Ezra Jin Mingri, the founder of the prominent underground Zion Church, has arrived in the United States after being released from prison in China. Jin landed in Los Angeles on Friday evening, where he was reunited with his family. His relatives expressed that they are overwhelmed with joy following his return.
Jin was detained in October as part of one of the largest crackdowns on a single church in decades, which saw him and 17 other church leaders arrested. He had been held on charges relating to the illegal use of information networks, a result of the growing popularity of his religious movement.
The release occurred less than two months after US President Donald Trump raised Jin's case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to Beijing. His family hailed the move as a hopeful sign for religious freedom.