The U.S. State Department announced Monday that David Lin, a 68-year-old Christian pastor from California, has been released from detention in China and has returned to the United States after nearly 20 years behind bars.

Lin, who entered China in 2006, was later convicted of contract fraud and sentenced to life in prison, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and advocacy groups. His release marks the end of a long-standing case that has drawn attention to religious freedom issues in China.

“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,” the State Department said in its statement.

According to China Aid, a U.S.-based advocacy group for persecuted activists in China, Lin frequently traveled to China in the 1990s to spread the gospel. The organization reports that Lin sought a license from the Chinese government to carry out Christian ministry. However, it’s unlikely he was granted permission, and he was detained in 2006 while assisting an underground church.

Lin was formally arrested in 2009 on suspicion of contract fraud. After a court review, he was sentenced to life in prison, a charge he denied, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a humanitarian group that advocates for prisoners in China.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom notes that “those who participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest and harsh sentences” in China. The charge of contract fraud is frequently used against leaders in the house church movement, which operates outside state-sponsored faith groups.

In China, all Christian churches must pledge loyalty to the ruling Communist Party and register with the government. Any unregistered church is considered an underground church, and its activities are deemed unlawful. Beijing has consistently cracked down on “unlawful preaching,” with efforts intensifying over the past decade.

Lin’s sentence had been reduced, and he was due for release in April 2030. In 2019, the commission on religious freedom reported that Lin was in declining health and potentially faced safety threats in prison.

The Chinese foreign ministry has not immediately responded to requests for comment regarding Lin’s release.

Lin’s release coincides with recent diplomatic efforts between the U.S. and China. National security adviser Jake Sullivan visited China late last month, meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other top officials in an effort to maintain open communication amid increasing tensions between the two nations.

Other Americans known to remain detained in China include Mark Swidan, sentenced on drug charges, and Kai Li, a businessman held on espionage-related charges that his family claims are unfounded.

Rep. Michael McCaul, the Texas Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed his relief at Lin’s release after 17 years of detention in China. He called for the immediate release of Li and Swidan, stating on the social platform X that Lin’s “capture, like so many others, marks a rising trend of hostage diplomacy by authoritarians around the world.”

AP