WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Ezra Jin Mingri, founder and pastor of an underground church in China and a former prisoner of conscience in that country, called for the release of other individuals imprisoned for their religious beliefs Sept. 22 at a hearing by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China.
With his daughter Grace Jin Drexel acting as translator, Jin said in remarks at the hearing that “reuniting with my family after eight years apart and watching the fireworks together on America’s 250th Independence Day felt like a dream.”
“Even as I rejoice and enjoy such freedom and joy with my family, I cannot stop thinking and worrying about my eight fellow church leaders who remain in prison,” he said.
Jin was released from imprisonment and reunited with his family in the U.S. shortly before Independence Day. President Donald Trump previously sought his release during a May summit with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Ezra Jin Mingri calls for release of pastors
As Trump prepared to host Xi for a state visit in Washington, advocates have urged him to again push for the release of additional prisoners of conscience and political prisoners of interest to the U.S., including Jimmy Lai, Hong Kong’s prominent Catholic and pro-democracy campaigner. Lai remains in prison, where he is serving a 20-year sentence.
“I sincerely hope that the members of Congress will continue to pay attention to religious persecution and human rights within China,” Jin said. “I hope that this meeting between the two heads of state can produce genuine consensus and a breakthrough in improving China’s human rights situation and ending the persecution of religious believers.”
In 2018, Jin, the founder of Zion Church, and his family moved to the U.S. amid pressure on the church from Chinese officials. But Jin later returned and was prohibited from leaving China. He was among dozens of members imprisoned in a crackdown by Chinese authorities on his church in October 2025. Some other members of his religious community remain imprisoned.
Jin stressed that if he, as the “main leader of our church,” was released, then it should “also be the case that my coworkers, those other leaders of my church, should also be released without any guilt.” He also called for the release of other Christian pastors held in China.
Catholic lawmakers speak out
At the hearing, two Catholic lawmakers, Reps. Chris Smith, R-N.J., co-chair of the CECC, and Jim McGovern, D-Mass., one of the commissioners, called for the release of those who were “unjustly detained” by the Chinese government, including Lai.
Smith called on Trump to raise the issue of the release of these prisoners “eyeball to eyeball” with Xi during their meeting.
“This summit is a golden opportunity for the president to speak out and to do so boldly,” Smith said.
Smith said at the hearing that behind every such prisoner there “is a family waiting, praying, and hoping that someone will not forget them, and behind many of those families is an entire community that feels threatened and far too intimidated.”
“Perhaps that is what the Chinese Communist Party wants,” he said. “It wants the prisoner isolated. It wants the family frightened, and it wants everyone watching to conclude that speaking out is either futile or simply too costly. But today we are here to say we will not look away. The real cost is failing to speak out. Silence is not an option.”
‘A clear and unified message’ for Trump
McGovern said, “We convene with a clear and unified message to President Trump: advocate for the release of prisoners of conscience in China.”
“Pastor Jin is proof that this goal is achievable,” he said. “We sincerely hope for more releases.”
McGovern also urged Trump not to “abandon human rights in our foreign policy.”
“I have always believed that if this country, the United States of America, stands for anything, we need to stand out loud and foursquare for human rights,” he said.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
