WASHINGTON (AP) — Ezra Jin Mingri was inside a detention center in southern China on the morning of July 3, worrying that he would likely spend at least 15 years behind bars. The 57-year-old Chinese Christian pastor had even previously wondered whether he would live to see freedom again. In the span of 24 hours, Jin was 15 time zones away, digging into an In-N-Out hamburger in Los Angeles and watching fireworks with his family on the eve of Independence Day, marking America’s 250th anniversary.
It’s unimaginable,” the pastor told The Associated Press outside the nation’s capital. He said he was suddenly released after being held since October, then put on a plane to the U.S. after President Donald Trump raised his case with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in May.
“It’s a miracle,” Jin said this week. Jin has led one of China’s most influential underground churches, which defy government restrictions by not being registered with authorities. He is an exceptional case of a high-profile Chinese detainee going free following a U.S.
request at a time when Beijing’s leadership has only become more unyielding to foreign pressure. Chinese pastor credits Trump for his release Jin said Chinese authorities released him without forcing him to make a confession or going through a show trial, dropping the charges instead. He said he did not know if there was any deal or swap for his release and credited Trump’s “unique diplomacy.” “It has results,” the pastor said.
Trump, when leaving Beijing in May, told reporters that he brought up Jin’s case and that Xi said he would “strongly consider the pastor.” Trump also has vowed to “save our Great Christian population” worldwide. When asked about Jin’s release, the Chinese foreign ministry said the country manages religious affairs in accordance with the law. “We firmly oppose interfering in China’s internal affairs with so-called religious issues,” the ministry said.
Jin is handed new Nikes and taken on an unknown journey Jin said he was called suddenly to gather his few belongings, including a Bible, on July 3. He was handed new clothes and a new pair of Nike shoes. He was told he was being moved from the detention center in the southern city of Beihai, where he had been locked up for 266 days.
Summary from source