(MENAFN) The United States has called on China to release 30 leaders of one of the country’s largest underground Christian networks, who were reportedly detained in coordinated overnight raids across multiple cities over the weekend. Among those arrested was Jin Mingri, founder of the Zion Church, who was taken early Saturday after police searched his home, according to US-based non-profit ChinaAid.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which promotes atheism and tightly regulates religion, has long pressured Christians to worship in state-sanctioned churches under government-approved pastors. Some observers describe this latest crackdown as the most extensive suppression of the faith in decades. It is unclear whether the detainees have been formally charged, and Beijing has not issued any statement regarding the arrests.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the crackdown, calling it “a public challenge to the international community” and highlighting the CCP’s hostility toward Christians who worship in unregistered house churches. Former US officials Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo also criticized the detentions.

The Zion Church, founded by Jin in 2007, has grown to roughly 10,000 members across 40 cities. The church was officially banned in 2018 after refusing government demands to install security cameras. Despite ongoing pressures, the church continued to meet in small groups and distribute sermons online.

ChinaAid described the coordinated arrests as unprecedented in over four decades and compared the campaign to the harsh crackdowns of the 1980s. Jin’s wife, Liu Chunli, expressed grief and frustration over the separation, emphasizing his innocence. Several other house churches have called for the detainees’ release, while US-based church leaders warned that this crackdown may spark a renewed wave of faith and resilience among believers.

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