Pastor Jin Released to US After Trump-Xi Discussions

Pastor Ezra Jin, founder of the prominent underground Zion Church, has been released from detention in China and reunited with his family in the United States, arriving in Los Angeles on Saturday. Jin was among 18 church leaders arrested in October and charged with 'illegally using information networks.'

ChinaAid, a Christian NGO, welcomed the release, calling it a 'miracle' and thanking President Trump and his administration for their leadership. Jin's release is seen as a rare instance of China releasing a citizen following U.S. lobbying. President Trump had raised Jin's case with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing, with Xi reportedly considering the release.

Jin's wife and children, who are in the U.S., had appealed to the U.S. government and President Trump directly for his release. His daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, testified before Congress in November. While celebrating Jin's freedom, ChinaAid emphasized that many other prisoners of conscience remain unjustly imprisoned in China and urged continued prioritization of religious freedom in engagements with Beijing.