The release earlier this year of Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri after nine months in Chinese detention marked a significant victory for religious freedom advocates, but it has done little to change the circumstances facing Christians who refuse to submit to government control. Eight leaders of Jin’s own Zion Church remain imprisoned, while other independent congregations across China continue to face raids, surveillance, and restrictions on worship. Jin, founder of one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant churches, was arrested in October 2025 during a nationwide crackdown on Zion Church leaders and members. He was released on July 3, 2026, after U.S.