MIRACLE RELEASE: China Frees Jailed US Pastor After Nearly Two Decades
By Yangchen Lhamu
DHARAMSALA, 17 Sept: American Pastor David Lin has been freed from a Chinese prison after nearly two decades of imprisonment and has now returned to the United States, the State Department confirmed on Monday. This marks a significant breakthrough in US-China relations. Wrongfully detained since 2006, Lin’s release was a top priority for the Biden administration, according to the State Department. This development relieves Lin’s family and could signal a relief in tensions between the two nations.
The 68-year-old American Pastor spent 18 agonising years behind bars in China. His crime? Building a church without government approval. In 2006, his humanitarian efforts led to his detention and a life sentence on charges of contract fraud, a charge he denied. His detention had ignited widespread advocacy efforts, including from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.
According to ChinaAid, an international Christian non-profit organisation that promotes religious freedom in China, Lin frequently visited China in the 1990s to spread Christianity. He sought official permission to carry out ministry work but was likely never granted the necessary license.
He was detained in 2006 for aiding an unauthorised church and later sentenced to life in prison in 2009 for contract fraud, a charge he consistently denied.
China has strict rules for Christian churches. Essentially all churches must pledge loyalty to the Communist Party and register with the Government. Those that don’t comply are considered ‘underground churches’ and are illegal. The Dui Hua Foundation, which advocates for prisoners in China, notes that individuals leading or participating in churches unapproved by the Government often face intimidation, harassment, and lengthy prison terms. The Chinese Government has strictly controlled and punished unauthorised religious activities, and this crackdown has gotten tougher in recent years.
Lin’s release was accelerated amid concerns over his declining health and safety, raised by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in 2019, ahead of his scheduled 2030 release. China’s Foreign Ministry hasn’t commented on David Lin’s release, but concerns remain about other detained Americans. Businessman Kai Li and Mark Swidan are still held on disputed espionage and drug charges. The US Government considers these wrongful detentions.
Congressman Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for their immediate release, describing Lin’s long imprisonment as part of a “rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world.”
Family members of those detained will testify at a Congressional hearing this week. The US President Joe Biden’s administration had been constantly working for years to secure the release of Lin and other Americans wrongfully detained in China, raising these cases during diplomatic meetings with senior Chinese officials.
