Three Christians arrested in China on Thursday are back in the United States after being kicked out for speaking about oppression, according to reports from Operation Rescue, which provided support for the outreach.
The Rev. Pat Mahoney, Brandi Swindell and Michael McMonagle were detained when Chinese police broke up a press conference in Tiananmen Square where the group was attempting to address China's forced abortion policies, religious persecution and other human rights violations.
"We are relieved that these brave Christians have returned to freedom safely," Operation Rescue President Troy Newman said. "We are proud to stand with these courageous Christians, who were willing to risk their freedom to speak out on behalf of those who have none."
The Christians were threatened with lengthy jail sentences, and authorities demanded they pay $2,000 apiece for plane tickets out of China.
Eventually, the Chinese government paid for the tickets and put them on a flight to Los Angeles. Their luggage remains in China.
