Chinese authorities have freed Pastor Zhang Shaojie, a prominent house church leader from Nanle County in Henan province, after he completed a 12-year prison sentence. Zhang, 59, was released on November 16 and returned home to his family.

Pastor Zhang was detained in November 2013 following a dispute with local officials over land rights for his church.

In 2014, he was convicted of “gathering a crowd to disrupt public order” and fraud, charges his supporters insist were fabricated to suppress the church’s growth.

Upon release, Zhang described his freedom as “full of God’s grace,” noting the significance of being released during the Thanksgiving season.

He thanked the global Christian community for its prayers and support, saying that without international pressure, he might have “disappeared”

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