Durbin Meets With Recently Freed Chinese Political Prisoner, Pastor Jin Mingri

July 23, 2026 Durbin Meets With Recently Freed Chinese Political Prisoner, Pastor Jin Mingri Durbin’s Senate-passed resolution urged President Trump to prioritize securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri during his trip to China in May WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with recently freed Chinese political prisoner, Pastor Jin Mingri, in his Washington D.C. office. Durbin has repeatedly called for Pastor Jin Mingri’s release and introduced a bipartisan resolution with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) urging President Trump to prioritize securing the release of political prisoners, including Pastor Jin Mingri, during the President’s recent visit to China. The resolution passed the Senate in May. “Pastor Jin Mingri has fought tirelessly for freedom of religion and democracy amidst the oppressive Chinese government,” said Durbin. “I’ve called for his release for some time— and am thrilled it finally has become a reality, and that we had the opportunity to meet in my office today. It is also long overdue that the remaining eight jailed members of his church as well as Gulshan Abbas, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu, and Pang Yu are released.” Photos of the meeting can be found here . In March, Durbin spoke on the Senate floor highlighting various political prisoner cases and calling for their release. -30- Print Email Share Tweet