Ezra Jin Mingri calls on Trump to free prisoners of conscience

Ezra Jin Mingri, a pastor and founder of an underground church, called for the release of individuals imprisoned for their religious beliefs during a Congressional-Executive Commission on China hearing on Sept. 22. Jin, a former prisoner of conscience who was recently reunited with his family in the United States, asked members of Congress to maintain attention on religious persecution and human rights.

Speaking with his daughter, Grace Jin Drexel, acting as translator, Jin expressed concern for 8 fellow church leaders who remain in prison. The testimony comes as President Donald Trump prepares to host President Xi Jinping for a state visit in Washington. Advocates have urged the president to use the meeting to push for the release of political and religious prisoners, including Jimmy Lai, a Catholic pro-democracy campaigner in Hong Kong currently serving a 20-year sentence.