Daughter of Detained Chinese Pastor Urges U.S. Lawmakers to Press for Release as 18 Zion Church Leaders Face Charges

Grace Jin Drexel urged U.S. lawmakers to press for the release of her father, Ezra Jin Mingri, after he and 17 other leaders of the unregistered Zion Church were detained in October and have now been formally charged. The group faces accusations of "illegally using information networks," a charge supporters say stems from the church’s online outreach; convictions could carry up to three years in prison.

Testimony on Capitol Hill

Speaking to the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Jin Drexel described Zion Church as a congregation founded to worship freely. She said members were repeatedly "harassed, threatened and interrogated," and that the church was targeted after refusing to install surveillance technology in its sanctuary.

"My father started Zion in order to worship freely in a church that put God as the sole head of our church," Jin Drexel said. "They merely ask to be free from the control of the Chinese Communist Party."

Charges and international response

Human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) says the 18 leaders are being held in Beihai, in China’s Guangxi region, and were charged with illegally using information networks. The charge appears related to the church’s use of the internet and an online–offline model that at times reached thousands of people per day. If convicted, leaders could face sentences of up to three years.

Sen. Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials have called for the release of the detained leaders. A White House official speaking on background said the president is aware of the detentions and that the administration "will always champion religious freedom around the world." The Chinese foreign ministry has said it manages religious affairs under Chinese law and opposes foreign interference.

Broader context

Independent Christian congregations in China have faced increasing pressure over the past decade: crosses removed, Bibles seized or burned, church buildings closed, and activists or leaders restricted from travel. Zion Church, founded in Beijing in 2007, grew rapidly and was targeted in 2018 after its leaders refused to install facial-recognition cameras; authorities closed church buildings and seized assets then, and Ezra Jin Mingri was placed under a travel ban.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers linked the Zion Church case to broader concerns about religious freedom worldwide. Rep. Chris Smith and former U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom Sam Brownback urged stronger U.S. attention to religious persecution, with Brownback arguing that religious freedom should be treated as a national security priority.

This case arrives as U.S. officials also debate actions related to violence and religious persecution in other countries, notably Nigeria, where officials have raised alarms about attacks on schools and places of worship. Lawmakers said such international examples underscore the importance of sustained diplomatic pressure and human rights advocacy.