Source: www.worthynews.com
Date: October 13, 2026
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – A Chinese pastor who spent nearly nine months behind bars for leading one of China’s largest underground Protestant churches will receive a prestigious human rights award named after the late Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor to serve in the U.S. Congress, organizers announced.
Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, who is now campaigning for the release of eight fellow Christians still imprisoned in China, will receive the 2026 Lantos Human Rights Prize on December 10 in Washington, Worthy News learned Sunday.
The Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice said the award recognizes Jin’s courage in defending religious freedom despite years of pressure from Chinese authorities and his recent imprisonment during a sweeping crackdown on his Beijing-based Zion Church.
The award honors the legacy of Lantos, who was born into a Jewish family in Budapest, Hungary, in 1928, survived Nazi persecution during World War Two and later became a Democratic congressman from California.
As a teenager, Lantos escaped a Nazi-era forced labor camp and found refuge in a safe house protected by Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who helped save thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust.
CHINESE CHURCH CRACKDOWN
Lantos told a Worthy News reporter years ago that he remained concerned about Hungary’s role in the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, and the persistence of antisemitism.
His own experiences shaped his lifelong commitment to defending people facing persecution, a mission continued by the foundation established in his memory following his death in 2008.
The decision by the foundation named after him to honor a Christian pastor came a year after Chinese authorities launched a sweeping crackdown on Zion Church, detaining nearly 30 pastors, preachers and church members across more than 10 cities in October 2025.
Jin, who founded Zion Church in 2007, spent 266 days in detention before being released to the United States on July 3, 2026, following diplomatic intervention by US President Donald J. Trump.
The pastor said he was grateful for the recognition but remained deeply concerned about eight fellow church leaders who were still imprisoned.
EIGHT CHRISTIANS DETAINED
“The Chinese Communist Party has targeted my church community and so many other communities, spanning many different faith and belief traditions,” Jin said in published remarks.
“It is vital for people around the world to come together to advocate for greater religious freedom for the people of China; this right is fundamental to any peaceful and just society,” he added.
Jin identified the eight detained Christians as Gao Yingjia, Wang Lin, Yin Huibin, Wang Zhong, Wang Cong, Liu Zhenbin, Lin Shucheng and Wu Qiuyu.
“I am especially focused on advocating for the release of eight of my brothers and sisters from Zion Church, who remain unjustly imprisoned,” he stressed.
“I will not rest from speaking out until they are free and reunited with their loved ones.”
FAITH UNDER PRESSURE
The pastor has also spoken about his own imprisonment, describing how passages from the Bible sustained him during months of isolation.
Jin recalled how he believed the Holy Spirit brought Scripture to his mind during his confinement, strengthening his faith despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.
Zion Church became one of China’s largest unregistered Protestant church networks after Jin established it in Beijing in 2007.
The congregation faced increasing government pressure in 2018 after refusing to install facial recognition cameras inside its sanctuary.
Authorities subsequently closed its main worship facility, forcing members to gather in homes, hotels, outdoor locations and online.
The October 2025 crackdown marked a significant escalation, with Chinese authorities detaining church leaders across multiple cities in one of the largest coordinated operations against an urban Protestant house church network in decades, according to religious freedom advocates.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONCERNS
China’s government maintains that religious activities must comply with national laws and regulations, including registration and oversight requirements.
However, human rights organizations say these restrictions have increasingly been used to suppress independent Christian congregations.
Human Rights Watch and other advocacy organizations have documented continued pressure on unregistered Protestant churches, including arrests, surveillance and restrictions on worship.
Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Lantos Foundation and daughter of the late congressman, praised Jin’s courage and determination. She said the pastor “has inspired people throughout the world with his unyielding courage and unshakeable faith in the face of persecution.”
“He may not have set out to become a powerful advocate for the foundational right of freedom of belief, but he rose to the occasion when called upon,” she added.
HUMAN RIGHTS LEGACY
The Lantos Foundation was established in 2008 to honor the late congressman’s commitment to human rights. Previous recipients of its annual human rights prize include Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, former U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, author Ayaan Hirsi Ali and the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader.
For Jin, the award represents another opportunity to draw international attention to Christians who remain imprisoned in China.
Despite his experience behind bars, he has expressed hope that the persecution facing Chinese Christians will eventually give way to what he described as “an enormous revival.”
China has an estimated 96.7 million Christians, representing about 6.8 percent of its population, according to Christian advocacy group Open Doors, although some estimates put the figure as high as 130 million.
The country ranks 17th on the organization’s 2026 World Watch List of 50 countries where it says Christians face the most severe persecution.