Ezra Jin, the founder of the underground Zion Church, has been released from detention in China. His family and church representatives confirmed he reached Los Angeles on Saturday. Jin had been held since October 10 on accusations related to the illegal use of information networks.
The release follows a direct appeal by US President Donald Trump to President Xi Jinping during a meeting in May. According to the advocacy group ChinaAid, Chinese officials explicitly told the pastor that his freedom was a goodwill gesture linked to the discussions between the two heads of state and the American Independence Day holiday.
Jin’s daughter, Grace, expressed gratitude for the outcome and signaled hope for improved conditions for religious communities in China. While Jin is free, the Zion Church reports that eight other members arrested during the same October sweep remain in custody.
This case occurs amid a broader trend of increased monitoring of unregistered religious groups by the Chinese government. Authorities have recently raided several churches, including the Early Rain Covenant Church in Sichuan, and removed religious symbols from sites like the Yayang church in Zhejiang. Although Zion Church was officially shuttered in 2018, it maintained an extensive digital presence that served followers across 40 cities before Jin’s recent legal challenges.
