søndag 5. juli 2026

China releases underground church pastor after months in detention

The founder of a prominent underground church in China has been released after months in detention, his family and a Christian rights group said. ChinaAid said Pastor Jin Mingri, also known by his English name Ezra Jin, landed in Los Angeles on July 4 after being held in detention centres in the southern Chinese city of Beihai since October.“ ChinaAid welcomes with profound gratitude the release of imprisoned Chinese house church pastor Ezra Jin, who arrived safely in Los Angeles on July 4, 2026,” the group said in a statement on Sunday.

Jin founded Zion Church in Beijing in 2007 and became one of the most recognisable figures in China’s underground Christian movement. The Zion Church is among the largest underground or house churches in China that are unregistered with authorities. They defy a requirement that believers worship only in registered congregations.