David Lin is an American pastor who was detained and imprisoned by the Chinese government from 2006 to 2024.
David Lin | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Citizenship | American |
Biography
editLin was born in China, later immigrating to the United States and gaining citizenship.[1] He worked as an economic advisor to state officials in Iowa and California, later living in Orange County, California with his wife.[2][3] He converted to Christianity following his wife's conversion.[2] Lin has a daughter, Alice, who was born in the 1980s, and a son.[4]
According to China Aid, Lin traveled to China frequently in the 1990s to support churches there, and he registered as a Christian minister with the Chinese government in 1999.[2][5][6] The organization also has said Lin attempted to receive a missionary license from the Chinese government.[6]
Imprisonment
editIn 2006, Lin returned to China in an attempt to establish a Christian missionary training center in Beijing.[7] He was detained that same year, after working with a "house church" which was unauthorized by the Chinese government.[6][8] He was formally arrested on charges of contract fraud in 2009.[6]
Lin was convicted of contract fraud, and was sentenced to life in prison.[6] He later received several sentence shortenings beginning in 2012;[9] prior to his release in 2024, Lin had been scheduled to be released in 2029.[3][5] During his imprisonment, Lin was housed with other foreign nationals.[2] He established a prayer group with his fellow prisoners and translated the Bible into Chinese.[10][5] He initially asked his family not to petition for his release, seeing his imprisonment as an opportunity from God to evangelize. In December 2018, his atittude shifted, following deteriorating health.[2] He had lost at least five teeth as of 2023.[4] His family began speaking about Lin's imprisonment publicly in 2019.[4]
On September 15, 2024, the U.S. State Department announced that Lin had been freed and had arrived in San Antonio, Texas.[6][11] At the time of his release, Lin had been one of three Americans detained in China whom the State Department considered wrongfully detained.[5]
References
edit- ^ Wang, Vivian (2024-09-16). "China Frees American Pastor After Nearly 20 Years in Prison". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-09-17.
- ^ a b c d e Xiaosi, Mao (2022-12-08). "David Lin: China Promises to Free in 2030 American Pastor Detained Since 2006". Bitter Winter. CESNUR. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ a b Kine, Phelim (2024-09-15). "Beijing releases long-jailed US citizen". Politico.
- ^ a b c Feng, John (2023-02-05). ""Praying for a miracle": The Americans detained in China". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ a b c d Hansler, Jennifer; Gan, Nectar (2024-09-16). "An American pastor held in a Chinese jail for nearly two decades is finally home". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ a b c d e f Tucker, Eric; Tang, Didi (2024-09-16). "An American pastor detained in China for nearly 20 years has been released". AP News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
- ^ Inocencio, Ramy (2024-09-16). "China frees David Lin, American pastor who U.S. government says was wrongfully detained for 18 years". CBS News. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Comerford, Ruth (2024-09-16). "US pastor freed from Chinese prison after 18 years". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ Feng, Emily (2024-09-16). "China frees American pastor after 18 years in detention". NPR.
- ^ "USCIRF Commissioners Adopt American Pastor David Lin Through the Religious Prisoners of Conscience Project". USCIRF. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "China frees American pastor who US claims was wrongly jailed, State Dept says". Reuters. 2024-09-15.