China on Sunday released American pastor David Lin, who has been imprisoned since 2006 in what the State Department has called unjust detention.
The pastor, now 68, was formally arrested in 2009 for “contract fraud” and sentenced to life in prison after allegedly helping an unauthorized house church. His sentence was later reduced and he was scheduled to be released in April 2030.
According to China Aid, a US-based Chinese rights group founded to help persecuted activists, Lin had been travelling to China since the 1990s to do missionary work.
American pastor David Lin has been imprisoned and detained in China since 2006. Lin's family fears for his health. (Photo provided by FreePastorLin.com)
US MUST BRING BACK AMERICAN PASTOR DAVID LIN FROM CHINA
Lin reportedly applied for a license through the Chinese government to organize a Christian ministry, but the application is believed to have been denied.
House churches are congregations in China that have not been approved by the Chinese government but are apparently gaining ground across the country despite government crackdowns, according to Christian websites.
In 2019, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) warned that it suspected Lin was being persecuted in prison because of his faith and expressed concern for his safety and health.
“Prior to his imprisonment, Pastor Lin was an active member of Beijing’s house church movement, which has long faced hostility from Chinese authorities,” USCIRF said in a 2019 statement. “House churches are independent of state-sponsored religious organizations, and those who participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest, and harsh sentences.”
FAMILIES OF US CITIZENS DETAINED IN CHINA DEMAND BIDEN SECURE THEIR RELEASE: 'LET'S PUT THESE AMERICANS FIRST'
Pastor David Lin and his daughter, Alice, in 1984. (Photo provided by FreePastorLin.com)
The State Department did not respond to specific questions from Fox News Digital about Lin's release, but instead said: “We welcome the release of David Lin from prison in the People's Republic of China.”
“He has returned to the United States and will now be able to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years,” the spokesman added.
Reports show the Biden administration has been trying to secure Lin's release for years, including in July when Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Chinese Communist Party foreign policy chief Wang Yi during their bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 13, 2023. (Dita Alangkara/Pool via Reuters)
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The administration, U.S. human rights groups and lawmakers in Congress continue to call for the release of other Americans still unjustly detained in China, including businessman Kai Li, who is being held on alleged espionage-related charges, and Mark Swidan, who was convicted on drug charges.
Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt have also been “unjustly imprisoned” on alleged drug-related charges, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a U.S.-based human rights group that focuses on political prisoners and other at-risk detainees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
