China on Sunday released American pastor David Lin, who had been imprisoned since 2006 in what the State Department said was an unlawful detention.
The pastor, now 68, was formally arrested in 2009 on suspicion of “contract fraud” and given a life sentence for supporting unauthorized house churches. His sentence was later commuted and he was due to be released in April 2030.
According to China Aid, a US-based China advocacy group set up to help persecuted activists, Lin had been visiting China to do missionary work since the 1990s.
American pastor David Lin has been imprisoned and detained in China since 2006. Lin's family is concerned about his health. (Photo courtesy of FreePastorLin.com)
The US must bring jailed American pastor David Lin home from China
Lin has reportedly applied for permission to carry out Christian missionary work through the Chinese government, but his application is believed to have been rejected.
House churches are Chinese churches not recognized by the Chinese government but are reportedly gaining momentum across the country despite the government crackdown. Christian Websites.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) warned in 2019 that Lin was suspected of being targeted in prison because of his faith and expressed concern for his safety and wellbeing.
“Prior to his imprisonment, Pastor Lin was active in Beijing's house church movement, which has long faced hostility from Chinese authorities,” the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a statement in 2019. “House churches are independent from state-sponsored religious organizations, and people who participate in or lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest, and severe penalties.”
Family of American detained in China urges President Biden to release him: 'Put Americans first'
Rev. David Lynn and his daughter, Alice, in 1984. (Photo courtesy of FreePastorLin.com)
The State Department did not respond to specific questions about Lin's release from Fox News Digital but said it “welcomes the release of David Lin from a prison in the People's Republic of China.”
“He will return to the United States and be reunited with his family for the first time in nearly 20 years,” the spokesman added.
The Biden administration has reportedly been trying for years to secure Lin's release, most recently in July when Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Chinese Communist Party foreign policy chief Wang Yi during a bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 13, 2023. (Dita Alankara/Reuters via Pool)
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The administration, U.S. human rights groups and members of Congress continue to call for the release of other Americans still unjustly detained in China, including businessman Kai Li, who is being held on espionage-related charges, and Mark Swidan, who was convicted on drug-related charges.
Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt have also been “wrongfully imprisoned” on drug-related charges, according to the Duy Hua Foundation, a U.S. human rights group that focuses on political prisoners and other at-risk detainees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
