Both chambers approved resolutions calling for the release of faith leaders and others currently imprisoned by Beijing.
The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate on Wednesday passed resolutions urging President Donald Trump to confront Chinese leader Xi Jinping on political prisoners currently held in state custody by China.
The House measure passed in a 414–0 vote.
H.Res. 1259, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), cochair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, names five individuals who he said were “unfairly punished” by Beijing for exercising freedom of speech and religion.
“Shamefully, the People’s Republic of China currently detains thousands of political and religious prisoners, which include American citizens and the family members of U.S. nationals,” Smith previously told The Epoch Times.
He said the resolution calls out the Chinese regime’s “abysmal record of human rights abuses and arbitrary detentions” and urges Trump to raise these concerns at the upcoming meeting.
The five individuals named in the House resolution include Pastor Jin Mingri; Pastor Gao Quanfu and his wife, Pang Yu; Jimmy Lai; and Dr. Gulshan Abbas.
In May last year, Gao, pastor and founder of a house church called Light of Zion Church, was detained at his home and accused of “using superstitious activities to undermine the implementation of law,” his son Gao Pu told The Epoch Times.
Two months later, his wife, Pang, another church leader, was also detained. The resolution notes that she has since been “denied access to critical prescription medication.”
In October 2025, Jin, founder of another house church known as Zion Church, was detained at his home as part of a broader operation by Chinese authorities that also led to the detention of nearly 30 pastors and church members.
Abbas has been imprisoned for nearly 3,000 days, and her detention is widely believed to be linked to her sister Rushan Abbas’s human rights advocacy activities in the United States.
The Senate also passed a measure calling on Trump to prioritize the release of the five individuals named in the House resolution.
By Joseph Lord
