SAN FRANCISCO (SEPTEMBER 15, 2024) – US citizen David Lin (林大卫) was released from Beijing Number Two Prison on September 15, 2024.
Pastor Lin, now 68 years old, entered China to preach the Gospel in 2006. He was convicted of contract fraud, a crime frequently used against house church leaders who raise funds to support their work, by the Beijing Number Two Intermediate People’s Court in December 2009. He was sentenced to life in prison.
The sentence was reduced to nineteen and a half years in 2012. He later received three sentence reductions.
Prior to the most recent reduction, Pastor Lin was scheduled for release in December 2029.
Pastor Lin was on the priority list of three Americans considered by the US Department of State to be wrongfully detained. The other two are Mark Swidan and Kai Li.
Dui Hua estimates that there are more than 200 Americans under coercive measures in China. More than 30 are under exit bans. In addition to Mark Swidan and Kai Li, Dui Hua considers Nelson Wells Jr. and Dawn Michelle Hunt to be wrongfully imprisoned in China.
Dui Hua submitted 30 lists seeking clemency for Pastor Lin to the Chinese Government. It received several written responses.
For questions, please contact The Dui Hua Foundation.