S.Res. 728

[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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