American pastor arrested in China for nearly 20 years is released

WASHINGTON, D.C.: David Lin, a Christian pastor from California, has been released from a Chinese prison after nearly 20 years of detention.

Lin, who had been sentenced to life in prison on contract fraud charges, returned to the U.S. and reunited with his family, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Monday.

Lin, now 68, was detained in China in 2006 after entering the country to assist an unauthorized