[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 728 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 728
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President should prioritize
securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his
wife Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Ekpar Asat detained by
the People's Republic of China during future engagements with Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 13, 2026
Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Schatz,
Mr. McConnell, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. Capito, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Ricketts,
Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Budd, Mr. Curtis, Ms. Duckworth, and Mr. Coons)
submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President should prioritize
securing the release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu and his
wife Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, and Ekpar Asat detained by
the People's Republic of China during future engagements with Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has arrested Chinese,
American, and British citizens for the peaceful expression of freedom of
speech or religion, or such acts by family members;
Whereas such arrests have been widely condemned by the international community
and human rights organizations, with repeated calls for the release of
the detainees;
Whereas, on May 17, 2025, Pastor Gao Quanfu of the Light of Zion Church in Xi'an
City was detained and is being held on charges of ``using superstitious
activities to undermine the implementation of law'' and ``fraud'';
Whereas Pastor Gao's wife, Pang Yu, who was subsequently detained on June 7,
2025, remains held despite holding no official position in the church,
and has been denied access to critical prescription medication;
Whereas, on or about October 10, 2025, authorities of the People's Republic of
China detained Pastor Jin Mingri, founder of Zion Church, along with
other church leaders, on equally dubious charges of ``illegal use of
information networks'';
Whereas Pastor Jin continues to be detained without access to critical
medications to treat diabetes or contact with family members in the
People's Republic of China and the United States;
Whereas, on November 7, 2025, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution
463, calling for the ``immediate and unconditional release of all
detained members of Zion Church, including Pastor Jin'' and for the
Government of the People's Republic of China to end ``harassment and
intimidation of the relatives of Zion church members and their
relatives'';
Whereas, in 1995, Jimmy Lai founded the Apple Daily newspaper in Hong Kong and
subsequently faced repeated harassment and arrest, including a 69 month
sentence in 2022, on dubious fraud charges that were later overturned,
and a subsequent 20-year sentence in February 2026 on dubious national
security charges;
Whereas, in December 2025, President Donald Trump said he had asked Chinese
President Xi Jinping to consider releasing Jimmy Lai;
Whereas, on December 4, 2025, House Resolution 930 (119th Congress) was
introduced commemorating Jimmy Lai and calling on authorities of the
People's Republic of China to ``immediately and unconditionally release
Jimmy Lai and all other Hong Kong pro-democracy advocates unjustly
imprisoned'';
Whereas Gulshan Abbas, a retired medical doctor and grandmother, was forcibly
disappeared on September 11, 2018, shortly after her sister, a United
States citizen, publicly criticized the treatment of Uyghurs by the
Government of the People's Republic of China;
Whereas Dr. Abbas was later sentenced to 20 years following secret proceedings
on charges that independent observers and human rights organizations
have characterized as politically motivated;
Whereas the prolonged detention of Dr. Abbas raises grave concerns regarding her
health, well-being, and access to a fair trial, as she suffers from
severe high blood pressure and osteoporosis, among other conditions;
Whereas, on July 25, 2024, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate
unanimously passed an amendment to Senate Bill 4797, 118th Congress,
restricting United States visas for ``Government officials of the
People's Republic of China about whom the Secretary of State has
credible information have been involved in the wrongful detention of
Gulshan Abbas'';
Whereas Ekpar Asat, a Uyghur entrepreneur who participated in the International
Visitor Leadership Program of the Department of State, was detained in
Urumqi on April 9, 2016, just days after returning from the United
States;
Whereas Mr. Asat was reportedly sentenced to 15 years in prison without any
publicly documented trial or transparent judicial process, suffered from
years of solitary confinement, and remains detained in Aksu prison camp,
where he continues to be denied access to legal counsel and adequate
medical care; and
Whereas addressing individual cases of arbitrary or wrongful detention has
historically been an important component of United States diplomacy,
reflects longstanding bipartisan commitments to political and religious
freedoms, and is an important factor in United States bilateral
relations: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) calls upon the President to prioritize securing the
humanitarian release of Pastor Jin Mingri, Pastor Gao Quanfu
and his wife Pang Yu, Jimmy Lai, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Ekpar Asat,
and other wrongly detained individuals on the agenda for
engagements with President Xi Jinping, including the
anticipated May 2026 summit;
(2) urges the President to seek verifiable proof of life
and access to independent legal counsel, family communication,
and medical care for such detainees; and
(3) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to defend
political and religious freedoms worldwide.
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