been released, according to rights advocates WASHINGTON --A pastor of a prominent underground church who wasdetained in China in Octoberhas been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, according to rights advocates. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, of the underground Zion Church, arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, and “is finally reunited with his family,” Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation wrote on X. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of Western lawmakers, also reported his release and shared a photo of the pastor with his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, both smiling. Jin’s case gained attention after Trump, when wrapping up his state visit to Beijing in May, said heraised the issueof the pastor's release with Xi and that the Chinese leader said he would give serious consideration to it. A statement from the family said the release happened very suddenly. It thanked Trump and said they know the release …

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his release A pastor of a prominent underground church detained in China in October has been released, according to rights advocates

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his ... Audio By Carbonatix WASHINGTON (AP) — A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, according to rights advocates. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, of the underground Zion Church, arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, and “is finally reunited with his family,” Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation wrote on X. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of Western lawmakers, also reported his release and shared a photo of the pastor with his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, both smiling. Jin’s case gained attention after Trump, when wrapping up his state visit to Beijing in May, said he raised the issue of the pastor’s release with Xi and that the Chinese leader said he would give serious consideration to it. Jin was detained with 17 other church leaders in October in one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades, raising worries over Beijing’s escalation in curtailing religious freedom. FILE – P…

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his ... Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri speaks during an interview at the Zion Church in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file) WASHINGTON (AP) — A pastor of a prominent underground church who wasdetained in China in Octoberhas been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, according to rights advocates. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, of the underground Zion Church, arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, and “is finally reunited with his family,” Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation wrote on X. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of Western lawmakers, also reported his release and shared a photo of the pastor with his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, both smiling. Jin’s case gained attention after Trump, when wrapping up his state visit to Beijing in May, said heraised the issueof the pastor’s release with Xi and that the Chinese leader said he would give serious consideration to it. A statement from the family said the release happened very suddenly. It thanked Trump and s…

China releases imprisoned pastor Ezra Jin after U.S. pressure The leader of a prominent Chinese underground church arrived in Los Angeles on Friday, his family said.

Who is Jin Mingri? Underground church founder walks free from Chinese ... Prominent Chinese underground church leaderJin Mingrihas been released from prison in China and has reportedly arrived in the United States, where he has reunited with his family. Jin, the founder and pastor of the Zion Church, was imprisoned following overnight raids across China in October, which Christian groups described as one of the most severe crackdowns on religious activity in the country's modern history, the BBC reported. China maintains strict state control over religious practice, with authorities closely regulating religious organisations and activities. Following his release, Jin's family thanked supporters and expressed their gratitude in a statement quoted by the BBC. "We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy." The Chinese government has not officially commented on the case. The family also thanked US President Donald Trump and his administration "for their tremendous leadership," adding that they believed "this could not have happened without the direct intervention from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping." "We hope this is a signal of a positive turn for p…

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after US President Donald Trump requested his release Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri was detained with 17 other church leaders in October in one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades. 

WASHINGTON — A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, according to rights advocates. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, of the underground Zion Church, arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, and “is finally reunited with his family,” Frances Hui of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation wrote on X. The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group of Western lawmakers, also reported his release and shared a photo of the pastor with his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, both smiling. Jin's case gained attention after Trump, when wrapping up his state visit to Beijing in May, said he raised the issue of the pastor's release with Xi and that the Chinese leader said he would give serious consideration to it. A statement from the family said the release happened very suddenly. It thanked Trump and said they know the release could not have happened 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 statement said. T…

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his release Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his release Associated Press Published: July 4, 2026 at 9:43 PM Updated: July 5, 2026 at 12:55 AM Full Screen 1 / 2 Previous photo Next photo FILE - Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri speaks during an interview at the Zion Church in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file) In this photo taken in 2015 and released by Grace Jin Drezel, pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and daughter Grace Jin Drexel pose for a photo in Los Angeles. (Grace Jin Drexel via AP) Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. FILE - Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri speaks during an interview at the Zion Church in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file) WASHINGTON – A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, his family and rights advocates said Saturday. Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri arrived in Los Angeles and “is finally reunited with his family,” Frances Hui of th…

Pastor freed from prison in China weeks after Trump requested his release <p>A pastor of a prominent underground church detained in China in October has been released, according to rights advocates.</p>

Chinese underground church figure Jin Mingri freed from prison The Zion Church founder's release comes after a direct plea to Xi Jinping from Donald Trump.

China frees pastor after Trump raised case with Xi China has released the pastor of a prominent underground church after US President Donald Trump pressed his case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. His family hailed the move as a hopeful sign for religious freedom.

Associated Press Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. FILE - Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri speaks during an interview at the Zion Church in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, file) WASHINGTON– A pastor of a prominent underground church who wasdetained in China in Octoberhas been released, less than two months after U.S. President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, his family and rights advocates said Saturday. 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. Recommended Videos He and 17 other leaders of the underground Zion Churchwere detainedin October in one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades, raising worries over an escalation in the government’s curtailing of religious freedom. A family statement said the release happened very quickly. It thanked Trump and said they know the release could not have happened 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 tw…