A Call to End Religious Persecution: The Case of Pastor Jin Mingri and the Inviolable Right of Conscience

In a free and just society, the liberty of conscience, to believe, worship, and live out one’s faith, stands as a pillar of human dignity. Its suppression is among the gravest violations of human rights, for it denies the individual’s inherent worth and moral agency before the Creator. Today, that fundamental freedom faces renewed assault in the People’s Republic of China.

The Case of Pastor Jin Mingri

The world’s attention is once again drawn to China’s ongoing persecution of Christian pastors and believers. Pastor Jin Mingri, also known as Ezra Jin, leader of the Zion Church, was recently detained at his home in Beihai, Guangxi Province. His arrest, along with the disappearance or detention of nearly thirty other church leaders and members from cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, represents a continuation of the Chinese government’s campaign to eradicate unregistered religious expression.

This persecution is not an isolated act of local overreach; it is a systemic suppression of conscience-driven communities who seek only to live out their faith in peace. The U.S. State Department has rightly called for Pastor Jin’s immediate release, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter given that his children are American citizens. Such a call echoes not merely a political position but a moral and legal imperative grounded in international law.

International Legal Obligations

The Chinese government is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which together articulate binding principles of freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

Article 18 of the UDHR affirms:

“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

Article 18(1) of the ICCPR reiterates the same protections and adds that no one shall be subject to coercion impairing this freedom.

China’s ongoing persecution of Christians and its criminalization of unregistered churches directly contravenes these commitments. Furthermore, the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (Article 26) binds every signatory to perform its treaty obligations in good faith (pacta sunt servanda). To violate these principles is to act in bad faith toward the community of nations and toward humanity itself.

The Moral and Jurisprudential Imperative

Religious freedom does not originate from the state; it precedes it. It is an unalienable right, endowed by the Creator, and recognized (not granted) by human law. Governments that suppress religious expression usurp a divine prerogative and violate the natural moral order upon which any legitimate rule of law depends.

The suppression of Christianity in China reflects a worldview that elevates state power above the sanctity of conscience. Such a worldview cannot coexist with liberty. History reminds us that when conscience is enslaved, tyranny soon follows. Thus, this struggle transcends politics; it is a contest between truth and coercion, between the dignity of the human person and the demands of an authoritarian state.

A Call to the Global Community

The international community, and especially those nations that profess to uphold liberty, must speak with moral clarity. Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. The detention of Pastor Jin Mingri and the broader crackdown on unregistered churches require not only diplomatic protest but sustained advocacy grounded in universal human rights.

Every voice raised on behalf of the persecuted affirms that truth cannot be imprisoned. Every action taken to secure their release honors the God-given freedom of conscience that is the foundation of a just and peaceful world.

Conclusion

As the world watches, let it be known: religious persecution is a violation of both divine and international law. The imprisonment of Pastor Jin Mingri is not merely an affront to Christianity; it is an assault upon the moral fabric of humanity. The Chinese government must release him and his fellow believers immediately, and the nations of the world must hold China accountable to its solemn commitments under international treaties.

For where freedom of conscience falls, so too does the liberty of all humankind.