{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sens-cruz-merkley-colleagues-send-letter-calling-for-pressure-on-china-to-release-zion-church-members", "Sens. Cruz, Merkley, Colleagues Send Letter Calling For Pressure on China to Release Zion Church Members", "2025-11-21", "2025", "2025-11", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "Ted Cruz", "C001098", "www.cruz.senate.gov", "cruz", "https://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) led a bipartisan letter urging U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to increase pressure on Chinese authorities to immediately release Pastor \u201cEzra\u201d Jin Mingri and dozens of other Zion Church leaders who were wrongfully detained for their beliefs.\n\nExcerpts and highlights from the letter:\n\n\u201cPastor Jin, the 56-year-old founder and senior pastor of Beijing\u2019s Zion Church, was detained on October 10, 2025, along with nearly thirty other church leaders, on allegations of \u2018illegal dissemination of information online.\n\n\u201cPublic reports indicate that formal indictments may soon follow, making this a critical moment for U.S. engagement on their cases. Strong and visible advocacy from the United States can help sustain international pressure, support efforts to secure their release, and show Chinese authorities that the world is watching. We urge you to seize this moment.\n\n\u201cThe October 10 detentions represent the largest coordinated crackdown on an urban house church in four decades and underscore a troubling reality: the Chinese government is targeting people of faith simply for worshiping freely.\n\n\u201cWe commend your statement in support of Pastor Jin and the other detained Zion Church leaders on October 12. We urge you to follow up that statement with continued diplomatic engagement, to press your PRC counterparts to release Pastor Jin and the other detained church leaders, and to make clear that the United States will continue to speak out for freedom of belief and worship.\u201d\n\nThe letter is co-signed by Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Jim Justice (R-W.Va.).\n\nClick here to read the full letter.\n\nBACKGROUND\n\nOn October 10, 2025, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) 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.", 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://www.cruz.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sens-cruz-merkley-colleagues-send-letter-calling-for-pressure-on-china-to-release-zion-church-members"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6670309230685234, "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"}