by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - A prosecutor in China’s Inner Mongolia has suggested a 15-year prison sentence be given to the first of four Christian defendants arrested for selling Bibles last year, International Christian Concern (ICC). China banned the online sale of Bibles in 2018, and many Bible sellers have been arrested.
Wang Honglan was arrested in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, together with her husband, son, and daughter-in-law on April 21, 2021. Accused of selling Bibles illegally, each of the four family members has been charged with conducting “illegal business operations,” ICC reports. The prosecutor in the case has recommended a 15-year jail term for Wang Honglan because she is listed as the first defendant, and because she allegedly made an “illegal profit” of $6.2 million in the sale of Bibles, ICC said.
All four defendants are in prison awaiting trial at the Huimin People’s Court in Hohhot, ICC said. The defendants are represented by Christian lawyers who successfully argued before the Court that the original trial date of January 17 gave them insufficient time to prepare.
On January 15, lawyer Fang Xiangui posted on social media: “Thank you all for your prayers and attention. Because the procuratorate has supplied new files, the court has notified us that the trial has been postponed.” ICC has called for continuing prayer for the family who are in prison and do not yet know when their trial will take place.
China ranks 17 on the US Open Doors Watch List 2022 of top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.