Wang Honglan, Ji Heying, Zhang Wang, Wang Jiale, Liu Minna, Li Chao, Yang Zhijun, Ji Guolong, Liu Wei, and Ban Yanhong, ten Christians in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, have been accused of illegal business operation for buying Bibles from the Three-Self Church and selling them to Christians at a low price, completely non-profit. They have been detained for two years and seven months.
On November 20, 2023, the case finally went to trial. Among the Christians on trial, Wang Honglan is the oldest at 68 years old this year, and several others are plagued with illnesses, suffering greatly from the long-term detention.
Since becoming a Christian at the age of 24, Wang Honglan has served in the church for decades, spending five years in prison for her faith, and was also sent to re-education through labor for a year. Her church has held morning prayer meetings every day at six o’clock for thirty years, never missing a day, regardless of the season or weather.
For many years, in order to make Bibles affordable for more Christians, they purchased officially published Bibles from the Nanjing Three-Self Church at a 5% discount and sold them at a 25% discount. Not only did they not profit, but they also subsidized the cost. However, they were arrested on April 14, 2021, for illegal business operation. Arrested with Wang Honglan were her 73-year-old husband Ji Heying, their second son Ji Guolong, nephew Wang Jiale, and fellow workers Liu Wei and Liu Minna.
The prosecution found that the amount of Bibles sold exceeded 40 million yuan. Wang Honglan, Wang Jiale, Liu Minna, and Ban Yanhong, as the main defendants, were suggested by the prosecutor’s office to receive sentences of 10 to 15 years. Ji Heying, Yang Zhijun, Ji Guolong, Liu Wei, Zhang Wang, and Li Chao, as lesser responsible parties, received varying sentencing recommendations.
O Lord, the amount of 40 million yuan would mean selling millions of Bibles. How many of Your children in China have been blessed by the dedication of this group? O Lord, please remember them! May these ten members persevere and wait, may their churches have joy and hope, may You open paths for them, grant wisdom and courage to their defense lawyers. May You prosper the churches in Inner Mongolia, so that more people in this land hear the Gospel!
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who gives us the faith of true repentance. Amen!
(Source: ChinaAid Association website)
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