China Frees Pastor Ezra Jin After Trump-Xi Talks
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- Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri was released by China and arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday after being detained since October, according to his family and rights groups including advocacy group ChinaAid.
- Jin's release came less than two months after President Trump raised his case with Xi Jinping during a May visit to Beijing; Trump said Xi replied he would "strongly consider" the request.
- Jin founded Zion Church in Beijing in 2007, which grew to roughly 1,500 members before authorities forced its closure in 2018; he was among 18 church leaders detained in October and accused of illegally using information networks.
- Jin's daughter Grace Jin said eight Zion Church members remain in detention, and Human Rights Watch's Maya Wang wrote on X that "at least eight members of Zion Church remain detained in China" and "should all be freed."
- Trump also raised the detention of Hong Kong pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai with Xi during the Beijing visit; Lai is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Hong Kong.
- China's Foreign Ministry and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment; China's ruling Communist Party, officially atheist, has tightened controls over religion under Xi through the "Sinicization" policy.
Why it matters: This is a concrete diplomatic win — a detained pastor released to the US within weeks of a presidential appeal. But the family's own statement notes eight other Zion Church members remain in detention, meaning Beijing freed one high-profile figure while the underlying crackdown on unregistered churches continues.
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