Ezra Jin, the founder of one of China’s most prominent underground churches, has been released from prison and reunited with his family in the United States. Jin’s daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, expressed the family’s joy and gratitude, thanking God and US President Donald Trump for his administration’s efforts in securing her father’s release.
Background
Jin founded Zion Church in Beijing in 2007, but as a crackdown on unregistered churches intensified in 2018, he and his family moved to the US. However, Jin returned to China and was later barred from leaving the country. His daughter previously lost contact with him in October last year, prompting calls for the Trump administration to help secure his release.
Human rights groups welcomed Jin’s return but called on the Trump administration to do more, urging Chinese authorities to release other church members in detention. Rev. Dr. Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, an advocacy group promoting religious freedom in China, called Jin’s release ‘a tremendous victory’ and urged the Trump administration to continue making religious freedom a top priority in every engagement with Beijing.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
