IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 861 
Expressing condemnation of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of 
religious minority groups, including Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists 
and the detention of Pastor ‘‘Ezra’’ Jin Mingri and leaders of the 
Zion Church, and reaffirming the United States’ global commitment 
to promote religious freedom and tolerance. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 7, 2025 
Mr. BARR (for himself and Mr. MOOLENAAR) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing condemnation of the Chinese Communist Party’s 
persecution of religious minority groups, including Chris-
tians, Muslims, and Buddhists and the detention of Pas-
tor ‘‘Ezra’’ Jin Mingri and leaders of the Zion Church, 
and reaffirming the United States’ global commitment 
to promote religious freedom and tolerance. 
Whereas, on October 10, 2025, international news outlets re-
ported that the Chinese Communist Party (referred to in 
this preamble as the ‘‘CCP’’) abducted Pastor ‘‘Ezra’’ 
Jin Mingri, who is the founder of Beijing Zion Church, 
from his home in Guangxi Province, China; 
Whereas CCP authorities also abducted more than 20 other 
pastors and church members from Zion Church; 
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•HRES 861 IH 
Whereas the CCP’s actions mark the largest coordinated, na-
tionwide crackdown against a Christian urban house 
church in more than 40 years; 
Whereas thousands of Zion Church members and millions of 
Christians and other religious adherents who reside in 
the People’s Republic of China seek to peacefully worship 
God and care for their neighbors without the threat or 
fear of persecution; 
Whereas the imprisonment of Pastor Jin is the latest in-
stance of CCP persecution of a large number of religious 
minorities, including Christians, Muslim Uyghurs, Hui 
Muslims, and Tibetan Buddhists; 
Whereas, in 2016, President Xi Jinping promised to 
‘‘Sinicize’’ religion in China by allowing authorities to 
burn Bibles, imprison believers, and tear down Christian 
crosses, and by forcing religious organizations and adher-
ents to conform to the ideology of the CCP; 
Whereas, in 2021, the Trump administration determined the 
CCP had committed crimes against humanity and geno-
cide against predominately Muslim Uyghurs and other 
members of ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang 
and that the CCP has continued to subject religious mi-
norities to restrictions on religious practices and freedom 
of expression, arbitrary imprisonment, forced sterilization 
torture, and forced labor; 
Whereas the CCP has made consistent efforts to erode the 
religious, linguistic, and cultural identity of Tibetans, in-
cluding by closing Buddhist monasteries and limiting 
entry or practitioners; 
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•HRES 861 IH 
Whereas Congress unanimously passed the International Reli-
gious Freedom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–292), which 
established, as the official policy of the United States— 
(1) to condemn violations of religious freedom; 
(2) to promote, and assist other governments in the 
promotion of, the fundamental right to freedom of reli-
gion; 
(3) to stand for liberty and with the persecuted; 
(4) to use and implement appropriate tools in the 
United States foreign policy apparatus, including diplo-
matic, political, commercial, charitable, educational, and 
cultural channels; and 
(5) to promote respect for religious freedom by all 
governments and peoples; 
Whereas, under the International Religious Freedom Act of 
1998, the United States Commission on International 
Religious Freedom has designated the People’s Republic 
of China as a ‘‘country of particular concern for religious 
freedom’’ every year since 1999; 
Whereas Congress unanimously passed the Frank R. Wolf 
International Religious Freedom Act (Public Law 114– 
281) in 2016 to enhance the capabilities of the United 
States to advance religious liberty globally through diplo-
macy, training, counterterrorism, and foreign assistance; 
Whereas the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability 
Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114–328), en-
acted by Congress in 2016, gives the President the au-
thority to impose targeted sanctions on individuals re-
sponsible for committing human rights violations; 
Whereas the People’s Republic of China is a signatory to the 
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, done at Paris 
December 10, 1948, and the International Covenant on 
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•HRES 861 IH 
Civil and Political Rights, done at New York December 
19, 1966, which recognize freedom of religion as a funda-
mental human right; 
Whereas Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Re-
public of China explicitly states that citizens of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religious belief; 
and 
Whereas the United States must show strong international 
leadership when it comes to the advancement of religious 
freedoms, liberties, and protections: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) strongly condemns the Chinese Communist 
Party’s persecution of religious minorities, including 
Pastor ‘‘Ezra’’ Jin Mingri and other leaders and 
members of Zion Church and other faith commu-
nities; 
(2) reaffirms the commitment of the United 
States to promote religious freedom and tolerance 
around the world and to help provide protection and 
relief to religious minorities facing persecution and 
violence; 
(3) calls on the Government of the People’s Re-
public of China to release the members of Zion 
Church, including Pastor Jin, and all other wrong-
fully detained religious leaders; and 
(4) demands that the Government of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China— 
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•HRES 861 IH 
(A) respect the internationally recognized 
human right to freedom from religious persecu-
tion; and 
(B) end all forms of violence and discrimi-
nation against religious minorities and entities. 
Æ 
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