Beijing releases pastor after US prez raised case

Washington: Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, a leader of China’s underground Zion Church, has been released from prison and reunited with his family in Los Angeles, less than two months after US President Donald Trump raised his case with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Jin was among 18 Zion Church leaders detained in October during one of China’s biggest crackdowns on an underground church in decades. His family thanked Tru­mp and said the release w­o­u­ld not have been possible wi­thout Xi’s direct intervention.

Trump had said after his May visit to Beijing that Xi promised to “strongly consider” Jin’s case. Rights groups welcomed the release but noted that at least eight Zion Church members remain in detention.