{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://barr.house.gov/press-releases?ID=350D6AFF-F825-40DD-9D11-8EEEA5554DF6", "Senate Passes Resolution led by Sen. Cruz, Rep. Barr, Demanding China Release Pastor Ezra Jin and Other Leaders of Zion Church", "2025-11-12", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "House", "KY", "Andy Barr", "B001282", "barr.house.gov", "barr", "https://barr.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.\u2014 Today, the U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and U.S. Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY) demanding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stop persecuting Christians and release Pastor Ezra Jin and other leaders of the Zion Church currently imprisoned in China.\n\nOn October 10, 2025, the Chinese Communist Party conducted the largest coordinated, nationwide crackdown against a Christian urban house church in over four decades. At least 22 pastors and church members from Zion Church, one of China\u2019s largest underground congregations, were arrested, including a prominent pastor and the founder of Zion Church, Pastor \u201cEzra\u201d Jin Mingri.\n\n\u201cChina needs to release Pastor Jin and stop persecuting Christians for practicing their faith. Until then, Senator Cruz and I will keep rallying our House and Senate colleagues to condemn this atrocity and hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable,\u201d said Congressman Barr, a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Select Committee on China.\n\n\u201cChristians are fighting daily for their religious freedom against the Chinese Communist Party,\u201d said Senator Cruz. \u201cLast month, the CCP carried out its largest nationwide crackdown in over four decades against a Christian house church in China. I\u2019m grateful to Senator Coons and my colleagues for standing with me to demand Pastor Jin and his congregation\u2019s release and to make clear that any government that fears faith is tyrannical.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Chinese Communist Party\u2019s campaign of repression against Christians, including the targeting of churches such as the Zion Church, is a violation of fundamental religious freedom rights,\u201d said U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). \u201cI am glad to see the resolution condemning the CCP for abducting leaders of the Christian leaders, which I co-sponsored, has passed the Senate. This sends a clear message: faith is not a crime, and the United States condemns the recent alarming arrests of church leaders by CCP authorities.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe abduction of Pastor Ezra Jin and the ongoing religious persecution against Christians in China is a tragedy and a violation to individual rights and freedoms,\u201d said U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). \u201cI strongly condemn the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s continued religious persecution of Christians, as well as believers of other faiths, and will continue to advocate for those being unfairly silenced. I\u2019m pleased the Senate passed our resolution unanimously.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Chinese Communist Party\u2019s targeting of Pastor Jin and the Zion Church is an attack on the God-given right to live out one\u2019s faith,\u201d said U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC). \u201cI\u2019m pleased the Senate passed this bipartisan resolution condemning China\u2019s persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, and I call for the immediate release of all those arrested. The United States stands with the persecuted and is committed to defending religious freedom.\u201d\n\n\u201cFaith isn\u2019t a crime. We need to call out China for once more targeting people of faith,\u201d said U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA).\n\n\u201cI\u2019m proud to see the Senate\u2019s passage of our resolution condemning the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s (CCP) brutal persecution of people of faith,\u201d said U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-FL). \u201cThe CCP\u2019s record of religious oppression, including the unjust arrest of Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri and members of the Zion Church, is evil and unacceptable. With this bipartisan action, America is making clear our commitment to defend religious freedom as a basic human right and to stand up for all who are persecuted for their faith. I\u2019ll continue working with my colleagues to hold the CCP accountable and demand the release of Pastor Jin and all those imprisoned simply for worshipping God.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe United States has led the world in religious freedom, standing against tyrannical regimes like the People\u2019s Republic of China,\u201d said U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS). \u201cWe must speak the truth about the regime\u2019s evil crackdown on Christians and other religious groups. We will not stop advocating for those living under the thumb of Xi Jinping\u2019s oppression.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:52:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://barr.house.gov/press-releases?ID=350D6AFF-F825-40DD-9D11-8EEEA5554DF6"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8633038960397243, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}