On Tuesday, September 22^nd, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), will chair a congressional 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.

                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 and Tibetan 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.

WHAT: Congressional hearing on how Congress and the Administration can press for the release of those still detained in China, protect their loved ones and the people who advocate for them, and impose consequences on those responsible for their persecution—including through the passage and enactment of the Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt Unjustly Detained in Communist China Act (HR 5491), introduced by Rep. Smith earlier this Congress.

WHEN: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 2:30 PM

WITNESSES: (Partial list)

• Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, Founder and Pastor, Zion Church
• Rushan Abbas, Founder and Executive Director, Campaign for Uyghurs
• Erping Zhang, Spokesperson for Falun Gong
• Nelson Wells Sr., Father of Detained American Citizen Nelson Wells Jr.
• Tim Hunt, Brother of Detained American Citizen Dawn Michelle Hunt

WHERE: 216 Hart Senate Office Building and livestreamed here

WHO: Co-Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman Dan Sullivan (R-AK), other members of the CECC, and witnesses

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