US Pastor Released from Chinese Custody After Nearly Two Decades

David Lin, a 68-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested in China in 2006 for attempting to build a Christian training center in Beijing. He was later sentenced to life in prison for contract fraud, a charge he denied. The U.S. government considered him one of three Americans "unjustly detained" by China, along with businessmen Kai Li and Mark Swidan, who remain behind bars. The State Department welcomed Lin's release, with a spokesman saying the U.S. had urged Beijing to release him for years. The Commission on Religious Freedom notes that contract fraud is a charge often used against house church leaders in China.