The Chinese regime has released American citizen and pastor David Lin, who was arrested and sentenced to life in prison while assisting a group of house Christians during a missionary trip to China in 2006. The Department of State expressed its satisfaction with Lin’s release, stating that he has returned to the United States after nearly 20 years and will finally be able to reunite with his family.
Under the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Christianity is tightly controlled, requiring registration and worship within CCP-controlled churches. Independent Christians who do not adhere to CCP doctrines face religious persecution and are often referred to as house Christians because they gather in private homes.
Last year, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns had the opportunity to meet with three U.S. citizens who were wrongfully detained by China. These individuals included Kai Li, charged with spying; Mark Swidan, a Texas-based businessman given the death penalty on drug charges; and David Lin.
Lin’s family has been advocating for his release for many years. Shortly before President Joe Biden met with Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping in 2022, Lin’s life sentence was reduced to 24 years.
According to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), until 2019, Lin was translating the Bible into Chinese and ministering to fellow prisoners. However, he stopped these activities around the same time concerns arose about his declining health and safety.
In an interview conducted last year by Alice Lin, David Lin’s daughter spoke about their concerns when her father urgently requested that his Bible translations be removed from the U.S. embassy premises. The family received a box containing these translations as well as his Bible and other personal items they had sent him over the years.
The United States recently engaged in diplomatic talks with China at which National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan emphasized securing the release of wrongfully detained American citizens as a priority for both countries.
“These meetings were also about managing tough issues,” Sullivan stated during a press conference following the talks. “It is a top priority for this administration to resolve cases involving American citizens who are wrongfully detained or subject to exit bans in China.”
