Orange County Pastor, David Lin, was released after 20 years in Chinese custody on Sep. 16 after being sentenced to life in prison and found guilty of contract fraud.
Lin was convicted of fraud while raising money to build a church in China. He was one of three Americans that the State Department considered “wrongfully detained” by China, which allowed them to be negotiated for release. State Department spokesperson, Matthew Miller, did not mention if any concessions, such as a prisoner swap, had been made to China regarding Lin’s release.
Lin, who was born in China, is an American citizen who began returning to China in the 1990s to spread the gospel. He was detained in 2006 after trying to build a “house church,” or place of worship, independent from state-sanctioned religious institutions. He was arrested three years later, convicted of fraud and sentenced to life in prison. His sentence was later reduced and he was scheduled to be released in 2030.
Upon the 68 year-old’s arrival, his daughter, Alice Lin, shared, “No words can express the joy we have. We have a lot of time to make up for.”
Earlier this year, his daughter made an emotional plea for her father’s release, “I dream of him meeting my husband and my 8 year-old son for the first time. I yearn to hug him again myself. I don’t know how much time either of us has left….He is elderly now, and I have cancer. We can’t afford to wait.”
Bo Fu, founder and president of China Aid, shared, “David had been promised that he could build a church, and so he started to build support, selling some properties and borrowing money.” He continues on to argue that Lin’s conviction is a case of entrapment by the Chinese government.
While Fu believes that Lin’s release is great news, he doesn’t feel that Chinese authorities are loosening their grip on religious freedom.
The Biden administration has been working on Lin’s case for years, raising the issue at every meeting with senior Chinese officials.
Miller further shared, “We’ll continue to push the release of other Americans. It’s something that we can continue to work on. It’s an important step forward…” He also made it clear that Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been raising the issue consistently and had met with Chinese officials in July.
Lin was also released shortly after United States National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Prior to this, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, brought up the case during a visit to Beijing last October.
Lin’s daughter feels that Sullivan is the primary reason her father’s case was raised once more and finally acted upon. His release also occurred just before a Congressional hearing regarding detained Americans in China.
Lin’s family is thrilled about his return home and continues to advocate for other Americans wrongfully detained in China while treasuring their time with him after 20 long years.
