Overview
- Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri was released from Chinese detention and arrived in Los Angeles to reunite with his family, according to his family and rights groups.
- Family members and ChinaAid said Chinese officials told them Jin’s release resulted from discussions President Trump had with Xi Jinping during their May meeting.
- Jin was held since an October crackdown that detained about 18 Zion Church leaders on charges including “illegal use of information networks.”
- At least eight other people linked to Zion Church remain in custody and advocates are calling for their immediate release.
- Zion Church, founded in Beijing in 2007, grew online after authorities shut its physical site in 2018, and experts say the case shows China uses new internet rules to target unregistered house churches.