Chinese underground church figure Jin Mingri freed from prison - BBC News

The Zion Church founder's release comes after a direct plea to Xi Jinping from Donald Trump.

Image source, Reuters/ Thomas Peter/ File PhotoImage caption, Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion church, was detained in Beijing in October 2025

Underground church leader Jin Mingri has been released from prison in China and has travelled to the US, less than two months after his incarceration was raised directly by Donald Trump.

The pastor and founder of the Zion Church had been imprisoned following overnight raids across China in October, described by Christian groups as one of the strictest crackdowns on religious activity in the country's modern history.

The Chinese government tightly controls religion and officially promotes atheism.

Jin's family thanked supporters in a statement, adding: "We truly witnessed a miracle and we are feeling so overwhelmed with joy". The Chinese foreign ministry has not officially commented on his case.