An American pastor held in a Chinese jail for nearly two decades is finally home

By Jennifer Hansler and Nectar Gan, CNN

(CNN) — A pastor who the United States says was wrongfully detained in a Chinese prison for nearly two decades has been released, according to the State Department, ending a case that the Biden administration said was a top priority in efforts to stabilize relations with Beijing.

David Lin, 68, was detained in China in 2006 after helping to construct an unapproved church building. He was later sentenced to life in prison for contract fraud, a charge he denied.

Lin was one of three Americans deemed by the US State Department to have been wrongfully detained in China. Businessmen Kai Li and Mark Swidan are still held behind bars, on espionage and drug-related charges respectively.

“We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China,” a spokesperson for the US State Department said in a statement Sunday.

“He has returned to the United States and now gets to see his family for the first time in nearly 20 years,” the statement added.

The Biden administration has in recent years stepped up diplomatic efforts to secure the release of the three men.

American officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, have repeatedly raised the issue during their visits to China, citing it as a “top priority” to resolve their cases.

President Joe Biden also addressed the issue with Chinese leader Xi Jinping when they met in person in San Fransisco in November and spoke by phone earlier this year, according to readouts from the White House.

Lin visited China frequently in the 1990s and started to preach the Gospel there in 1999, according to ChinaAid, a US-based non-profit Christian human rights organization.

He was detained in 2006 for helping an underground “house church” build a place of worship and barred from leaving the country, according to ChinaAid.

Lin regarded his incarceration as an opportunity to share his faith with fellow prisoners and established a prayer meeting group, according to ChinaAid.

In China, many Christians used to worship in house churches, or informal gatherings independent of state-approved churches. But the Chinese government has cracked down hard on the movement in recent decades as the ruling Communist Party tightens its grip on religion, especially under Xi.

In 2009, Lin was jailed for life for contract fraud, a crime frequently used against house church leaders who raise funds to support their work, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a San Francisco-based human-rights group which advocates on behalf of detainees in China.

While in prison, Lin received several sentence reductions and was scheduled to be released in 2029, according to the Dui Hua Foundation.

Lin’s release was welcomed by some US politicians, who also called for the release of other Americans designated as wrongfully detained in China.

“I am extremely glad to hear David Lin was freed,” Rep. Michael McCaul said Sunday in a statement on social media. “However, Kai Li and Texan Mark Swidan still remain CCP prisoners — and must be freed now.”

The Bring Our Families Home Campaign, a group that represents the loved ones of Americans held abroad, said in a statement Monday it is “elated” by the news of Lin’s release and “applauds the efforts of the Biden administration in making David’s release possible.”

“Unfortunately, two other Americans — Kai Li and Mark Swidan — remain wrongfully detained in China,” the statement said. “The Campaign is pleased to see that the administration has acknowledged this but urges President Biden to back this up by acting quickly and decisively to build on the momentum of David’s release and free Kai and Mark.”

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