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Confronting Religious Persecution at the IRF Summit

Feb. 10Stories That Demand Action:

Last week I spoke on a panel at the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit in Washington, D.C.—a global gathering that brings together advocates, policymakers, and legal experts from around the world who are on the front lines of defending religious freedom. The Summit provides a rare forum to share firsthand experiences, expose ongoing...More

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Save Christians From Murder in Congo

Save Christians From Murder in...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has once again become the site of unspeakable violence , with Christian communities being targeted by terrorists and militant forces. On February 15, over 70 Christians – primarily women, children, and the elderly – were added to the list of victims when they were abducted...More

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John Cao

We are pleased to announce that Pastor John Cao has finally been released from prison in China. He has completed serving a seven-year sentence after being wrongfully convicted for simply living out his Christian faith.

We have represented his family throughout most of this horrific situation. As we have previously reported:

Pastor Cao is a U.S. permanent resident residing in North Carolina, but he is currently languishing behind the bars of a Chinese prison, unfairly serving a 7-year sentence for his faith.

Pastor Cao devoted his life to serving the poor communities of China and Burma (Myanmar), providing supplies, building schools, and sharing the love of Christ. Now he is imprisoned as part of China’s ongoing crackdown against Christian pastors and churches.

For over five years, we have worked tirelessly to achieve justice for Pastor Cao. We worked with the State Department and Congress, filing multiple reports, and presented oral interventions on Pastor Cao’s behalf at the United Nations.

We filed a complaint with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and received a favorable opinion, confirming that Pastor Cao was indeed arbitrarily detained and should be released immediately.

Although it has been a long journey, we are so pleased that Pastor Cao has now been reunited with his family in China. We will continue our work to see Pastor Cao return home to be reunited with his family in the United States. Please continue to pray for Pastor Cao and his entire family that the Lord will continue to protect and uphold them and that Pastor Cao will be able to return home soon.

This is a tremendous victory this Holy Week, but so many innocent Christians still face false imprisonment and torment for their faith. We will continue working to defend the persecuted. Stand with us.

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Jordan Sekulow  //

Oct 15, 2025

China has launched a sweeping and unprecedented crackdown on Christians, targeting Pastor Ezra Jin , founder of Zion Church, and dozens of church leaders and members. Zion Church is a large “underground house...

CeCe Heil  //

Aug 29, 2022

We continue to use our international resources to press for the release of Pastor John Cao, a U.S. permanent resident being wrongfully imprisoned in China for his Christian faith and humanitarian work. The...

CeCe Heil  //

Jul 29, 2022

On July 19, 2022, President Biden issued an “ Executive Order on Bolstering Efforts to Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home .” The order declares that the wrongful detention of...