Current:Home > Contact-usAn American pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released-InfoLens
An American pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released
View Date:2024-12-23 16:47:33
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Christian pastor from California has been freed from China after nearly 20 years behind bars and is back home in the U.S., the State Department said Monday.
David Lin, 68, was detained after he entered China in 2006, later convicted of contract fraud and sentenced to life in prison, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and advocacy groups.
“We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China. He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years,” the State Department said.
Lin frequently traveled to China in the 1990s to spread the gospel, according to China Aid, an U.S.-based advocacy group for persecuted activists in China. The group said Lin sought a license from the Chinese government to carry out Christian ministry. It’s unlikely he was granted permission, and he was detained in 2006 when assisting an underground church, China Aid said.
Lin was formally arrested in 2009 on suspicion of contract fraud and, after a court review, was sentenced to life in prison, China Aid said.
The charge is frequently used against leaders in the house church movement, which operates outside state-sponsored faith groups, and is a crime that Lin denied, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a humanitarian group that advocates for prisoners in China. The commission on religious freedom says “those who participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest and harsh sentences.”
In China, all Christian churches must pledge loyalty to the ruling Communist Party and register with the government. Any unregistered church is considered an underground church, and its activities are considered unlawful in China. Beijing has always cracked down on “unlawful preaching,” and efforts have only intensified in the past decade.
Lin’s sentence had been reduced and he had been due for release in April 2030. The commission on religious freedom noted in 2019 that there were reports Lin was in declining health and faced possible threats to his safety in prison.
The Chinese foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about Lin’s release.
It comes after national security adviser Jake Sullivan visited China late last month, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials, in a bid to keep communication open as tensions have increased between U.S. and China.
Other Americans known to remain detained in China include Mark Swidan, who was sentenced on drug charges, and Kai Li, a businessman who is being held on espionage-related charges that his family says are bogus.
Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he was “extremely glad” Lin was released after 17 years behind bars in China and called for Li and Swidan to be freed immediately.
Lin’s “capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world,” McCaul said on the social platform X.
___
Associated Press writer Courtney Bonnell contributed from Washington.
veryGood! (52)
Related
- Former North Carolina labor commissioner becomes hospital group’s CEO
- Stocks rally again. Dow and S&P 500 see best week this year after big Republican win
- Chinese national jailed on charges that he tried to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate
- Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia sues NCAA over eligibility limits for former JUCO players
- Skiing legend Lindsey Vonn ends retirement, plans to return to competition
- HBO Addresses Euphoria Cancellation Rumors Ahead of Season 3
- Messi, Inter Miami 'keeping calm' before decisive MLS playoff game vs. Atlanta United
- Ella Emhoff Slams Rumors She's Been Hospitalized For a Mental Breakdown
- Tua Tagovailoa playing with confidence as Miami Dolphins hope MNF win can spark run
- Pete Holmes, Judy Greer on their tears and nerves before 'The Best Christmas Pageant Ever'
Ranking
- Congress heard more testimony about UFOs: Here are the biggest revelations
- Haul out the holly! Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree arrives in New York City
- How Ariana Grande Channeled Wizard of Oz's Dorothy at Wicked's Los Angeles Premiere
- NASA says Starliner astronauts Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore 'in good health' on ISS
- Tom Brady Admits He Screwed Up as a Dad to Kids With Bridget Moynahan and Gisele Bündchen
- Chinese national jailed on charges that he tried to enter Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate
- Levi Strauss heir Daniel Lurie pledges to make San Francisco safer as mayor
- The Best Lipstick, Lip Gloss & Lip Stain for Every Zodiac Sign
Recommendation
-
The White Stripes drop lawsuit against Donald Trump over 'Seven Nation Army' use
-
Judith Jamison, transcendent dancer and artistic director of Alvin Ailey company, dies at 81
-
How Kristin Chenoweth Encouraged Ariana Grade to Make Wicked Her Own
-
New LA police chief sworn in as one of the highest-paid chiefs in the US
-
Indiana in the top five of the College Football Playoff rankings? You've got to be kidding
-
Woman charged with murder in disappearance of roommate, who was last seen Christmas Day 2022
-
Gender identity question, ethnicity option among new additions being added to US Census
-
Georgia governor declares emergency in 23 counties inundated with heavy rain and flooding