Pastor Ezra Jin Honored for Defending Religious Freedom After Imprisonment in China

Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri will receive the 2026 Lantos Human Rights Prize in recognition of his advocacy for religious freedom following months of imprisonment in China.

The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice announced the honor as Zion Church marks one year since Chinese Communist Party authorities launched a sweeping operation against its leaders in October 2025. Jin, who founded the prominent unregistered Protestant network in 2007, spent 266 days in detention before being released to the United States on July 3.

Although now free, Jin said his attention remains fixed on eight Zion Church leaders who are still being held by Chinese authorities.

“I will not rest from speaking out until they are free and reunited with their loved ones,” Jin said in a statement. He expressed hope that the award would draw greater international attention to the persecution confronting Christians and other religious communities across China.

Zion Church has faced sustained pressure from the Chinese government for years. Tensions intensified in 2018 after church leaders refused to install facial-recognition cameras in their sanctuary. Authorities subsequently closed the facility, forcing members to gather online, outdoors, in private homes and in rented hotel rooms.

The pressure escalated dramatically in October 2025, when nearly 30 pastors and church members were detained across more than 10 cities. Religious-freedom observers described the campaign as China’s largest coordinated crackdown on an urban house church in more than four decades. While many detainees were later released, eight leaders reportedly remain imprisoned.

Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation, praised Jin for demonstrating “unyielding courage and unshakeable faith in the face of persecution.” She said his willingness to defend freedom of belief should inspire others to stand against religious repression.

Established in memory of Holocaust survivor and former U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, the foundation has presented its annual human rights prize since 2009. Past recipients include Elie Wiesel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Hillary Clinton and the Dalai Lama.

Since arriving in the United States, Jin has expanded his advocacy beyond Zion Church, speaking on behalf of hundreds of Christians reportedly imprisoned in China because of their faith.

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