The U.S. State Department, has confirmed the release of American pastor, David Lin who had been held in Chinese detention since 2006.
Lin’s regains freedom, following an extensive efforts by U.S. politicians who have long argued that he was unjustly imprisoned on charges of contract fraud.
The State Department in an official statement on Sunday, said, “We welcome David Lin’s release from prison in the People’s Republic of China.”
His release follows years of diplomatic negotiations and advocacy from Washington, which consistently maintained that Lin’s detention was unwarranted.
Lin’s case was often brought up in conversations between U.S. and Chinese officials concerning human rights and legal transparency.
The preacher, who had been serving a life sentence, has now returned to the United States, reuniting with his family after nearly two decades of separation, according to a spokesperson from the State Department.
According to Reuters, Lin is currently with his family in the U.S. after arriving home.
Alice Lin, his daughter, previously shared with Politico that her 68-year-old father would be landing in San Antonio, Texas. “No words can express the joy we have — we have a lot of time to make up for,” Alice said.
In the past, U.S. senators, including the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, had urged President Joe Biden to press Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure the release of Lin and two other Americans, Kai Li and Mark Swidan, during diplomatic talks.
The U.S. government has classified all three as wrongfully detained, though China has continued to insist that their cases were handled in accordance with Chinese law.
