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

Freedom in China

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Thursday, May 7, 2026

10:00–11:00 AM ET

Virtual Event (Zoom)

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Days before President Donald Trump meets with General Secretary Xi Jinping in Beijing, Freedom House will host 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 will explore 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 will also mark the public announcement that Freedom House’s Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners

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has adopted Pastor Jin’s case and will urge President Trump to secure Pastor Jin's release during the coming summit.

Speakers include:

Ambassador Sam Brownback, Chairman, National Committee for Religious Freedom

Grace Jin Drexel, Daughter of Pastor Ezra Jin

Katrina Lantos Swett, President, Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice; Lecturer, Tufts University

Brian Tronic, Director, Free Them All: The Fred Hiatt Program to Free Political Prisoners, Freedom House

Additional speakers to be announced.



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