Oklahoma – U.S. Sen. James Lankford welcomed the release of Pastor Ezra Jin from a Chinese prison, saying no one should be jailed for practicing their faith and calling on the Chinese Communist Party to free others who remain imprisoned for their religious beliefs.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Lankford said Pastor Ezra Jin had spent nearly nine months in a communist prison for leading a church before returning home to the United States.
“Pastor Ezra Jin spent nearly nine months in a communist prison for leading a church. Now he is free and home in America. Thank you, @POTUS! The CCP should release every person still imprisoned for their faith. No one should be imprisoned for living out their faith,” Lankford wrote.
Lankford’s comments came days after multiple news outlets reported that Pastor Ezra Jin, also known as Jin Mingri, had been released by Chinese authorities and reunited with his family in Los Angeles after nearly nine months in detention. His release followed diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration, with President Donald Trump publicly confirming that he had raised Jin’s case during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May.
According to the Associated Press and Reuters, Jin was one of 18 leaders of Beijing’s underground Zion Church who were detained during a large-scale crackdown on unregistered Christian churches in October 2025. Chinese authorities initially accused the group of illegally using information networks, while later reports indicated some members also faced other criminal allegations.
Jin arrived in Los Angeles on July 4, where he reunited with his wife and children after years of separation. His family and religious freedom advocates described the release as unexpected and credited sustained diplomatic engagement by U.S. officials.
Despite Jin’s release, several members of Zion Church remain in detention. Rights organizations, including ChinaAid and other religious freedom advocates, have continued urging Chinese authorities to release those still imprisoned and to end restrictions on independent religious groups operating outside the state’s officially recognized church system.
China’s government requires many religious organizations to register with state-approved bodies, while unregistered “house churches” such as Zion Church have faced increasing scrutiny in recent years. Human rights organizations have argued that authorities have expanded enforcement actions against independent Christian congregations as part of broader efforts to tighten control over religious activity, according to The Guardian.
Lankford, who has frequently advocated for international religious freedom during his time in the Senate, said Jin’s release was welcome news but stressed that more work remains.
“The CCP should release every person still imprisoned for their faith,” the Oklahoma senator said, reiterating his position that individuals should never face imprisonment simply for practicing their religion.
The release of Pastor Ezra Jin has been welcomed by lawmakers from both parties and religious freedom advocates, who continue to call for the release of additional detainees and greater protections for freedom of religion in China.
"No one should be imprisoned for living out their faith," Oklahoma Sen. Lankford thanks President Trump after pastor imprisoned for nearly nine months is released
