Ezra Jin to Receive Lantos Human Rights Prize on Anniversary of China Detention

Ezra Jin Mingri, founder of the unregistered Zion Church in Beijing, will be presented with the 2026 Lantos Human Rights Prize, a year after the Chinese Communist Party launched a sweeping crackdown on the congregation. Jin endured a nine-month imprisonment before being released to the United States in July as a goodwill gesture from President Xi Jinping. He plans to leverage the award to highlight the plight of eight still-imprisoned Zion Church leaders—Gao Yingjia, Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Wang Zhong, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng and Wu Qiuyu—and the broader repression of believers in China.

Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation, praised Jin’s courage and faith. Jin affirmed his commitment to advocate for religious freedom until his fellow believers are freed and reunited with their families.