Political Prisoner Spotlight: The Struggle for Pastor Ezra Jin’s Freedom in China

Days before President Donald Trump met with General Secretary Xi Jinping in Beijing, Freedom House hosted leading experts and human rights defenders to discuss the Chinese government’s escalating crackdown on religious freedom. Authorities have intensified efforts to suppress a range of religious communities—including Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians—through detention, surveillance, and sweeping controls on worship under the banner of “Sinicization.” One such community is China’s network of independent Christian congregations, which have faced growing pressure in recent years. The case of Pastor Ezra Jin—founder of Zion Church, one of China’s largest underground house churches—serves as an emblematic example. His arrest in October 2025 reflects broader patterns of repression affecting religious communities across the country. 

Featuring remarks from Grace Drexel, Pastor Jin’s daughter, the event explored the implications of these restrictions and why religious freedom—and the fate of those detained for their beliefs—should be central to US-China engagement. The event also marked the public announcement that Freedom House’s Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners has adopted Pastor Jin’s case and will urge President Trump to secure Pastor Jin's release during the coming summit. 

Speakers included:

• Ambassador Sam Brownback, Former Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom; co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit
• Grace Jin Drexel, Daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin
• Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
• Katrina Lantos Swett, President, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice; Lecturer, Tufts University; co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit
• Brian Tronic, Director, Free Them All: The Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners, Freedom House