The Faces of Repression: Prisoners, Families, and Communities Targeted by the CCP

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China will hold a hearing on people imprisoned and persecuted by the Chinese government, the families and religious communities working for their freedom, and the retaliation faced by those who speak out on their behalf. Witnesses will include Pastor Ezra Jin, who was released after more than 260 days in detention, as well as relatives of prisoners and representatives of persecuted communities.

The hearing will examine the treatment of prisoners in China, the prolonged detention of U.S. citizens, and the persecution of Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and Uyghurs. Witnesses will also discuss Beijing’s campaign to suppress Uyghur identity, including through the new Ethnic Unity Law, and the threats, surveillance, legal harassment, pressure on relatives, and online abuse directed at advocates outside China.

Pastor Jin’s release shows what direct and sustained advocacy by the President and other senior U.S. officials can accomplish. The hearing will consider how Congress and the Administration can press for the release of those still detained, protect their loved ones and the people who advocate for them, and impose consequences on those responsible for their persecution.

The hearing will be livestreamed on the CECC’s YouTube channel.