Beijing (TDI): China has released David Lin, a US pastor who had been behind bar since 2006, said the US State Department.
Lin, now 68, was serving a life sentence after being convicted of contract fraud.
The US government had long deemed Lin’s detention as wrongful and had been actively pressing Beijing for his release.
In a statement, a State Department spokesperson welcome Lin’s release from jail noting that he has returned to the US and will be reunited with his family after nearly 20 years.
Lin’s daughter, Alice, confirmed that her father is expected to arrive in San Antonio, Texas.
She expressed her family’s overwhelming joy and anticipation for the time they have ahead together.
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This development follows calls from the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last November, who urged President Joe Biden to address Lin’s case during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Efforts are ongoing to secure the release of two other detainees, Kai Li and Mark Swidan.
