On The Senate Floor, Durbin Reflects On Meeting With Recently Freed Political Prisoner, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri

July 27, 2026 On The Senate Floor, Durbin Reflects On Meeting With Recently Freed Political Prisoner, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri Durbin also called for the release of the remaining Chinese political prisoners including eight members of Pastor Jin’s church as well as Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, and Epkar Asat WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) reflected on his meeting last week with recently freed political prisoner, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, and his daughter in his Washington, D.C office. Pastor Jin was jailed for 266 days in a Chinese prison for operating a church and at least eight of his congregants remain imprisoned. His daughter, Grace, fought tirelessly for his release. During Durbin’s speech, he called for the release of the remaining eight members of his church as well as Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, and Epkar Asat. “In our meeting, Pastor Jin told me that the prison conditions were very stark—while in jail in China, he was cut off from any communication with his family, and his lawyers were harassed and threatened as well,” Durbin said. “President Trump raised his case with Chinese President Xi, and here in the Senate, Senator Cruz and I, on a bipartisan basis, passed a resolution calling for his [Pastor Jin’s] release and the release of several other political prisoners also held in China.” Durbin continued, “I welcome the Chinese government’s release of Pastor Jin and call on them to release the remaining eight members of his church as well as the following mentioned in our Senate resolution: Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Jimmy Lai, Gao Quanfu and his wife Pang Yu, and Epkar Asat… [Releasing the remaining political prisoners] would be a welcome move before President Xi’s visit in September as there is simply no reason to fear these people who have done nothing but exercise peaceful freedom of religion and expression.” 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. Video of Durbin’s floor speech is available here . Audio of Durbin’s floor speech is available here . Footage of Durbin’s floor speech is available here for TV Stations. -30- Print Email Share Tweet