China frees American pastor after 18 years in detention

China frees American pastor after 18 years in detention toggle caption Wang Zhao/AFP via Getty Images TAIPEI, Taiwan — An American pastor jailed in China for more than 18 years has been released this week, according to the State Department on Monday. 68-year-old David Lin, a naturalized US citizen, had gone back to the country of his birth in 2006, after applying for permission from the Chinese government to open a Christian church building there. But he was detained shortly afterwards and was handed a life sentence in 2009 for contract fraud, a charge Lin and his family deny.

According to the Dui Hua Foundation, a U.S.-based human rights advocacy group, Lin's sentence had been reduced several times since 2012.



And prior to the most recent reduction, he was set to be released in December...

Emily Feng.