INTERNACIONAL
China frees US pastor after nearly 20 years of wrongful detainment
China on Sunday released U.S. pastor David Lin, who has been in jail since 2006 in what the State Department has deemed was a wrongful detainment.
The now 68-year-old pastor was formally arrested in 2009 for «contract fraud» and sentenced to life in prison after allegedly aiding a non-government sanctioned house church. His sentence was later reduced and he was set to be released in April 2030.
According to a U.S.-based China advocacy group, China Aid, which was founded to assist persecuted activists, Lin had been traveling to China since the 1990s for missionary work.
American Pastor David Lin was imprisoned and has been held in China since 2006. Lin’s family fears for his health. (Photo provided by FreePastorLin.com)
THE US MUST BRING IMPRISONED AMERICAN PASTOR DAVID LIN HOME FROM CHINA
Lin reportedly applied for a license through the Chinese government to organize a Christian ministry, but the request is believed to have been denied.
House churches are congregations in China that have not been approved by the Chinese government, but are reportedly picking up traction across the country despite government crackdowns, according to Christian websites.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in 2019 warned that it suspected Lin was being targeted in prison due to his faith, and voiced concern over his safety and health.
«Before his imprisonment, Pastor Lin was active in Beijing’s house church movement, which has long-faced hostility from Chinese authorities,» the USCIRF said in a 2019 statement. «House churches are independent of state-sponsored religious organizations, and those who participate in and lead house churches often face intimidation, harassment, arrest, and harsh sentences.»
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Pastor David Lin and his daughter, Alice, in 1984. (Photo provided FreePastorLin.com)
The State Department did not respond to specific questions from Fox News Digital regarding Lin’s release but instead said,»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 spokesperson added.
Reports show that the Biden administration has been attempting to secure Lin’s release for years, including as recently as July when Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Laos.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Chinese Communist Party’s foreign policy chief Wang Yi during their bilateral meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 13, 2023. (Dita Alangkara/Pool via Reuters)
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The administration, U.S. rights groups and lawmakers on the Hill continue to call for the release of other Americans still wrongfully held in China, including businessman Kai Li, who is being held on alleged espionage-related charges, and Mark Swidan, who was sentenced on drug charges.
Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt have also been «wrongfully imprisoned» over alleged drug-related charges, according to the Dui Hua Foundation, a U.S.-based human rights group that focuses on political prisoners and other at-risk detainees.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Israel launched a series of overnight strikes on sites in Lebanon where the Israeli military says Hezbollah terrorists operated. The strikes follow two waves of deadly electronic device explosions across Lebanon.
The Israeli strikes targeted infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, including the areas of Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Thursday. Israel also struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in Khiam.
«The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in order to defend the State of Israel,» the IDF said in a statement.
The strikes followed two deadly waves of explosions across Lebanon in which electronic devices detonated in near-simultaneous explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday.
HOW DID THE HEZBOLLAH PAGER EXPLOSIONS HAPPEN? 5 THINGS TO KNOW
Israel Defense Forces said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure sites in Lebanon on Thursday. (Israel Defense Forces)
Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded on Tuesday, killing 12 people, including two children, and wounding some 2,800 others.
Another wave of electronic devices detonated on Wednesday, killing at least 25 and wounding more than 450. Hezbollah officials said the devices included walkie-talkies and solar equipment.
People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several men who were wounded by exploded handheld pagers in Beirut, Lebanon, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Bassam Masri)
Israel has largely been blamed for the two rounds of deadly blasts. The Israeli government has not commented on the explosions.
On Wednesday, a senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that Israel is behind the explosions of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addressed the deadly two-day attack on Thursday, saying the group is investigating.
«Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow,» Nasrallah said. «The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines. The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect.»
«The enemy went beyond all controls, laws and morals,» he continued, adding the attacks «could be considered war crimes or a declaration of war.»
The Israeli military released another statement on Thursday, blaming Hezbollah for turning Lebanon into «a combat zone.»
«The Hezbollah terrorist organization has turned southern Lebanon into a combat zone. For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them, and used civilians as human shields,» Israel’s military said.
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The explosions that rocked Lebanon have deepened concerns about an escalation into an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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