Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Inner Mongolian Court Upholds Prison Sentences for Christians Distributing Bibles
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.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Investigations continued Friday after a suspected Islamist gunman opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University in the U.S. state of Virginia on Thursday, killing a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) instructor and wounding two others before he was subdued by students and died, officials said.
All six crew members aboard a U.S. refueling aircraft have died after the plane crashed over western Iraq, the U.S. military confirmed Friday, as fighting between the United States, Israel, and Iran continued to intensify.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran’s newly installed supreme leader is likely wounded, disfigured, and hiding underground as the Islamic Republic reels from the opening blows of the war with the United States and Israel.
Bible sales in Britain have surged to their highest levels since records began, reflecting a growing spiritual interest across the nation—particularly among younger generations.
A damaged Russian gas tanker is drifting unmanned through the Mediterranean Sea, prompting Malta to prepare emergency measures while tensions linked to the war in Ukraine spill into Europe’s energy and security landscape.
Iran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Gulf countries Thursday, the 13th day of the United States-Israel war against Tehran, with strikes reported in Bahrain and other states, sending oil prices sharply higher and raising concerns among foreign workers, including Christians.
Nearly 25,000 Christians, many of them impoverished sanitation workers and day laborers, face possible eviction from their homes in Pakistan’s capital after authorities ordered them to vacate two settlements within days, Christians familiar with the situation confirmed Thursday.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com