China frees US pastor after nearly 20 years of wrongful detainment

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China on Sunday released U.S. pastor David Lin, who has been in jail since 2006 in what the State Department has deemed was a wrongful detainment.

The now 68-year-old pastor was formally arrested in 2009 for "contract fraud" and sentenced to life in prison after allegedly aiding a non-government sanctioned house church. His sentence was later reduced and he was set to be released in April 2030.

According to a U.S.-based China advocacy group, China Aid, which was founded to assist persecuted activists, Lin had been traveling to China since the 1990s for missionary work.

THE US MUST BRING IMPRISONED AMERICAN PASTOR DAVID LIN HOME FROM CHINA

Lin reportedly applied for a license through the Chinese government to organize a Christian ministry, but the request is believed to have been denied.

House churches are congregations in China that have not been approved by the Chinese government, but are reportedly picking up traction across the country despite government crackdowns, according to Christian websites.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2019 warned that it suspected Lin was being targeted in prison due to his faith, and voiced concern over his safety and health.

"Before his imprisonment, Pastor Lin was active in Beijing’s house church movement, which has long-faced hostility from Chinese authorities," the USCIRF said in a 2019 statement.