David Lin, an American pastor from California, has been released after being detained in China for almost two decades.
Lin’s daughter told Politico, “No words can express the joy we have — we have a lot of time to make up for.”
“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,” Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters, according to the Associated Press.
“We’ll continue to push the release of other Americans,” he said. “It’s something that we continue to work on. It’s an important step forward, and we’re going to continue to push for the release of other Americans.”
The pastor, 68 years old, was arrested in 2009 for “contract fraud” and sentenced to life in prison after providing assistance to a house church not authorized by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) said he was “extremely glad” to hear of Lin’s release.
“His capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world. However, Kai Li and Texan Mark Swidan still remain CCP prisoners—and must be freed now,” McCaul said.
