A Christian pastor from California has been freed from China after nearly 20 years behind bars and is back home in the U.S., the State Department said.

The United States worked for some time to secure the freedom of American Pastor David Lin ahead of his release from China and is still seeking the release of other Americans held there, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

An American pastor detained in China for almost 20 years has been released from prison and flown home to his family in Texas. David Lin, 68, was given a life sentence in 2006 on charges that the US says were bogus,