by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
(Worthy News) – A Chinese court in Inner Mongolia has upheld prison sentences against ten Christians convicted of illegally distributing Bibles, a case highlighting Beijing’s ongoing crackdown on unregistered house churches.
On September 11, the Hohhot Intermediate People’s Court confirmed the original ruling that found the believers guilty of conducting an “illegal business operation.” The Christians had been arrested in April 2021 after purchasing legally published Bibles and reselling them at discounted prices as part of their evangelistic outreach.
Although the Bibles themselves were legally published, the court deemed their distribution unlawful because the group’s house church was not registered with the state-sanctioned Three-Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM). The TSPM, which operates under the authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), requires churches to adhere to strict guidelines that many independent congregations reject to remain faithful to their biblical convictions.
International Christian Concern (ICC), which has tracked the case for several years, noted that the ten Christians—identified as Wang Honglan, Ji Heying, Zhang Wang, Wang Jiale, Liu Minna, Li Chao, Yang Zhijun, Ji Guolong, Liu Wei, and Ban Yanhong—argued that their actions were not profit-driven but purely evangelistic.
In November 2024, the believers were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to five years and ordered to pay heavy fines. Ban Yanhong, who pled guilty, received one of the harsher penalties. Their appeal, heard on September 5, was rejected by the court, which upheld both the prison sentences and financial penalties.
The defense attorney for the group appealed to the court’s conscience, declaring, “We do not want to see our brothers and sisters suffer, nor do we want to see others live under God’s wrath. Wang Honglan and others have helped countless families and students, benefiting society. We hope the government will respect the faith of Christians and stop persecuting and oppressing them.”
China has increasingly restricted the activities of unregistered churches, with many pastors and believers facing harassment, detention, and imprisonment. Rights advocates warn that the latest ruling underscores the CCP’s determination to tighten control over Christian activity outside of the official state church.
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